ON A BLUSTERY March weekend, two passengers made their way carefully on to the ferry bound for Islay. The unassuming duo carried a very unusual item of luggage – a bed of nails.
Andy McGeoch and Caroline Chagaresango had brought the jagged cargo all the way from Glasgow. As they explain, however, their odd baggage had a very clear point. It was all in the name of science.
“I think it is probably the first time someone has
taken a bed of nails on the ferry,” laughs Chagaresango, a science communicator at Glasgow Science Centre. “But we use it as a prop in our Science Circus. It is perfectly safe.”
Science Circus is a Glasgow Science Centre initiative that brings science to the doorsteps of schools and communities all over the country. It is supported by west of Scotland universities: University of Strathclyde, Glasgow Caledonian University, University of the West of Scotland and the University of Glasgow.
The initiative received funding from the Scottish Government to reach some of Scotland’s more remote communities, such as Mull, where every schoolchild has already taken part. In Islay, every schoolchild was also involved – amounting to around 280 primary children and 250 secondary children.
The Science Circus reached across every school from Port Ellen Primary via Islay High to the Small Isles Primary, which made the trip over from the isle of Jura.
McGeoch, also a science communicator, explains that the bed of nails is more than just a circus trick: “It’s the most memorable way of driving home a message about physics. Lying on so many nails spreads the force so the person demonstrating it is unharmed. It looks dramatic and children love their teachers to try it out.”
McGeoch is a veteran of taking science out on the road – having spent no fewer than 300 days over the past two years doing exactly that. “It is difficult for children from remote communities to come to the Science Centre so this is an opportunity for us to take science to them. We want them to see that science is great fun but also that being a scientist is an exciting job.”
It is a challenge transporting the more theatrical science show experiences across the country in a Transit van.
“There is a lot to remember,” adds McGeoch. “I was so busy making sure we had all our props for the Islay trip, I managed to forget my own socks!”
The Transit houses a treasure-trove of science which is taken into schools for dedicated shows. All primary pupils learned about Newton’s laws in a show called Fantastic Forces. Featuring an array of skateboards and the bed of nails, the show aims to present key scientific concepts in an unforgettable way.
“It was awfully exciting,” says Helen Gilbert, a primary teacher at Bowmore Primary. “The children were engrossed. As teachers, we just don’t have the resources to do something like this so it’s very important that it comes to us. Every child was not just hands on, they were eyes on. It was great entertainment – the children forgot they were learning. They were just enjoying it. Boys and girls were equally captivated.”
Eleven-year-old George Hathaway found that seeing scientific theories in novel ways helped him to understand them more easily: “When they told us about the experiments, they sounded really complicated but when I actually saw them, everything was very clear.”
For the older children, it is hoped that the initiative might inspire them to consider a career in science.
Secondary school pupils from Islay High took part in an interactive show called Who Wants to be a Scientist? From the science of flight to the secret science of sport, the show illustrates the range of careers available in the world of science and technology.
Mairi Bell was born and educated on Islay but left to study molecular biology at Glasgow University. She now works in tourism and returns frequently to her native island where she also runs self-catering accommodation. Bell thinks that initiatives such as the Science Circus play an important role in encouraging children from outlying communities to take an interest in science: “Bringing science to life is key, but more than that, taking science to Islay and other islands makes the children feel more connected to the mainland.”
Islay is studded with eight distilleries, each working their alchemy to create the peaty whiskies that are the island’s hallmarks. Visitors often turn their eyes skywards when they hear about the angels’ share – the invisible portion of whisky which evaporates through the barrels as the whisky ages. It was a different type of focus on the sky, though, which provided the trip’s most outstanding memory for McGeoch.
“The primary pupils also took part in a special workshop called Rocket Science. Using the forces’ knowledge gained from the show, the youngsters investigated the forces used to travel to space by designing and building their own rockets which were launched into the sky on the day.
“Seeing all the schoolchildren taking part then watching them launch their rockets into the air against the backdrop of the Paps of Jura in the distance is something I won’t forget.”
And as for the lost socks? “The local pharmacist very kindly offered me some spare ones of his,” smiles McGeoch. “It sums it up really – outreach definitely works both ways.”
• Glasgow Science Centre’s outreach team will travel to Shetland later this year to take part in the Shetland Science Festival. More information on the Science Circus from
www.glasgowsciencecentre.org The full article contains 941 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
