The Lancaster Physics Department hosted their annual Science Community Day in Ashton Memorial, Williamson Park, welcoming families from across Lancaster and Morecambe to engage in a day of fun-filled science.

For the third year running, the Department took up residence across the two floors of the historic building with a series of interactive activities aimed for young people of all ages as a part of its ever-popular Science Community Day, taking place on Sunday 16^th March. From building a battery-operated cardboard car and painting planets to exploring the wonders of the universe in the planetarium or sitting down for a participatory liquid nitrogen show, the day was packed with fun for the whole family and encouraged young children to engage with science. The ground floor of the event was dedicated to crafts and interactive exhibits – which included the “Capturing Nature’s Ghosts” display that was hosted at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition back in July of last year, and a Van Der Graaf Generator, used to demonstrate electrostatic energy to the children present. Meanwhile, Lancaster’s popular planetarium was situated on the top floor of the Ashton Memorial.

In addition to the activities produced by the Physics Department, the day also saw students currently sitting the cross-departmental Teaching, Outreach and Public Engagement (TOPE) course participating in the Community Day. Their exhibits – designed and made by the students themselves – formulate a part of their final assessment for the course, and included exciting displays entitled “Can You Guess Poo?” and “The Wildlife Detectives”. The TOPE course – first launched in 2023 – aims to provide undergraduates with hands-on experience in delivering scientific outreach and engagement, either in a school environment or as a public engagement activity.

The day itself was a huge success, with over 800 visitors to the ground floor activities, and an additional 240 guests attending shows at the portable planetarium. The event was well-received by the public, and many of the sessions were completely sold out, with glowing feedback left by dozens of visitors, both adults and children alike.

On the popularity of the day, organiser of the Science Community Day Dr Agnieszka Nowak commented: “Our third annual Community Day was such a great success! Despite the cold, it was a sunny day with excellent attendance at the iconic Lancaster building in Williamson Park. Thanks to the support of the Physics Department at Lancaster University and our students, researchers and lecturers, we were able to offer a variety of activities, including hands-on crafts, sessions in the planetarium, and stalls on cutting-edge research in low-temperature, particle, and astrophysics. We were happy to see the community engaged with science and look forward to next year's event!”