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Let’s hear it for the girls! This Tuesday, all women of science, technology, engineering and maths will be celebrated. Ada Lovelace Day was created in 2009 after psychologist Penelope Lockwood undertook a study and discovered that most women need a female role model to be inspired. Thus an annual 24 hours were put aside to honour the nineteenth-century mathematician Lovelace, who wrote the world’s first algorithm for Charles Babbage’s early computer, the Analytical Engine.
Every year events take place throughout the world, and in London this month, Imperial College are inviting physics degree holding (and ukulele toting) comedian Helen Arney to compere their evening of entertainment. There’ll be a book sale to browse, as well as portraits of scientifically gifted females in the ‘100 Women – 100 Visions’ exhibition. Table-top experiments will be carried out by Imperial’s ‘science buskers’, but if you’re looking for a bigger bang, CBBC presenter and demonstration developer Fran Scott presents a funny, quick-fire and jargon-free demo where something will likely blow up. Plus, prize-winning bioengineer Molly Stevens discusses growing human bone in a lab and UCL’s professor of cognitive neuroscience, Sophie Scott, explains her research in laughter – from comedy clubs to brain scanners.
The night promises a fun approach to science, making it accessible for all gals (and guys), whether your interest in the subject is burgeoning or a full-blown obsession.
NB: Tickets are available in advance only; suitable for ages 12-plus.