Confirming Einstein's General Theory of Relativity: One hundred years on
Lead Research Organisation:
The Observatory Science Centre
Department Name: The Observatory Science Centre
Abstract
The key aims of the project are:
1. To highlight the significance of the 100th anniversary of the total solar eclipse when observations first proved Einsteins General Theory of Relativity. The actual anniversary of the two expeditions on 29th May 1919 falls within the half term holidays making it an ideal opportunity to interactively engage the general public and families, sharing the story through practical demonstrations and talks, promoting family interaction and contributing to family science capital. Most may know the name Albert Einstein, some the name Arthur Eddington and many will have heard of the General Theory of Relativity but few will know the significance of the anniversary and how it changed our view of gravity.
2. To raise awareness of current research including LIGO which continues to prove Einstein's predictions and how funding bodies such as STFC are vital in supporting such important work. Not many visitors will be aware of LIGO; the importance of the discovery of gravitational waves and how it links back to Einstein. The intention is to involve experts in the field to communicate this knowledge in an understandable way allowing a much wider, diverse audience to gain an insight into areas of science they may otherwise not have access to. This will also facilitate researchers to share their knowledge and engage with new audiences. As a result, it is hoped that our visitors will take a more positive attitude towards the exciting world of STEM and the research that helps us understand how the Universe works.
3. To introduce visitors to the fascinating world of radio astronomy: its history; how it was used in the initial indirect discovery of gravitational waves 40 years before LIGO directly detected them; its importance in current research including for example, satellite communications.
4. To engage with KS3 and KS4 students in under-served schools in deprived local areas through the outreach programme. Planetarium shows and accompanying interactive workshops highlighting gravity from Newton to Einstein, incorporating current research such as LIGO, will be offered to selected schools free of charge. The specific aim is to contribute to and support science education, encouraging young people in local areas with low science capital to take a more positive attitude towards STEM and introduce them to cutting edge science.
5. To contribute to and support science education within the OSC for: visiting schools across different Key Stages; home educators; visiting families and the general public during school holidays. Children are taught about gravity from a very early age but many may not grasp how fundamental it is to everyday life. The aim therefore is to develop and deliver, a fun, interactive science show for schools and families and key stage specific workshops for schools, demonstrating gravity.
The overall impact of this project is to inspire and engage as many people as possible from diverse backgrounds including schools, the general public and families, with the fascinating world of gravity from Newton to Einstein to LIGO. The highlight will be to tell the story of the 1919 Eddington led expeditions when the 13-inch Astrographic refractor, still used by the OSC today, photographed the total solar eclipse which revolutionised the way gravity is viewed. It will showcase how LIGO, 100 years on, continues the story further proving Einstein's predictions were correct and raising awareness of STFC and its valuable contributions to current scientific research. Generating a more positive attitude to STEM in young people, encouraging them to take part for themselves and stimulating curiosity can only help towards ensuring sufficient people have the range of STEM skills vital to the country's future economy. Encouraging families to work together builds family science capital, making it more likely that children will aspire towards a science-related career.
1. To highlight the significance of the 100th anniversary of the total solar eclipse when observations first proved Einsteins General Theory of Relativity. The actual anniversary of the two expeditions on 29th May 1919 falls within the half term holidays making it an ideal opportunity to interactively engage the general public and families, sharing the story through practical demonstrations and talks, promoting family interaction and contributing to family science capital. Most may know the name Albert Einstein, some the name Arthur Eddington and many will have heard of the General Theory of Relativity but few will know the significance of the anniversary and how it changed our view of gravity.
2. To raise awareness of current research including LIGO which continues to prove Einstein's predictions and how funding bodies such as STFC are vital in supporting such important work. Not many visitors will be aware of LIGO; the importance of the discovery of gravitational waves and how it links back to Einstein. The intention is to involve experts in the field to communicate this knowledge in an understandable way allowing a much wider, diverse audience to gain an insight into areas of science they may otherwise not have access to. This will also facilitate researchers to share their knowledge and engage with new audiences. As a result, it is hoped that our visitors will take a more positive attitude towards the exciting world of STEM and the research that helps us understand how the Universe works.
3. To introduce visitors to the fascinating world of radio astronomy: its history; how it was used in the initial indirect discovery of gravitational waves 40 years before LIGO directly detected them; its importance in current research including for example, satellite communications.
4. To engage with KS3 and KS4 students in under-served schools in deprived local areas through the outreach programme. Planetarium shows and accompanying interactive workshops highlighting gravity from Newton to Einstein, incorporating current research such as LIGO, will be offered to selected schools free of charge. The specific aim is to contribute to and support science education, encouraging young people in local areas with low science capital to take a more positive attitude towards STEM and introduce them to cutting edge science.
5. To contribute to and support science education within the OSC for: visiting schools across different Key Stages; home educators; visiting families and the general public during school holidays. Children are taught about gravity from a very early age but many may not grasp how fundamental it is to everyday life. The aim therefore is to develop and deliver, a fun, interactive science show for schools and families and key stage specific workshops for schools, demonstrating gravity.
The overall impact of this project is to inspire and engage as many people as possible from diverse backgrounds including schools, the general public and families, with the fascinating world of gravity from Newton to Einstein to LIGO. The highlight will be to tell the story of the 1919 Eddington led expeditions when the 13-inch Astrographic refractor, still used by the OSC today, photographed the total solar eclipse which revolutionised the way gravity is viewed. It will showcase how LIGO, 100 years on, continues the story further proving Einstein's predictions were correct and raising awareness of STFC and its valuable contributions to current scientific research. Generating a more positive attitude to STEM in young people, encouraging them to take part for themselves and stimulating curiosity can only help towards ensuring sufficient people have the range of STEM skills vital to the country's future economy. Encouraging families to work together builds family science capital, making it more likely that children will aspire towards a science-related career.
Planned Impact
One of the main aims of this project is to engage the public with events and activities taking place at the OSC. It is therefore vital to establish a good advertising campaign. A new website will be launched towards the end of May 2018, forming the hub for information sharing and will boost social media engagement through our Twitter and Facebook campaigns. A webpage will be dedicated to Einstein and the importance of the anniversary event as well as the achievements made in astronomy, including STFC current research relevant to this project.
Tweets are regularly sent and we have 2,216 followers at the moment including local media, which re-tweet our comments to all their followers. We have seen very positive, instant results from this form of social media engagement. Just counting the local media there is an opportunity to reach well over 115,000 other followers and then the knock on effect of that. We also have an excellent relationship with Astronomy Now magazine who have over 97,000 followers alone. Obviously we do not expect to engage all these people but even a small percentage (5%) would mean almost 6,000 people may find out about us and visit/enquire about The OSC's activities as a result. Due to the success of Twitter we are using this outlet more and more and we anticipate wider participation in our activities as a result.
There has been a positive response to Facebook, with increasing traffic to the site. We have now had over 4,400 visits to the page, with 2,581 likes and 2,624 following. Facebook is a relatively new venture for us but we will continue using this tool to advertise our day to day activities and special events related to this project. We will also use Facebook to keep our followers up to date with specific information such as why the 100th anniversary of the total solar eclipse of 1919 was so significant etc. In this way we hope to connect to a much wider audience. The traffic to our Facebook page has been increasing steadily.
It is anticipated there will be an increase in publicity nationally and internationally around the 100th anniversary of the total solar eclipse of 1919 and the 50th anniversary of the first lunar landing, promoting public awareness. This is therefore an ideal opportunity to engage the public on a more personal level with astronomy, space exploration and research. A media campaign will help to both disseminate relevant information through editorials and articles and advertise events and activities. Local press, radio and television will be targeted with press releases and social media (outlined above) providing a valuable outlet for continuous updates and publicity. The OSC already has an extensive database of free listing outlets and a monthly newsletter is emailed to our own visitor database; this will be used to promote the project activities further. In-house advertising will emphasise all the extra events and activities being organised and notice boards/displays will be used as information panels for our visitors.
STEM Sussex will be also be approached for disseminating information to schools and STEM Ambassador volunteers who will be participating in the events.
Tweets are regularly sent and we have 2,216 followers at the moment including local media, which re-tweet our comments to all their followers. We have seen very positive, instant results from this form of social media engagement. Just counting the local media there is an opportunity to reach well over 115,000 other followers and then the knock on effect of that. We also have an excellent relationship with Astronomy Now magazine who have over 97,000 followers alone. Obviously we do not expect to engage all these people but even a small percentage (5%) would mean almost 6,000 people may find out about us and visit/enquire about The OSC's activities as a result. Due to the success of Twitter we are using this outlet more and more and we anticipate wider participation in our activities as a result.
There has been a positive response to Facebook, with increasing traffic to the site. We have now had over 4,400 visits to the page, with 2,581 likes and 2,624 following. Facebook is a relatively new venture for us but we will continue using this tool to advertise our day to day activities and special events related to this project. We will also use Facebook to keep our followers up to date with specific information such as why the 100th anniversary of the total solar eclipse of 1919 was so significant etc. In this way we hope to connect to a much wider audience. The traffic to our Facebook page has been increasing steadily.
It is anticipated there will be an increase in publicity nationally and internationally around the 100th anniversary of the total solar eclipse of 1919 and the 50th anniversary of the first lunar landing, promoting public awareness. This is therefore an ideal opportunity to engage the public on a more personal level with astronomy, space exploration and research. A media campaign will help to both disseminate relevant information through editorials and articles and advertise events and activities. Local press, radio and television will be targeted with press releases and social media (outlined above) providing a valuable outlet for continuous updates and publicity. The OSC already has an extensive database of free listing outlets and a monthly newsletter is emailed to our own visitor database; this will be used to promote the project activities further. In-house advertising will emphasise all the extra events and activities being organised and notice boards/displays will be used as information panels for our visitors.
STEM Sussex will be also be approached for disseminating information to schools and STEM Ambassador volunteers who will be participating in the events.
| Description | The general public are very interested in the history around the proving of Einstein's general theory of relativity and how his predictions are being proven correct to this day. |
| Exploitation Route | This is very specialised to The Observatory Science Centre. |
| Sectors | Education,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism |
| Description | The project has helped The Observatory Science Centre to continue educating the general public and other visitors about Einstein: his achievements and how still to this day his predictions etc. are being confirmed. This has been achieved through the explainer boards produced as a result of the funding and which are on display in one of the telescope domes that is open to all visitors and which is pivotal in our telescope tours. Older school students and interested groups are taken to see the telescope (13-inch astrographic refractor) whose lens was used to photograph the total solar eclipse in 1919 and whilst in the dome, equipment obtained from the funding is still used and will continue to be used to practically demonstrate how Einstein's general theory of relativity was proven. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2019 |
| Sector | Education,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism |
| Impact Types | Cultural |
| Description | Royal Astronomical Society |
| Organisation | Royal Astronomical Society |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Display panels were created and written by The Observatory Science Centre telling the story of the total solar eclipse of 1919 and how continuing research is still proving Einstein's theories 100 years on. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Royal Astronomical Society contributed to the display panels regarding the story of the total solar eclipse of 1919 by supplying images. The exhibition has remained on display and will do so into the foreseeable future. |
| Impact | Display panels have been created and these are still on display in The Centre. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Sussex University |
| Organisation | University of Sussex |
| Department | Astronomy Centre |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | This was an event organised by The Observatory Science Centre |
| Collaborator Contribution | Dr Steven Wilkins acted as the STFC researcher for this project. He presented talks during the day and on the evening of 29th May - the actual 100th anniversary of the total solar eclipse. |
| Impact | Engagement with the general public. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | University of Glasgow |
| Organisation | University of Glasgow |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | This was an event organised by The Observatory Science Centre |
| Collaborator Contribution | Professor Martin Hendry attended The Observatory Science Centre on 2nd May to deliver activities to the general public during the day and to give a talk during the evening. |
| Impact | Engagement with the general public which also included undergraduate students. The Einstein week culminated in a talk which introduced the cutting edge research that is still proving Einstein's theories 100 years after the total solar eclipse of 1919 when general relativity was first verified. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Einstein 100 Week |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The actual 100th anniversary of the total solar eclipse that helped to support Einstein's General Theory of Relativity was on the 29th May 2019. This conveniently fell during the May half term holidays 25th May - 2nd June making it an ideal opportunity to interactively engage the general public, families and home educators, sharing the story and highlighting the significance of the anniversary through practical demonstrations and talks. The Observatory Science Centre (OSC) is fortunate to house the 13-inch Astrographic refractor, which photographed the total solar eclipse in Brazil and the lens that went to the island of Principe in West Africa. It was therefore very important for us to celebrate this anniversary. The aim was to inspire and engage as many people as possible from diverse backgrounds, promote family interaction and contribute to family science capital. This was achieved through the following programme of events and activities which were designed to tell the story, explain general relativity and bring everything up to date with cutting edge research and an introduction to LIGO and how Einstein's theories are still being proven today: • Tours into the 13-inch Astrographic refractor, the lens of which was taken to Sobral in Brazil to photograph the total solar eclipse. • Viewing through solar telescopes with local Astronomical Societies and STEM Ambassador volunteers. • Displays helping to explain in more simple terms what General Relativity is and how it was supported. • Display panels telling the story of the expedition, explaining its importance and showing how 100 years on Einstein's theories are still being proven. These display panels will remain on display at the OSC for the foreseeable future ensuring a valuable legacy of the project. • Daily drop-in activities including explaining gravity, the warping of Spacetime using a latex sheet and balls of different densities and making mini Einsteins. • Making radio receivers in the Radio Shack with volunteers from the local amateur radio group. • Planetarium shows. Additional DAYTIME activities to the ones listed above on the actual anniversary 29th May: • Dr Stephen Wilkins from the University of Sussex gave talks throughout the day introducing General Relativity. • Graham Dolan from The Royal Greenwich Observatory joined us in the afternoon and conducted talks about the 13-Astrographic refractor in the dome it is housed. • A link was made with the island of Principe, the site off the west coast of Africa where Sir Arthur Eddington and Edwin Cottingham took photographs of the eclipse using the Oxford lens that is displayed in our 'Domes of Discovery' exhibition in Dome F. Principe were conducting their own celebrations and Graham joined the conference via a Zoom call. This was projected on to a screen for visitors to see the link. In addition to the daytime activities the following programme of talks was conducted in the evenings. The talk was followed by viewing opportunities through the historic telescopes including the guide scope of the 13-inch astrographic refractor. Saturday May 25th: Dr Robin Catchpole, Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge. The theories of General and Special relativity underlie much of our lives today. In early 1919 almost no-one had heard of Einstein, by the end of the year he was famous. At the eclipse in May 1919 one of the predictions of General relativity was put to the test and found to be correct. In this talk, after a brief introduction to Relativity, we will see how this was done by two expeditions sent to observe the eclipse from South America and Africa. Wednesday 29th May: Dr Stephen Wilkins, University of Sussex. 'An Introduction to Relativity' The theory of relativity encompasses two interrelated theories developed by Albert Einstein in the early 20th century: special relativity and general relativity. Special and general relativity describe the mechanics of objects and the force of gravity respectively. Relativity transformed theoretical physics and astronomy during the 20th century, superseding the 200-year old theory of mechanics created primarily by Isaac Newton. It introduced concepts including spacetime as the unified entity of space and time, time dilation, and length contraction, many of which appear counter-intuitive. Relativity also has consequences for astronomy and cosmology with phenomenon such as neutron stars, black holes, and gravitational waves emerging as a result. In this talk I'll introduce the motivation, foundations, and consequences of the theory of relativity in an accessible way. Saturday 2nd June: Professor Martin Hendry, University of Glasgow. 'Einstein's Greatest Masterpiece: Testing General Relativity, past present and future.' Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity was first published in 1915 and dramatically re-shaped our understanding of gravity, space and time. Its influence on the technology that underpins our modern world is huge - affecting everything from the GPS satellites that help us find out where we are to the precision timing of the atomic clocks that regulate our global financial transactions. The first high-profile tests of Einstein's theory came in 1919, when its prediction that gravity bends light could be tested during a total solar eclipse. Expeditions were organised to observe the eclipse on May 29th 1919 - including one led by British astronomer Arthur Eddington that was a great success, and helped bring Einstein's remarkable theory to the attention of the world. Join University of Glasgow astronomer Martin Hendry as he tells the story of Einstein and Eddington, and the 1919 test of general relativity - and how those results have led all the way to the very latest studies of gravity and black holes using gravitational waves and the dramatic new images from the Event Horizon Telescope. Overall 2524 visitors attended the OSC during the days of the half term holidays. The media attention around the anniversary was somewhat overshadowed by the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing and it did not get the attention it deserved. This unfortunately, along with poor weather, had a knock on effect for the evening lectures and viewing which had disappointingly low numbers of attendees (21, 25 and 50 respectively). It was encouraging to see however that undergraduate students attended Professor Martin Hendry's lecture which introduced LIGO. The question and answer session at the end of this lecture had a very positive impact and was very lively with some fascinating questions and dialogue. This fulfilled the aim that meeting experts in an informal, relaxed setting allows participants to gain confidence, encouraging them to ask questions and instilling a sense of value in scientific research. The following were some of the quotes taken from the evaluation sheets: "Really learn Stuff" (12 year old boy) "Really enjoyed the day. Very informative in a simple way for younger children to understand and put into context. Thank you." (parent of 12 year old boy above) 10 year old sister of the above thought the planetarium was "Amazing." "Talk (Dr Stephen Wilkins) was brilliant." "Lots of things that I didn't understand were explained clearly." (8 year old boy) "The kids have had a great day. Thanks." (parent of a 7 year old girl and a 5 year old boy) "Very interesting day" (14 and 16 year old boys) Activity about mass curving space: "Interesting way to visualise what happens" (11 year old girl) "Good stuff to do!"(10 year old girl) When asked which part of day they found most interesting: "The Einstein Exhibition, because we discussed space with a member of staff which I found interesting."(11 year old girl)" The project was designed to inspire participants, involve them in fun, practical activities and the hope was to forge a level of understanding they could share with family and friends. Although the evaluation sample size was quite small, the majority of participants were keen to share what they had learned and appeared to thoroughly enjoy their day. Encouraging families to work together in the drop-in activity area, builds family science capital, making it more likely those children will aspire towards a science-related career. While it was more difficult to ascertain if the project did impact families in this way, 26% of participants did say they would be more interested in thinking about a science related career following their experience. Despite the low number of attendees during the evening events Einstein 100 Week was a great success with over 80% of participants feeling inspired in some way. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Outreach visit with inflatable Planetarium |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | The outreach part of the project was targeted at KS3 and KS4 students in under-served schools in deprived local areas. Planetarium shows and accompanying interactive workshops highlighting gravity from Newton to Einstein, incorporating current research such as LIGO, was offered to selected schools free of charge. The aim was to engage older students, contribute to and support science education and encourage young people in local areas with low science capital to take a more positive attitude towards STEM. Introducing them to cutting edge science which continues the story of the 1919 solar eclipse further proving Einstein's predictions, helped to raise awareness about STFC and its valuable contributions to current scientific research. This specifically aimed to stimulate curiosity with the potential to ensure that the next generation have the range of skills vital to the country's future economy. The programme was delivered out to five schools and a group of students from a consortium of three schools came to The Science Centre. Altogether 1126 students experienced the programme with 106 support staff (teachers, teaching assistants or other support staff). Of these: 880 students were KS3; 180 were KS4; 66 were a mix of KS4 and KS5 (these were from the multi-school consortium). The Einstein show was a planetarium based show including links to proving Einstein correct, LIGO and the 100th anniversary of the total solar eclipse of 1919. A workshop was delivered alongside the planetarium presentation. This workshop included the following: • Rubber sheet analogue for space-time using balls of varying densities. • Ripple tank gravity waves to simulate the rotation of co-orbiting black holes and how they generate gravity waves which deform space-time as they propagate. • Acoustic interferometer to show students how the change in path length creates constructive or destructive interference and from this how measuring the pattern of changes in the interference allows a measurement of the change in path length to be made. To maintain student engagement it was found that the proportion of Einstein related material had to be lowered following the first presentation. The multi-school group engaged completely with the material but groups in KS3 and KS4 that had the programme delivered in their own schools were less engaged in the detail. All age groups engaged with the rubber sheet demonstration but it was only the KS5 groups which drew the connection between modelling gravity and the way in which the different behaviour of light in Newtonian and space-time models was a confirmation of Einstein's model. Students could generally see from the ripple tank demonstration how this would lead to a wave spreading across the water but could not make the connection between that and the concept of a gravity wave. Students at KS4 and KS5 engaged with the acoustic interferometer but it tended to be the KS5 students who made the connection between how this could be used to measure how light was deformed. When presenters of the programme spoke to students, they appeared to be interested but examination of the evaluation forms suggested that it was the simpler aspects of the experience that made the most impact. Students would describe how they were impressed by Einstein, Black holes etc. but written feedback suggested it was the simple experience of looking at the stars that made the most difference. There was a general feeling that while the programme had managed to reach out to these schools in deprived areas it was only the older age groups who were able to engage with the Einstein material. Students at KS3 appeared to find gravity a hard enough concept without the complications of topics such as LIGO. Students at KS5 where physics is an advanced elective subject did engage and understand. It was interesting that quotes from the evaluation forms (KS4 only) suggested that they were not particularly interested in space because they did not do it in school. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | School Science Show |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | The specific aim of this engagement activity was to produce a fun, interactive science show which would highlight the significance of the 100th anniversary of the total solar eclipse when observations first proved Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. Many school children can tell you the name Albert Einstein, but few will know the significance of the anniversary or what general relativity is. Children are taught about gravity from a very early age but many may not grasp how fundamental it is to everyday life or how Einstein's predictions changed our view of gravity. The science show was first presented to the general public during February half term and with a few amendments was then delivered to visiting school students during British Science Week. The challenge for members of staff was to write show content that would appeal to a cross section of students from all key stages which would contribute to and support science education. The show, entitled "Einstein = masses of curiosity squared," included experiments and demonstrations explaining gravity, brought in the concept of the warping of space time using a latex sheet and balls of varying densities and also included the formation of Black holes. While this introduced difficult science not necessarily with direct curriculum links, the links that the OSC has with the story of the 1919 solar eclipse expeditions made it fitting to address the concepts. The show was designed to be interactive, fun, entertaining and easy to understand across all key stages and encouraged children to take part in some of the experiments which helped to generate a feeling of inclusion and forged a more positive attitude to STEM. 697 students from primary and lower secondary level plus 74 teachers attended The Observatory Science Centre (OSC) during British Science Week. The show was presented to all students and even to a group of reception aged children. While these children may not have fully understood the science they enjoyed taking part in the demonstrations and had fun being included as 'helpers.' This demonstrated the flexibility and adaptability of the OSC show presenters when delivering to different ages. From the evaluation data a number of students thought the show helped with science in school because it introduced new science concepts and words. They also thought that the demonstrations made the science fun, interesting and informative and thoroughly enjoyed being involved in the experiments. When asked if they were more interested in finding a job in science after their visit, more primary school children said they would be compared to secondary school students. Aspects of the show have already been incorporated into the education programme. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Science Show for the General Public and Families |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The specific aim of this engagement activity was to produce a fun, interactive science show which would highlight the significance of the 100th anniversary of the total solar eclipse when observations first verified Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. Many people can tell you the name Albert Einstein, but few will know the significance of the anniversary or what general relativity is. Most people know about gravity and may appreciate how fundamental it is to everyday life but the majority will probably not understand how Einstein's predictions changed our view of gravity as a whole. Therefore the overall aim of this project was to inspire and engage as many people as possible from diverse backgrounds with the fascinating story and introduce new concepts to the visitors in an understandable and entertaining way. The science show was written by members of staff as a team effort and focused on: gravity, the 100th anniversary of the 1919 total solar eclipse and Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. The topics introduced difficult concepts, bringing with it some interesting challenges. Meetings were arranged to discuss ideas and put together practical experiments and demonstrations. The first challenge was to write show content that would appeal to a cross section of visitors including the general public, families and home educators. It had to be interactive, fun, entertaining and easy to understand for all ages and abilities. The second challenge was to come up with demonstrations that were relevant, made an impact and were safe and easy to perform. It was important that staff took ownership of the show content because not all members of staff are, by their own admission, confident in their abilities to deliver such complex concepts in an easy to understand way. However, bringing everyone's ideas together, having time to practice demonstrations as a team, feeding off each other's strengths, presentation skills and knowledge meant that an excellent show was delivered. During the week there was a competition for the visitors to come up with a title for the show. The winners were given a family ticket into The Centre. There were many interesting ideas and members of staff voted for the best one which was "Einstein = masses of curiosity squared." The show included experiments and demonstrations explaining gravity, brought in the concept of the warping of space-time using a latex sheet and balls of varying densities and also included the formation of Black holes. The links that the OSC has with the story of the 1919 solar eclipse expeditions were also discussed. The interactive nature of the show encouraged children to take part in some of the experiments which helped to generate a feeling of inclusion and forged a positive attitude to the science being presented. Altogether 17577 general public and families were engaged with the Einstein 100 Science Show during the summer holidays 2019. The following are some of the quotes from the evaluation forms: When asked which part of the show was most interesting: "Everything" - wants to be a scientist (Girl age 12) The crushing can implosion - "did not expect it to happen" (girl age 13) The experiment to show warping of space-time - "Something I never knew before" (Girl age 9) Warping of space-time "Good Demo" (Male age 17) "All - relevant to what learnt at school" (Girl age 13) "Experiments - good to be involved" The crushing can implosion - "I now know what implosion is" (boy age 7) "The part about the Black Hole because I thought the facts were interesting" (girl age 10) "Experiments - exciting" (girl age 8) "The story overall because it linked different scientists and their discoveries together" (boy age 10) "All of it - it was full of cool experiments and liked being a volunteer" (girl age 7) "All of the experiments. I understood them but don't have the words for them" (girl age 10) "When I did the experiments. Got to see science hands-on" (girl age 10) "Being a volunteer because I really enjoyed it" (girl age 9) When asked why they might one day have a job in science: "Because there is more to learn" (boy age 6) "Want to do experiments like you saw today" (boy age 6) "Could make me famous!" (boy age 7) "Like finding out more about science" (2 x girls age 10) "Experiments and learning about the Universe" (boy age 9) "Because science is interesting." (Boys aged 10 & 15, girl aged 12) "Because it looks fun." (boy aged 10) Any further comments: "Short and sweet. Great for kids intro to science" (Female adult/parent) "Very enjoyable" "Brilliant" (Grandmother) "Great show. Had a 5 year old who was very engaged and the demonstrations kept it very interesting for her." (Adult female parent) "Fab show, great presentation and involvement" "Great show with mind-blowing themes - thank you!" (adult male Marconi radar engineer) "Get audience to count down experiments each time. Participation level really good." (Adult Female - Environment Agency) "Very good presenter. Interesting information. Made science fun!" (girl aged 13, boy aged 10) "It made the ideas real. Good demos. Well done!" "The lady doing the show put us at ease, not patronising and at exactly the right level for children or adults. Thought she did a great job. Will definitely recommend it to my friends." (girl age 9 plus parents) "The person doing the show got the children involved and they enjoyed it." (girls aged 10 and 8) "More demonstrations would be good. The science stuff about Black Holes was over my head! Thanks though" (girls aged 12 and 10) When asked if it was pitched at the right level: "Yes because a very mixed audience. Presenter tried hard to engage all the children. Very hands on. Filled in time well. Possibly needs to slow down a little and try to explain some language a little more." (adult female science teacher) "Mixed audience and therefore majority of children and adults understood" (retired adult female) Too high for 5 and 3 year olds "having said that it was informative and the visual demonstrations were excellent for young children even if they can't remember the science." "It's good to challenge children's understanding and thinking." (adult female parent) "Information pitched too high" "Experiments pitched at right level." (Female teacher and adult male). Overall there was a very positive impact on the audience. From the evaluations received: 73% said it was pitched at the right level; 69% felt inspired; 52% were more interested in thinking about science as a career; 70% said it improved their understanding of the topic. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |