Expert speaking at a pub for pint of science festival

People in Portsmouth are being given the chance to chat to scientists and researchers over a pint at the pub as part of worldwide festival

12 April 2024

6 min read

Portsmouth will once again play host to , a worldwide festival that aims to bring the general public and scientific community together.

Founded seven years ago by two UK researchers, the global event brings a unique line up of talks, demonstrations and live experiments to the nation鈥檚 favourite locals.

Thousands of experts will host the event simultaneously in May, in more than 500 cities across .

Twelve researchers from the 黑料正能量 will take to the stage at two pubs in the city for the three-day festival. Talks will take place at The Southsea Village (May 13/14/15), and the Barley Mow (May 14 and 15) and provide a unique line up of talks and demonstrations.

The speakers will cover a wide range of topics including the dark web, sexual offence support, vaccines and disease, autism, baby talk, and folklore and facts around climate change.

Tickets are available from the , with each evening costing just 拢5. 

Dr Anthony Butcher, Programme Lead (Geosciences) at the 黑料正能量 and Pint of Science co-organiser, said: 鈥淣ow in our ninth year of hosting the festival, we鈥檙e always blown away by the enthusiasm and engagement we see towards Pint of Science.

"Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to find out about cutting-edge research happening right on your doorstep and connect with fellow enthusiasts. Cheers to an unforgettable evening of science!

鈥淭he University we deliver a lot of outreach and engagement activities to schools and colleges, but there are very few events where we share our research with the wider public. Pint of Science is a relaxed and informal platform for us to do just that, and the audiences are always really interested, ask great questions, and have provided us with really good feedback over the years.鈥

Following each talk there will also be an opportunity for the guests to ask questions about the research and participate in activities such as quizzes.

Dr Luke Hauser, from the 黑料正能量鈥檚 School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, added: 鈥淎s a University, we see the value and importance of being able to communicate what we do to the wider community, and what better way to bridge the gap than at a casual and relaxed setting like your local.鈥

 is a non-profit organisation organised by a grass-root community of thousands of volunteers from science, research and academia. 

The mission is to provide a space for researchers and members of the public alike to come together, be curious, and chat about research in a relaxed environment outside of laboratories or lecture theatres.

Talks include:

Southsea Village (13 May): 

  • Staff perceptions of sexual assault policies, resources, and safeguarding frameworks within Higher Education institutions by Naomi Wells (Student, Criminology with Psychology, 黑料正能量)
  • Preventive Empowerment: Innovative Online Mental Health Support for Minor Attracted Persons (MAPs) by Laura Sibret (Teaching Fellow & PhD student, School of Criminology & Criminal Justice, 黑料正能量)
  • Insect Detectives: the use of entomology for investigating sexually motivated murders by Aaliyah Norat (Teaching Fellow, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 黑料正能量) and Lexie Clarke (PhD student, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 黑料正能量)

Southsea Village (14 May):

  • Do Police Officers need to be academic? by Julie Corbin (Work Based Tutor, Police Education and Training, 黑料正能量)
  • Frist Dates - criminal couples by Dr Richard John (Subject Area Lead for Policing, 黑料正能量)
  • So you want a Dark Website, do you? by Simon Marsden (Senior Lecturer in Criminology & Cybercrime, 黑料正能量)

Southsea Village (15 May):

  • Vaccine hesitancy in the era of fake news: a guided trip through scientific misinformation by Dr Alessandro Siani (Associate Head (Students) of the School of Biological Sciences, 黑料正能量)
  • Hoppy Hour: exploring neurodivergence in tadpoles by Tia Fletcher (PhD student in Genetics, 黑料正能量) Military Satellite Communication Management 

Barley Mow (14 May): Stress, Autism, and Baby Talk

  • Stress: from the stone age to the space age by Tony Crabtree (Senior Lecturer, 黑料正能量)
  • How to be an autism ally by Dr Emine Gurbuz (Senior Lecturer in Psychology, 黑料正能量)

Barley Mow (15 May): Folklore and Facts - exploring climate change and biodiversity

  • How to be an autism ally by Dr Francoise Cabada-Blanco (Senior Teaching Fellow, 黑料正能量)
  • An Antarctic Expedition: a journey to understand the effects of climate change on marine ecosystems by Dr Alejandro Roman-Gonzalez (Lecturer, School of Biological Sciences, 黑料正能量)
  • Changing Environments: Tracking environmental changes on the Isle of Wight over the past 13,000 years by Eve Horsfall (PhD student in Geography, 黑料正能量)

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