University of Sussex Professor Gillian Forrester (School of Psychology; Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine) is leading Science Futures at Glastonbury Festival this year.
First established in 2022, Science Futures aims to engage festivalgoers in exploring how science shapes our daily lives and the novel and exciting ways that science is levelling-up to preserve and protect our planet. As Principal Curator of Science Futures for the first time this year, Prof. Forrester has been leading on all event-planning activities for the event with a primary objective of making science accessible and enjoyable for all.
Science Futures is located in the Green Futures area of Green Fields at the festival. The area consists of science stalls, photo/memory moments, and the Laboratory Stage.
This year’s main stalls are supported by a range of organisations showcasing hands-on science activities. Prof. Forrester’s University of Sussex stall will feature ‘Baby Boogie’, an interactive game that challenges the public to wriggle like a baby, highlighting her research on healthy infant motor development. Baby Boogie is also part of the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibit ‘on tour’.
In the Futurarium Tent, smaller stalls supported by a variety of organisations including the Daphne Jackson Trust, the BBC Natural History Unit, City St George’s University of London and the Linnean Society, will engage festivalgoers in science-related activities and in speaking to scientists and experts about a variety of subjects spanning all sciences as well as climate science and sustainability. Attendees can also join the Bumblearium, where they will have an opportunity to speak to entomologists about insect protection.
The Science Futures Laboratory Stage will showcase a full daily line-up of science-themed music, meditations, demos, comedy, panel discussions, film/tv previews and more. Headliners include comedian, actor and writer Robin Ince, comedian Natalia Reagan, singer-songwriter Chris T-T and more. The full Laboratory Stage line-up can be found here.
Science Futures is fully solar-powered, and the backdrop sets for the Laboratory Stage and Futurarium stalls are made from reclaimed materials, as is the entrance archway.
Professor Gillian Forrester said: “I’ve been involved with Science Futures since its inception in 2022, it has been a real success throughout the years and it’s always a great pleasure to engage so many people in fun activities to learn more about science.
“Science Futures is all about making science more accessible to everybody. There’s a common misconception that science is for a particular type of person, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s for everybody, it’s entrenched in every aspect of our daily lives, and there are endless fun ways to learn and engage with subjects we might not be familiar with. It’s particularly critical for everyone to engage with science at a time when misinformation runs rampant.
“We’ve got a great line-up on our stage this year, there will be something for everyone. Every day, there’s a full range of things to do and see at Science Futures. I’m really proud of the hard work of our Science Futures crew, stall holders and performers – representing such a wide breadth of scientific topics from climate change to astronomy to neuroscience.”
This year’s science stalls and activities are made possible, in part, by support from the University of Sussex, the Daphne Jackson Trust, the Royal Society, City St George’s University of London, Sussex Neuroscience and the Simons Foundation.
To find out more about Science Futures, please visit the Glastonbury Festival website, or visit Science Futures’ Instagram. The full Laboratory Stage lineup is also available here.