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Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute

BBC Science Club. Take inspiration from the experts

Published: 25 July 2013Origin: Engineering

University of Southampton physicist and oceanographer Dr Helen Czerski makes a welcome return to our television screens for the new series of BBC Two’s Science Club. The first episode will air on Thursday, 25 July at 8.00pm on BBC Two.

Hosted by comedian and broadcaster Dara O'Briain, Science Club features special reports by eminent contributors to explore ground-breaking stories on the cutting edge of contemporary science. Joining Helen as part of the presenting team are Professor Mark Miodownik and science journalist Alok Jha.

In the first episode, Helen visits the NASA's Scientific Balloon Facility in Texas to sample life in the stratosphere and to find out how it could be affecting our weather. It turns out that collecting the samples is easy (you just put a collecting device on a special balloon and let the balloon go), but getting the samples back is a little bit trickier.

Later in the series, University of Southampton Professor Bill Keevil will join the Science Club to reveal how copper can be used to restrict the spread of global antibiotic resistant infections, such as MRSA.

"This series of Science Club has been great fun to make, and we've got some fantastic science to share," said Helen. "My favourite bit was probably getting to try miracle berries in the studio - after a small sample of the berries, all of us were happily eating fresh lemons as though they were sweet oranges. You'll have to watch to find out why! And I got to meet a giant fruit bat, who turned out to be a pro at flirting with the camera.

"The best bit of each programme is the discussion at the end, when we all get to chip in from our different perspectives along with the expert studio guests," Helen continued. "There's a lot for everyone in this series, and you definitely don't need to be a geek to enjoy it. Science isn't just something that's stuck in a lab - it's all around us and everyone can enjoy knowing a bit more about it."

Helen is a Research Fellow at the University of Southampton, based in the Institute for Sound and Vibration Research where she focuses on the scientific properties of bubbles. Find out more about how bubbles make our planet work.

If your ambition is to change the world through a career in science then join us at one of our Open Days on 6-7 September. Book your Open Day place now.

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