10:00am-4:00pm on Saturday 22 March

Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Lensfield Road, CB2 1EW

Visit the Department of Chemistry to try some hands-on chemistry experiments and enter a world of science. Once kitted out in a lab coat and safety goggles, you will be ready to go! Our researchers and students will guide you through our family-friendly activities, with the emphasis on you having a go and making discoveries for yourself, including activities such as Crystal Adventures.

This year the Department will host the popular Crash, Bang, Squelch! run by CHaOS. Other CHaOS activities include robotics workshops and demonstrations. 

No booking is required for the hands-on activities. Drop-in throughout the day.

Booking for the Open Day lectures is now open and this year we are offering two lectures:

• 'Free Range Chemistry - No Added Chemicals' by Professor Peter Wothers - This action-packed demonstration lecture features flashes and bangs made only from the chemicals that can be found in nature, illustrating the fact that our whole world is made of chemicals. while
• 'Solar Chemical Technologies' by Professor Erwin Reisner - This talk explores the valorisation of carbon dioxide, non-edible biomass and plastic waste, all powered by solar energy, to produce the sustainable fuels and chemicals essential for energy storage, transportation and the chemical industry. 

5:00pm-6:15pm on Friday 28 March

Pfizer Lecture Theatre, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Lensfield Road, CB2 1EW

Professor Catherine Green, Nuffield Department of Medicine’s Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility, and Fellow at Exeter College, Oxford

'Making Vaccines, for the Last Pandemic and the Next One'

Professor Green’s talk will reflect on her work on the Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine project for COVID-19, and how the scientific community might prepare for the next pandemic. Catherine is a biochemist and recipient of an OBE for her services to science and public health. Catherine co-authored (along with Professor Sarah Gilbert) the bestselling book Vaxxers: A Pioneering Moment in Scientific History

This lecture, in memory of chemist Alex Hopkins, will be accessible to a non-specialist audience and as much about educating as entertaining.
Find out more about the Alex Hopkins Lecture here.

10:00am-12:00pm on Saturday 29 March

Institute of Astronomy, Madingley Road, CB3 0HA

Partial Solar Eclipse Viewing 

Join us at the Institute of Astronomy to watch a partial Solar Eclipse! From 10am to 12pm on Saturday 29th March, the Moon will pass in front of of the Sun, with maximum coverage of 31% occurring at 11:04am. We will be holding an eclipse watch-along on our lawn, as well as offering views of the eclipse through our telescopes. Solar viewing glasses will be provided — it is very important that you do not look at the Sun with the naked eye. Please note that this event is weather dependent — the eclipse can only be seen if the sky is clear. Read more about the event here.

9:30am-4:30pm on Saturday 22 March

Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, 27 Charles Babbage Road, CB3 0FS

Delve into the world of materials science at the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy. Explore our collection of table top displays and interactive activities to find out how our world leading science will drive tomorrow’s technologies.

See how new materials help save energy, learn how windows can generate electricity and make a metal wire change shape without touching it! Our activities are suitable for all ages and there will be researchers on hand to explain what’s going on and answer your questions. Find out more about the event here.

11:00am-3:00pm on Saturday 29 March

Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, Downing Street, CB2 3EQ

Come and meet the scientists of the Department of Earth Sciences. Take part in hands-on activities and find out what it's like to research fossils, earthquakes, tackle environmental challenges and more.

Activities include:

• Microfossil Wonderland - use powerful microscopes to investigate tiny fossils of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago. Find out how these microfossils help us learn about past climates and environments.
• Bring your rocks and fossils for identification - have you found an interesting rock that you'd like to learn more about? Come and chat with our scientists about your find and discover what it's like to work as an Earth Scientist.
• Jump to make your own earthquake – compete with a friend to make the most powerful earthquake and learn how the vibrations are represented on screen.
• Make your own mountain range - use a sand model to investigate how the movement of tectonic plates makes the lumps, bumps and folds of a mountain range.
• Discover meteorites - can you spot the difference between rocks from space and Earth rocks? Find out how our scientists study both to understand how the Earth formed.

No booking required. Find out more about the activities here.

2:00-4:00pm on Sunday 30 March

Heong Gallery, Downing College, Regent Street, CB2 1DQ

Volcano Seismology Workshop, presented by Prof Nick Rawlinson and his seismology PhD students and PostDocs.

Earthquakes can be detected below active volcanoes due to the upward migration of magma in the crust. In this workshop, we will explain how earthquakes occur, how we measure them, and how we can use these measurements to understand the plumbing system beneath active volcanoes and help keep communities safe. The inner workings of a seismometer - a device for detecting earthquakes - will be examined, and practical demonstrations that show how they operate will be carried out with the assistance of audience members. Book your place here.

This workshop is part of the Magma Rising Exhibition, being held from 26 February to 22 April 2025. The full programme of events can be found here.