BORDERS SCIENCE FESTIVAL 2017
PROGRAMME 1 - 31 MAY
BORDERS SCIENCE FESTIVAL 2017
BORDERS SCIENCE FESTIVAL 2017
WELCOME WITH A PACKED programme full of fun, educational and creative events throughout the month of May, the Borders Science Festival aims to inspire people of all ages to explore and celebrate the world of science. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND BOOKINGS: UNLESS SPECIFIED PLEASE CONTACT: 01750 726400 E: LIBRARIES@LIVEBORDERS1.ORG.UK WWW.LIVEBORDERS.ORG.UK
The Borders Science Festival is co-ordinated by Live Borders Libraries. In its fifth year, the festival has grown from a purely schoolsbased programme to one that includes family and public events. Whilst we have taken every care in producing this brochure please refer to the website for up-to-date details regarding all our events. Borders schools have their own programme of over 50 workshops and activities which is co-ordinated by Scottish Borders Council Children and Young People’s Services. Please get in contact if you would like more information regarding our schools programme. FAMILY FUN DAYS THEATRE
DISCUSSIONS AUTHOR EVENTS
FAMILY FUN DAYS HARESTANES FAMILY FUN DAY HARESTANES COUNTRYSIDE VISITOR PARK, NR ANCRUM TD8 6UQ SATURDAY 13 MAY, 10AM - 3PM Join the Borders Science Festival at Harestanes and enjoy a fun-packed family day of science, including the following amazing activities: • The Wildlife Information Centre – Citizen Science • SBC Rangers – Join a Tree Treasure Hunt • Dynamic Earth – Extreme Environments • LoveScience – Yucky science experiments • Newcastle University – Street Science busking • Caravan Obscura – & upside down Kohler Boxes • And you can even explore your brain and your senses with Edinburgh University Neuroscience Department Be prepared to have lots of fun! Drop in activities.
• HARESTANES TIMETABLED EVENT:
ANIMAL MAN’S AMAZING MINI ZOO COURTYARD ROOM NOON - 1PM Get up close and personal with some weird and wonderful critters. Some are cute and cuddly! Some are not… Whatever the animal, you can hold them if you feel brave enough and Animal Man will astound you with some amazing facts! (Children under 8 to be
accompanied by an adult please). Booking required.
SCI-FUN ROADSHOW
Presented by the University of Edinburgh
PEEBLES COMMUNITY CENTRE (DRILL HALL) EH45 8AU SATURDAY 20 MAY, 11AM - 4PM Join the fun with this amazing mobile science centre. The SCI-FUN Roadshow offers an exciting collection of over fifty interactive activities – complete with fascinating explanations! Be a scientist and experiment with: seeing a hole in your hand; solving a crime; understanding why a twenty-pence piece is the shape it is; exploring animal tracks; making objects apparently roll uphill; and even using a spinning chair to introduce angular momentum! (Don’t worry, there’s no exam – you just have to concentrate on having fun!) There is also an array of illusions and problemsolving activities to really get you thinking about how we understand the world around us. There’s plenty for all the family, including the challenges of the Reaction Wall and Power Bike for more competitive visitors!! Pop in for a moment and stay for hours! Drop in activities.
PUBLIC PROGRAMME FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND BOOKINGS | E: LIBRARIES@LIVEBORDERS1.ORG.UK | WWW.LIVEBORDERS.ORG.UK
BORDERS SCIENCE FESTIVAL 2017
FAMILY FUN DAYS
DISCUSSIONS
WILTON LODGE PARK FAMILY FUN DAY
• WILTON LODGE FAMILY FUN DAY AUTHOR STAR TENT EVENTS:
• WILTON LODGE FAMILY FUN DAY ANIMAL MAN STAR TENT:
WILTON LODGE PARK, HAWICK TD9 7JL SATURDAY 27 MAY, 11AM - 4PM Join the Borders Science Festival at Wilton Lodge Park and enjoy a fun-packed family day of science, including the following amazing activities:
OLLIE AND THE OTTER with Emily Dodd
ANIMAL MAN’S AMAZING MINI ZOO!
THE FLAT EARTH AND EVOLUTION OF THE HOW WE KNOW IT’S NOT! HUMAN IMAGINATION
• RSPB – Bird Ringing demonstrations • Dynamic Earth – Extreme Environments • LoveScience – Yucky science experiments • Newcastle University – Street Science busking • Tweed Foundation – Exploring River Habitats • Caravan Obscura – & upside down Kohler Boxes • Live Borders Libraries – 3D printing and fab Apps • And you can even explore your brain and your senses with Edinburgh University Neuroscience Department Be prepared to have lots of fun! Drop in activities.
12.15 - 1PM Ollie the osprey loves catching fish but he’s useless at throwing them! And if he can’t throw a fish to Isla, she’ll never become his friend. Can Rory the otter help? A brilliant, engaging story about the loveable birds and animals of the Scottish Highlands. Recommended for ages
3–6. (Children under 8 to be accompanied by an adult please).
11AM - NOON / 1.15 - 2.15PM Get up close and personal with some weird and wonderful critters. Some are cute and cuddly! Some are not… Whatever the animal, you can hold them if you feel brave enough and Animal Man will astound you with some amazing facts! (Children under 8 to be accompanied by an adult please). Booking required.
VIKINGS IN BRITAIN! with David MacPhail
2.30 - 3.15PM Join author David MacPhail as he takes you on an illustrated, historical and archaeological trip through the ever popular history of Viking invasions! Do you know Vikings as well as you think you do and how did they help shape modern Scotland? And dare you find out if they were as scary as some people think? Gulp! Recommended for ages 6 and above. (Children under 8 to be accompanied by an adult please). Booking required.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND BOOKINGS | E: LIBRARIES@LIVEBORDERS1.ORG.UK | WWW.LIVEBORDERS.ORG.UK
Illustrated talk by Astronomer Peter Flannery
Illustrated talk by Art Physiotherapist David Pitt
MELROSE LIBRARY TD6 9PN WEDNESDAY 3 MAY, 7PM Is the Earth flat? With the aid of his background in astronomy, visual images, plus some simple experiments for you to try, Peter will prove our planet is indeed a sphere! Booking required.
PEEBLES LIBRARY EH45 8AG TUESDAY 16 MAY, 7PM Our imagination can be a valuable resource. It can equally exert a negative influence. David will discuss these concepts and explain how we can use imagination therapeutically to come to terms with the past and envisage a future full of possibilities. Booking required.
MEDICAL COMPRESSION SAVES LIVES! Illustrated talk by Dr Lisa Macintyre
HERIOT WATT UNI, GALASHIELS TD1 3HE WEDNESDAY 10 MAY, 7PM Join Dr Lisa Macintyre to learn how textiles play a part in saving and improving lives. Medical compression has many uses including the treatment of burn scars and the prevention of deep vein thrombosis. Look at some available products and learn about the challenges associated with delivering the correct pressure. Booking required.
MUNGO PARK: STEADY VIEWS OF FUTURITY HERITAGE HUB, KIRKSTILE, HAWICK TD9 0AE THURSDAY 18 MAY, 7PM A new look at Mungo Park’s archives at the Heritage Hub, Hawick. Booking required. Please contact: T: 01450 360699 E: archives@liveborders1.org.uk
MARY SOMERVILLE: SELF-TAUGHT WOMAN OF SCIENCE Illustrated talk by Isabel Gordon
KELSO LIBRARY CONTACT CENTRE TD5 7JH WEDNESDAY 24 MAY, 2.30PM Discover how Mary Somerville transformed herself from a young woman with an extremely limited education into a renowned mathematician, bestselling science writer and astronomer who helped discover Neptune! Booking required.
GRAVITATIONAL WAVES:
LISTENING TO THE SOUNDS OF THE UNIVERSE Illustrated talk with Prof. Stuart Reid of The University of West Scotland
PEEBLES LIBRARY EH45 8AG TUESDAY 30 MAY, 7PM Gravitational waves were first observed in September 2015 - associated with the collision of two black holes more than an incredible one billion light years ago. A new and exciting era of gravitational wave astronomy has since commenced. Booking required.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND BOOKINGS | E: LIBRARIES@LIVEBORDERS1.ORG.UK | WWW.LIVEBORDERS.ORG.UK
BORDERS SCIENCE FESTIVAL 2017
THEATRE TWITAWOO CRANSHAWS VILLAGE HALL TD11 3SJ SATURDAY 20 MAY, 2.30PM Theatre production for families, brought to you by Vision Mechanics and Borders Forest Trust. Owl, Badger, Squirrel, Pine Marten and friends all live in the woods. They love it there and they especially love Gerry, the Forest Ranger, who has a hard time looking after them and managing the forest. Gerry wants to win the tidiest forest in Scotland competition but there is a lot of waste to clear up. Meanwhile an owl in the nearby forest has gone missing... Twitawoo brings to life a host of fabulous Scottish woodland creatures. With music and songs, the forest friends share their adventures and invite you to help look after their home. Booking required. Collection on the door. Please reserve your ticket by calling 01361 890384 or emailing Wendy.dawson-young@hotmail.co.uk
THE WORM: AN UNDERGROUND ADVENTURE! KAILZIE GARDENS, NR PEEBLES EH45 9HT SUNDAY 21 MAY, 11.30AM An enchanting, musical tale celebrating the wonder of life beneath our feet, specially devised for 3–7 year olds and families. Join Wilma and William, two nature lovers, on a journey underground as they discover a family of friendly, musical worms and their colourful miniature world. With laugh-out loud songs, The Worm is a fun-filled musical tale guaranteed to make everyone giggle, wiggle and love the squirmy wonders beneath our feet. After the performance, the audience are invited to see some real worms in a specially designed wormery. Please note: the performance will be outdoors.
AUTHOR EVENTS WHY VACCINES ARE AMAZING
Borders Youth Theatre and Trinity P7 Pupils
HAWICK LIBRARY TD9 9QT WEDNESDAY 24 MAY, 2PM Worldwide, many killer diseases have almost disappeared due to the wonder of vaccines. It wasn’t always like this! Thousands of people used to die as a result of diseases we now prevent. But, if we ignore the risks, any of these diseases could return.Trinity P7 pupils and Borders Youth Theatre have created a piece of theatre to show the perils of the past and how scientists began to shape the future! No booking required.
Booking required. Admission charge £3 per person. Adults free.
FROGS, FLEAS, FOXES & BATTLE MAGE: FANTASY OTHER FABULOUS FAUNA FICTION WRITING with Polly Pullar
with Peter Flannery
DUNS PARISH CHURCH HALL TD11 3DD THURSDAY 4 MAY, 2.30PM Polly Pullar is a writer, photographer and field naturalist with a passion for the natural world. Here in an illustrated talk filled with humour, she will describe the birds, beasts and beautiful places that are of constant joy and inspiration in her life and work. Tea, coffee and refreshments available. Booking required.
HAWICK LIBRARY TD9 9QT THURSDAY 11 MAY, 7PM Peter will describe the skills an author needs to face the competitive world of publishing, from using computers to formatting text and understanding the vagaries of online marketing. Fantasy might provide the inspiration but science gives us the tools to make it real.
WHAT MAKES YOUR BODY WORK!
BURKE AND HARE: FACT & FICTION
with Gill Arbuthnott
with Peter Ranscombe
DUNS LIBRARY CONTACT CENTRE TD11 3AU
SELKIRK LIBRARY TD7 4LE SATURDAY 13 MAY, 7PM Peter, previously a journalist with the Scotsman, will describe his research relating to the infamous Burke and Hare and their grisly business of selling bodies for scientific research. Find out what happened to Hare after Burke was hanged for their murderous crimes. Booking required.
SATURDAY 6 MAY, 10.30 - 11.30AM Come along and find out how amazing you are! Discover weird and wonderful facts about your body! You’ll even get the chance to do experiments on yourself (and maybe even your friends and family!) Ages 5+ but family
groups very welcome. Booking required. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND BOOKINGS | E: LIBRARIES@LIVEBORDERS1.ORG.UK | WWW.LIVEBORDERS.ORG.UK
Booking required.
FORENSIC FACT MEETS FORENSIC FICTION with best-selling Scottish crime fiction writer Lin Anderson
THE MCDONALD DRYBURGH ROOM, MILLFIELD GARDENS, CANONGATE, JEDBURGH TD8 6ER FRIDAY 19 MAY, 7PM When a grave is unearthed on the remote island of Sanday, forensic scientist Rhona MacLeod is brought in to excavate. Cut off from the mainland by bad weather, finding the killer is down to forensics and secrets held in the soil. Teas, coffees and licensed bar. Booking required.
DISCOVER THE SCIENCE BEHIND CRIME WRITING with Janet O’Kane
GALASHIELS LIBRARY TD1 3JQ WEDNESDAY 25 MAY, 2.30PM Local author Janet O’Kane explains how she chooses ways to kill off her (purely fictional) characters! Booking required.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND BOOKINGS | E: LIBRARIES@LIVEBORDERS1.ORG.UK | WWW.LIVEBORDERS.ORG.UK
BORDERS SCIENCE FESTIVAL 2017
PUBLIC PROGRAMME FEATHERS AND FLIGHT
ANIMATION WORKSHOPS
HAWICK MUSEUM, WILTON LODGE PARK TD9 7JL
MELROSE LIBRARY TD6 9PN SATURDAY 6 MAY, 10AM - 1PM
Exhibition
SUNDAY 30 APRIL – SUNDAY 13 AUGUST Explore flight in nature and art through an exhibition of birds on show as specimens and reproduced in artworks. Drop in and enjoy this fun and educational way of looking at the phenomenon of flight. Summer holiday workshops around the Museum will accompany this exhibition – watch media for details. Drop in. Part of Wilton Lodge Park Year of Flight and Feathers.
HEDGEHOG WEEK! HAWICK MUSEUM, WILTON LODGE PARK TD9 7JL
MONDAY 1 MAY – SUNDAY 7 MAY, 2 - 3PM Come and see a fantastic display and learn about hedgehogs! You can also meet a real live hedgehog at two short activity sessions on Friday and Sunday afternoons. For all ages. Booking required for the activity sessions. Please contact T: 01450 364747 E: hawickmuseum@liveborders1.org.uk
Part of Hedgehog Awareness Week.
with Simone Russell
EYEMOUTH LIBRARY TD14 5JE SATURDAY 20 MAY, 10AM - 1PM Join Simone Russell and she will help you create your very own stop frame animation about frogs, their transformation from frog spawn to tadpoles and the adventures you think they get up to! There will be googly eyes and crafty materials and you even get to do a voice-over for your froggy characters! Ages 7–11 (bring a drink & refreshments). Booking required. Admission £3 per child.
THE SCIENCE OF COLOUR
In partnership with the Institute of Physics
THE HIPPODROME, EYEMOUTH TD14 5HS SUNDAY 7 MAY, 3PM You’ll never trust your eyes again after you’ve seen Dr Ben Craven use his favourite colour
experiments to explore the world of colour vision. Find out how to make a black thing look white, how two lights can be the same but different and why we are all colour blind! Tea, coffee and cake will be available. Suitable for older children and adults. Booking required.
NATURAL FLOOD MANAGEMENT LAKE WOOD (LAYBY) CAR PARK, 3 MILES N OF PEEBLES ON THE A703 TUESDAY 9 MAY, 6.30 - 8.30PM Join Tweed Forum staff on this walk to explore how river restoration and flood risk reduction can go hand in hand on the Eddleston Water. See how re-connecting the river with its floodplain, planting trees and creating water storage ponds can all help reduce flooding. Booking recommended. To book call 01896 849723 or email info@tweedforum.org Bring waterproof clothing and wellies.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND BOOKINGS | E: LIBRARIES@LIVEBORDERS1.ORG.UK | WWW.LIVEBORDERS.ORG.UK
CYCLING DEMONSTRATION Live Borders
TRIFITNESS, GALASHIELS TD1 3EY FRIDAY 12 MAY, 2PM Live Borders Advanced Rider Development Squad will demonstrate how force generates power on Watt Bikes. Booking required.
EVENING WILDLIFE WALK – OTTERS BOWHILL, SELKIRK TD7 5ET SATURDAY 13 MAY, 5.30 - 7.30PM An evening guided walk led by one of the Bowhill Rangers. This session will focus on wildlife in and around the Bowhill loch with an introduction to some of the survey techniques used to monitor the estate’s Otter population. Booking required. To book call 01750 22204 or visit www.bowhillhouse.co.uk Admission £6 per person.
SELKIRK FLOOD PROTECTION SCHEME GUIDED WALK MEETING: VICTORIA PARK CAR PARK WEDNESDAY 17 MAY, 10:30AM - 12:00 & 1PM - 2.30PM Members of the Scheme’s project team will lead walking tours of the new flood defences and answer any questions you may have. The morning tour will focus on the defences to the north of the river - through Bannerfield and along the Long Philip Burn - while the afternoon tour will focus on the defence to the south of the river – along Riverside and on the Shaw Burn. Booking required. Please email selkirkfps@scotborders.gov.uk or call 07538 114410.
ENERGY DRINK WORKSHOP Live Borders
3G ARENA, GALASHIELS TD1 3EY FRIDAY 19 MAY, 6.45PM Are you interested in the content of energy drinks, the impact these have on your body and how to make a healthier alternative? Then this workshop is for you. Booking required.
SATURDAY RANGER CLUB:
POND LIFE SURVEYING BOWHILL, SELKIRK TD7 5ET SATURDAY 20 MAY, 1.30 - 3.30PM A chance to take a closer look at life in the Bowhill loch, led by a Bowhill Ranger the session will increase identification skills and knowledge of the ecosystem in and around the loch, while also looking at systems for recording the findings. Ages 6 + (over 8s can be left unattended). To book call 01750 22204 or visit www.bowhillhouse.co.uk Admission charge £5 per child. Booking recommended.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND BOOKINGS | E: LIBRARIES@LIVEBORDERS1.ORG.UK | WWW.LIVEBORDERS.ORG.UK
BORDERS SCIENCE FESTIVAL 2017
PUBLIC PROGRAMME NUTTY’S LITTLE SQUIRRELS:
BUG HUNTING
BOWHILL, SELKIRK TD7 5ET FRIDAY 26 MAY, 2 - 3 PM A chance for the under 6’s to get out in to the woods of Bowhill for a bug hunt, come and see what creepy crawlies you can find in the beautiful Bowhill woodlands! Booking recommended. To book call 01750 22204 or visit www.bowhillhouse.co.uk Admission charge £3 per child.
OUR AMAZING BRAIN: THE SCIENCE OF MINDFULNESS PEEBLES LIBRARY EH45 8AG SATURDAY 27 MAY, 10.30 - 11.30AM Plasticine brain cells, torches, breathing balls – and SUPER-DUPER big words for budding scientists to experiment and understand how training the mind can change OUR brain! What’s chocolate got to do with it? Book your place and find out! This event is suitable for
RASPBERRY PI
Workshop with Julien Ribeyron
HAWICK LIBRARY TD9 9QT SATURDAY 27 MAY, 10 - 11AM Ever wanted to be able to program your own Minecraft Pi game, control a robotic arm or program a weather station? Or how about making electronic music or creating and programing an electronic circuit? If it’s a Yes, then be quick and book your place! Ages 10–14. Booking required.
POND DIPPING
BUILD A TOWER WORKSHOP SELKIRK LIBRARY TD7 4LE WEDNESDAY 31 MAY, 1PM - 3PM Join in the fun and take the challenge to build as tall a tower as possible using the materials provided on the day. You’ll also get to meet Engineers from CPE Consultancy who project managed the design and construction of the Selkirk Flood Protection Scheme! Are you up for the challenge? Booking required.
HARE MOSS, A7 SELKIRK TD7 4NP SUNDAY 28 MAY, 2 - 4PM Enjoy some hands-on pond dipping and bird watching with experienced Rangers from Scottish Borders Council and the Scottish Wildlife Trust. Drop in and stay as long as you like.
children aged 7-12 - accompanied by adults please. Booking required.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND BOOKINGS | E: LIBRARIES@LIVEBORDERS1.ORG.UK | WWW.LIVEBORDERS.ORG.UK
STROKE ASSOCIATION
BOOKBUG SESSIONS
MELROSE LIBRARY, 18 MARKET SQUARE TD6 9PN WEDNESDAY 3 MAY, 10AM - 1PM
EARLSTON LIBRARY, EHS TD4 6JP WEDNESDAY 3 MAY, 10AM Appiness session included.
GALASHIELS LIBRARY, LAWYERS BRAE TD1 3JQ WEDNESDAY 3 MAY, 2PM - 5PM
GALASHIELS LIBRARY TD1 3JQ THURSDAY 4 MAY, 10AM Appiness session included.
HAWICK LIBRARY, NORTH BRIDGE STREET TD9 9QT TUESDAY 9 MAY 10AM - 12.30
FRIDAY 5 MAY, 10.15AM (BABIES), 11AM
JEDBURGH LIBRARY CONTACT CENTRE, CASTLEGATE TD8 6AS TUESDAY 9 MAY, 2PM - 4PM KELSO LIBRARY CONTACT CENTRE, BOWMONT STREET TD5 7JH WEDNESDAY 10 MAY, 10.30AM - 1PM Join one of our drop in sessions and speak with a representative of the UK’s leading charity dedicated to stroke prevention. Take a moment… get your blood pressure checked and find out how to reduce your risk of stroke.
KELSO LIBRARY CONTACT CENTRE TD5 7JH (TODDLERS)
JEDBURGH LIBRARY CONTACT CENTRE TD8 6AS
MONDAY 8 MAY, 10.30AM EYEMOUTH EARLY YEARS CENTRE, EYEMOUTH PRIMARY SCHOOL TD14 5AN THURSDAY 11 MAY, 11AM Appiness session included. MELROSE LIBRARY TD6 9PN FRIDAY 12 MAY, 10AM (BABIES), 11AM (TODDLERS)
SELKIRK LIBRARY TD7 4LE MONDAY 22 MAY, 2PM Appiness session included. INNERLEITHEN LIBRARY EH44 6LA THURSDAY 25 MAY, 10AM HAWICK LIBRARY TD9 9QT THURSDAY 25 MAY, 10AM (BABIES), 2.30PM (TODDLERS) PEEBLES LIBRARY, CHAMBERS INSTITUTE EH45 8AG TUESDAY 30 MAY, 10AM Free, fun and friendly science and numbers themed sessions for wee folk! Each session lasts around 30 minutes and includes songs, stories and rhymes. Some sessions will also include Appiness activities. Appiness is an innovative, UK award winning learning programme, funded by the Scottish Library and Information Council, where you can find out about the best library resources and educational apps for pre-school children.
Drop in.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND BOOKINGS | E: LIBRARIES@LIVEBORDERS1.ORG.UK | WWW.LIVEBORDERS.ORG.UK
Thank you to all our sponsors and partners. With their kind assistance the majority of the Borders Science Festival 2017 events are FREE.
BORDERS SCIENCE FESTIVAL SPONSORS:
ROSLIN
BORDERS SCIENCE FESTIVAL 2017 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND BOOKINGS: UNLESS SPECIFIED PLEASE CONTACT: 01750 726400 E: LIBRARIES@LIVEBORDERS1.ORG.UK WWW.LIVEBORDERS.ORG.UK Registration No SC243577 | Registered Charity No SCO34227
Design: pmgd
BORDERS SCIENCE FESTIVAL IN PARTNERSHIP WITH: