European Researchers' Night

Friday 28 September 2018 sees the return of the popular European Researchers’ Night event (formerly known as Science Uncovered) to Newcastle University’s Great North Museum: Hancock following successful editions in 2016 and 2017 which both drew over 1000 visitors.

European Researchers’ Night is a continent-wide initiative taking place annually on the last Friday in September. It’s a fun, alternative night out that presents scientific research in a social setting.

Visitors can meet university researchers, hear about their work, enjoy a drink and take the rare opportunity to explore the museum after dark. All are welcome to attend and the event is particularly suitable for students and young adults.

European Researchers’ Night is delivered in partnership with London’s Natural History Museum and the European Commission.

Caroline McDonald, manager at the Great North Museum: Hancock said:

“We’re looking forward to this evening of popular science during Freshers’ Week to celebrate European Researchers’ Night.

“As Newcastle University’s museum on campus we want to inspire curiosity, learning and debate. An event like this with cutting-edge research at its heart, fits the bill perfectly.”

2018’s event revolves around the theme Planet 2.0 and sees a diverse range of projects and ideas presented by researchers. The main question up for debate is: Does the planet need a reboot?

Human activity has undoubtedly changed the planet and scientists are researching our impact to give us the opportunity to move towards a 'Planet 2.0' where both people and planet can thrive. Research areas that will be explored on the night range from ocean pollution and food production to neuroscience and human ageing.

European Researchers’ Night takes place on Friday 28 September 2018 from 6-10pm. Entrance is free and visitors can drop in throughout the evening.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 819158.

European Researchers’ Night line-up

Newcastle University CORALASSIST project

Meet scientists from Newcastle University’s CORALASSIST project, which aims to find out whether assisted gene flow and selective breeding can aid coral reef conservation in the face of climate change. Hold coral skeletons, learn about coral bleaching and see live corals in a special aquarium.

Newcastle University School of Natural and Environmental Sciences

Is solar the future of renewable energy? See a demonstration using fluorescent dyes and nanomaterials to learn how emerging, state-of-the-art solar technologies work.

Newcastle University Clinical Ageing Research Unit

Using a hand dynamometer, take the test and see how strong your grip is. It might tell you more about your health and the process of ageing than you realised!

Newcastle University Institute of Neuroscience

How does the brain process sound? Learn about brain rhythms and find out why they are so important for language, music and some neural disorders. You can also do some basic coding using a Raspberry Pi and create your own brain rhythms

Great North Museum Learning

Meet members of staff from the Great North Museum learning team and see some of our incredible fossil specimens.

Great North Museum Natural Sciences

Meet the Great North Museum’s geology expert Sylvia Humphrey to find out about ore minerals and how they are extracted for the production of components in your smart phone.

Environmental Records Information Centre North East

Join ERIC North East for activities around dung beetles and to see their large light trap in the study garden. What critters will we be able to identify in the trap?

University of Perugia NDTonAIR project

Learn about the basic theory of sound propagation and discover how bats use echolocation to navigate. Then, see how these principles have applications in medicine and non-destructive testing of complex structures like aircrafts.

Daniel Turner

Ocean litter is a huge man-made problem but what does it mean for marine birds like the northern fulmar, puffin and kittiwake? See some stuffed bird specimens and find out more with expert Daniel Turner.

Tyneside Beekeepers Association

Meet members of Tyneside Beekeepers Association and experience an immersive beehive-themed art installation that shows the vital connections between honeybees and human food production.

We Dwell Below virtual reality experience

Become a cave dweller in this comical one-off virtual reality experience and prepare to traverse this fantastical subterranean world, exploring an alternative habitat though the act of chewing.  

Newcastle University CANDO project

Learn about biotechnologies and the brain. Try on an electroencephalography (EEG) headset that can detect the electrical activity in your brain. Also, don the virtual reality goggles to see how technology will be used in the future to prevent epileptic seizures.

Natural History Society of Northumbria

Meet members of the museum’s natural history society to learn about geolocators. Find out what they are and what they tell us about the migration strategies of Arctic Terns.

Newcastle University School of Natural and Environmental Sciences

Take part in a citizen science experiment inspired by nature’s predators. You will need to select an object from a moving display but how will you choose? How do predators choose which animal to kill from a group of prey?

Newcastle University Open Lab – Here and Now

Immerse yourself in a large-scale audio-visual experience inspired by data and museum objects. See how our behaviour is changing the world and how the world is changing us.

Great North Museum Library team

The Great North Museum Library is a treasure trove of fascinating books on natural history, archaeology and more. The team will be displaying historical volumes focussing on extinct creatures like the dodo and great auk and the changing concept of food.

Lightning talks – become an expert in 10 minutes

6.20pm – Marine litter and the Northern Fulmar

6.40pm – Optogenetics: Using light to treat the brain

7pm – Appetite for destruction: how we can grow food without costing the earth

7.20pm – Seeing with sounds: what bats have in common with aircraft inspection systems

7.40pm – Marine litter and the Northern Fulmar

8pm – Optogenetics: Using light to treat the brain

8.20pm – Appetite for destruction: how we can grow food without costing the earth

8.40pm – Seeing with sounds: what bats have in common with aircraft inspection systems