The small and the wobbly (Malvern Festival of Innovation)

Join us this year to explore the world at the microscopic level and to understand why 3D printing jelly could be a really important technique.

Once again we have an exciting double bill, this year featuring the BBC One Show’s resident scientist Marty Jopson and award-winning science communicator Scary Boots.

Invisible Worlds
Join us on a journey from everyday life, down into the realm of microscopical wonders. The adventure begins with things you can almost see, but soon you will find yourself in a world totally invisible to the unaided eye. Marty will start from the very beginnings of microscopy, through hugely magnified insects, bacteria and plants to the most up-to-date fluorescent techniques demonstrated live on the stage. A show not just full of stunning images, but interactive demonstrations and samples harvested from the audience. You have been warned!

Get ready for Jelly
Being able to make things out of soft materials that respond to what’s going on around them could make friendlier technology, that’s better for both humans and the environment, and less likely to break. During her PhD, Scary found a new way to programme shape-changing jelly to bend. But how big is the gap between an innovative discovery and changing the world? Join us to find out why you’d want to work with soft materials but also why it’s (ironically) hard to do so!

About the Speakers
Dr Marty Jopson studied Natural Sciences (botany) at Cambridge University and then did a PhD in plant cell biology at the John Innes Institute in Norwich.  He is the science reporter on the BBC1 flagship programme, The One Show and he has also appeared on regional, national and international series like Invention Nation (BBC1), The House the 50s Built (C4), Food Factory (BBC1) and Brainiac (Sky1). He is the author of author of The Science of Everyday Life and The Science of Food, and he is still involved in the Otley Science Festival that he started back in 2008.

Dr Scary Boots is your standard rock ‘n roll loving doctor of physics, building 3D printers to produce shapechanging jelly. She won the Institute of Physics Three Minute Wonder competition in 2018, and has presented at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Cheltenham Science Festival. By day she publishes her scientific work under the name of Kate Oliver, by night she performs comedy.  (Photo credit Ian Bowkett).

About the Malvern Festival of Innovation
Running from 7th-12th October 2019, the Malvern Festival of Innovation is this year in collaboration with business mix.  It is the annual opportunity to learn about new technologies, interact with new businesses, and a chance to think creatively.  Many of the events are free to attend through the kind support of sponsors, and the programme will appeal to professionals, students, and members of the public alike. The Family Show is accompanied by a free exhibition in the Malvern Theatres foyer with hands-on exhibits and chance to discover more about science, engineering and technology. Further details at:  www.festival-innovation.com