Caithness International Science Festival -

Meet the Critter Keeper and his fantastic Critter Crew at 2 special presentations to be delivered in the studio on Family Fun Day, you’ll learn fun and exciting facts about exotic animals from around the world!

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Journey to the bottom of the ocean with our Deep-Sea Discovery family drop-in activities! Discover Scotland’s incredible marine habitats and the amazing creatures that call our deep ocean home by carrying out your own biodiversity survey of a cold-water coral reef, get inspired by the Challenger Expedition to trace your own deep-sea creature to take home and use the LEGO® to create an underwater world, plus lots more exciting hands-on activities for all the family!

Discovering the Deep has been made possible through the Heritage Fund.

Thank you, National Lottery Players!

12:15 – 12:45 You Are Here

13:00 – 13:30 What’s Up?

13:45 – 14:15 Under Pressure – The Ocean Show

14:30 – 15:00 What’s Up?

15:15 – 16:00 You Are Here

You Are Here

Come with us on a dramatic journey to the very edge of our solar system and back.

In real-time we’ll be seeing the boundaries human exploration and following in the footsteps of some very special space missions. Our beginner-friendly space-cruise is a chance for some cosmic perspective in this topsy-turvy time and also a handy wee reminder that: You. Are. Here.

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What’s Up?

Dynamic Earth’s What’s Up? is an ever-changing look at the night sky and some of the more exciting astronomy and Earth-science news stories that have caught our eyes in recent weeks. In every seasonal version of the show you’ll have time to gaze out on the stars and planets that are visible for our current skies, dive in to beginner-friendly guides on astronomy topics, and be kept up to date on some of the most interesting events and discoveries happening today. Our astronomer will be your guide on this journey. Do let them know if you’d like to learn more about any topic in particular and they’ll do their best to make it happen!

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Under Pressure – The Ocean Show

Come with us as we take a deep dive into the global ocean! We’ll explore dark, hidden ecosystems and see the collective efforts of hundreds of marine scientists and engineers, striving to learn all we can about these enigmatic worlds. We’ll also ponder on our ability to shape the future of this global ocean we all depend on.

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Participants will get hands-on with a range of engaging energy themed exhibits. They will address topics like energy supply and use with a focus on affordability, security and environmental sustainability. Pupils can explore these interactive hands-on exhibits and our future energy options – from how we can produce electricity and fuels to how we can be smarter with our use of energy.

Participants will get hands-on with a range of engaging anatomy themed exhibits. They will address topics like cardiovascular fitness, body composition and the effects of lifestyle choices like smoking.

Get your hands on some exciting rocks in this interactive workshop, learn about natural processes that have shaped the surface of the earth and delve underground to explore what lies beneath.

Plunge into the mysterious world of sickness and disease. Learn about the transmission of germs and how to protect your body. How long would you have lasted during an outbreak of the Black Death?

This activity brings together solar physics and art, learn about nuclear fusion, waves/convection, earthquakes, and properties of the Sun. Then use your new knowledge to make your very own sunquake pattern using a simple coding and art activity.

Glitter Shakers and Chromatography

Join Edinburgh University School of Chemistry for two colourful hands-on activities where you’ll learn about the science of separation using the chromatography of sweeties and explore density, miscibility, and emulsions with a glitter shaker experiment.

Join some of the DSRL Team for some interactive activities including a Mock glovebox, robot arm waste activity and handheld manipulator game.

Science and inventors from the Caithness Archives

View storyboards telling the stories of prominent local scientists and inventors, including Alexander Bain, using the records held in the Caithness Archives. Resource packs will be available for children, including fun activities and games.

Join Norscot Joinery as they take you on a journey through an interactive display of their current Virtual Reality Houses.

Learn all about bees and explore a virtual hive, model hive and bee suit as well as join in with interactive games, colouring in, guessing how many bees in the hive.

Learn about Highland Wildlife and the vital role of the High Life Highland Countryside Rangers

Discover old stories with this old-style phone; fitted with a Raspberry Pi this phone allows you to dial up oral history recordings. Inside, however, it contains some very modern technology storing hundreds of recordings – any one of which can be played back by simply dialling a three-digit number and listening in to the receiver.
Years after it was last used to make calls, this repurposed phone is now connecting people to stories and reminiscences from around the county.

Created by Chris Aitken, computing science teacher at Wick High School, for Wick Voices, the oral history project of the Wick Society.

Replicate a study on how ancient, decorated pebbles were decorated and contemplate the mystery behind them.

Drop by and find out what Caithness Astronomy Group does. Look through telescopes, find out about astronomy, get tips on seeing the northern lights and for photographing the wonders in the night sky.

Aurora Spotting for Beginners – 2.30pm, The Studio

Join Caithness Astronomy Group for some basic guidance on how to improve your chances of seeing the aurora from the north of Scotland. This short session will also provide some starter tips for those wishing to photograph the phenomenon.

Visit Caithness Vintage Tractor and Machinery Club to view their display of vintage tractors.

Join Caithness Amateur Radio Society for Interactive workshops on many aspects of amateur radio, including:

• Sending and receiving morse code
• Talking through satellites
• How to solder basic electronics

Visit the KP Technology stand for a variety of science demonstrations and to try out a robot arm, infra-red camera and plasma ball.

Visit Amanda and explore (and taste) the wild food display that will showcase some of the wild food available locally during autumn. Learn about the many plants that grow wild and can be eaten or have alternative uses as well as the benefits of safe and sustainable foraging and harvesting.

Exploring the peatlands using your five senses – listen to the birds, do you dare reach inside the feely box, see how deep the peat can grow, smell the bog myrtle…all against the backdrop of the importance of peatlands in the fight against climate change.

Visit the North Highlands and Islands Climate Hub stand for information and advice on what the Hub can offer your community. Explore the environmental impact of everyday items in the game ‘How Bad Are Bananas’ and see if you can guess which everyday day items are most harmful to the environment.

Iron age bead making and the global trade connections of 1st century BCE Swartigil

See a forced air charcoal bead furnace in use to demonstrate how the people in the early 1st century BCE may have made beads using broken roman and Hellenistic glass and glass cullet traded from the levant region as a raw material. Learn how connected Caithness was to the rest of the world by trade and the importance of the research work being done at the Swartigil Archaeological site near Thrumster.

Learn some tips and tricks for using up leftovers, including slow cooking using a non-electric wonder bag!

Join Ken Crossan in the Studio at Wick High School at 3:15pm for a presentation that will explore various aspects of the sea cliffs and stacks which characterise much of the Caithness coastline. We will view images of some of the amazing geological features and some of the flora and fauna which calls this home, especially during the summer. In particular, we will explore the nesting seabird colonies which are of international importance.

Visit Northlands Creative glass and watch as they demonstrate the age-old craft of glass blowing on their mobile furnace. The Northlands team will talk through the process and interact with the audience to answer any questions you have about this wonderful material.