From the science of time, sleep and speech to metal forging and indoor pollution, the University of Strathclyde will be actively participating in this year’s Glasgow Science Festival. 

Strathclyde researchers will be taking part in 19 activities and events at this year’s festival. The programme will have hundreds of events and activities and will be the biggest in the festival’s 19-year history. 

The programme includes three events hosted at Strathclyde, focusing on sleep, physics and new medicines, and the University’s Images of Research exhibition on Glasgow Central Station’s main concourse.  

Year of events

The festival, which runs from 5-15 June, is being held under the banner of Glasgow Celebrates and forms part of the current year of events marking the city’s 850th anniversary. 

The Strathclyde activities and events, all of which are free to enter, will include:        

• Molecules to Medicine (Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Saturday 14 June, 11am-4pm): the Institute will open its doors to showcase how cutting-edge research is enabling a deeper understanding of disease to design new medicines and improve patient outcomes. Discover how technology is being used to improve health and wellbeing in Glasgow 
• Quantum, Plasmas, Lasers & Space (Strathclyde Department of Physics, Saturday 14 June, 11am-4pm): Build your own bottle rocket and put it to the test. See live demonstrations including how scientists are using light to measure and enhance sensing in the brain and how reseachers are building atomic clocks.  
• Mosaic Landscapes (Botanic Gardens, Sunday 15 June): have you got what it takes to design the landscape of an NHS garden? Play our board game and discuss what should be in the gardens. Create what you would like to see in there and step into the shoes of people who use them by making a card to add to the game. Part of the Design HOPES project, in which Strathclyde is the lead higher education institution 
• Glasgow Sleeps: Let's Make Time for It (Clarice Pears Building, University of Glasgow, Friday 6 June, 3pm – 5pm and Sleep Hub Stall, Botanic Gardens, Sat 14- Sun 15 June. Booking required for 6 June event): do you find it difficult to prioritise and protect time for sleep? Human sleep-wake patterns are regulated by the timing of the sun, yet modern life is now governed by a 24-hour society. Listen, draw and use creative writing during this workshop to explore the relationship between sleep and time. Create a mural and sound piece celebrating your own relationship with sleep. With specialists from the Strathclyde Centre for Sleep Health 
• The Future of Ultrasonic Engineering (Riverside Museum, Friday 13 June): Ultrasound isn’t only for seeing babies! Witness ultrasound levitating liquid and scan soft tissue using an ultrasound probe. Discover how animals use ultrasound to navigate and see how ultrasound can be used in medicine with engineers from the Centre for Doctoral Training in Future Ultrasonic Engineering, a collaboration between Strathclyde and the University of Glasgow. 

Wide range 

Glasgow Science Festival Director Dr Deborah McNeill said: “This year’s programme is our most jam-packed ever, expanding to new venues and bringing in a widened range of events, shows and presentations.   

We're excited to be joining people across the city to celebrate both our scientific present and the city’s historic past during this 850th anniversary year. 

Minister for Business Richard Lochhead said: “Scotland’s science festivals help to inspire the next generation of scientists and entrepreneurs by bringing STEM subjects to life, making them accessible and entertaining for all ages.  

“The Scottish Government’s ongoing support for Glasgow Science Festival is a testament to the creative ways it supports learning and our ambitions for Scotland to be a home of innovation well into the future.” 

Glasgow Science Festival is led by the University of Glasgow.