Putting Research at the Heart of Brum

The University of Birmingham has been doing research that matters to Birmingham for over 100 years, but it’s not always easy for those outside of the institution to find out about the amazing work that’s happening. Unless you work here or know someone that does, you probably don’t know that we currently have around 2,500 researchers and thousands of other staff supporting them who are working on developing new solutions to all sorts of problems. ‘Research at the Heart of Brum’ is a new initiative to connect members of public with our research through pop-up events where people can get hands-on with the work we do and meet the brilliant people who do the research. Our firs event will be on the 6th October 2018 and will take place on the main concourse of Birmingham New Street Station* between 11am and 3pm, and we’ll be holding a research market where we’ll be showcasing everything from mental health research to particle physics. So get involved and be curious!

Here’s snapshot of what to expect on the day:

Physics – did you know that researchers in Birmingham are world-leaders in work to understand how the Universe works? We’ll have a real working particle detector, you’ll be able to see live data from a Nasa mission and you’ll even be able to create your own black hole with one of the teams that helped with Nobel Prize winning research in gravitational waves.

Youth mobility – what’s the best way to support young people to make the  best decisions in life? Help trial a new area of research and give your input with Dr Sarah Brookes-Wilson who will be bringing her prototype Youth Journey Cards.

Dentistry – we spend a lot of time cleaning our teeth, but not much time thinking about what that cleaning is taking away and what it might leave behind. Join our dentistry researchers to build your own bacterial biofilm, find out how to blast dental bugs away and learn how fillings are being made simpler.

Maths – what if everything around us was interactive through touch? Feel the force of our haptics research that is set to change how we interact with the world in the Birmingham of the future.

Mental health – we think being an adult is just about being over 18, but our brains continue to develop right up to the age of 25. Join our researchers to find out how we all interpret risk differently and how this can affect every decision we make.

Linguistics – what happens when words are not enough to describe a situation? Join researchers to experience the power of language and how finding the right words can help people to come to terms with experiences grief and loss.

Cancer Treatments – meet our Cancer Research UK researchers who’ll have all sorts of hands-on demonstrations to show how Birmingham research is helping to develop new personalised therapies and get them to those who need them most through clinical trials.

Psychology – the human brain can store some information for decades. So why does memory cause so many problems in the justice system? Eye-witness statements can be massively inaccurate even when the witness is certain about what they saw. Test your memory and find out why our brains play tricks.

Tell us what you think: #HeartofBrum @uobengage

Find out more: Birmingham.ac.uk/research

*Many thanks to Network Rail for allowing us to use their space!