The University of Edinburgh’s family programme for the Edinburgh Science Festival is returning to the National Museum of Edinburgh from the 6th – 20th April. Dr Janet Paterson of the University’s School of Biological Sciences has been running the programme for over a decade and it is always a huge success. The programme features drop-in events, workshops and shows designed to engage and entertain a family audience.The drop-in activities are free and open to the public on Level 2 of the Learning Centre between 10am – 4.30pm each day. These are for all ages throughout the two week festival period and over the course of the Science Festival there will be 4 different sessions of drop in activities to explore that will give family audiences a wide variety of activities to take part in. The first session (6th -10th April) brought to you by the college of Science and Engineering includes activities that introduce children to Biological Science, Mathematics and Engineering - all in a fun and interactive way. Session Two (11th – 15th April) is led by the University's schools of Chemistry and Informatics and this includes the return of the ever-popular robots. The Robotarium gives children (including adult-sized children) the chance to learn how robots understand and imitate humans. And a great opportunity to watch a robot playing football. The College of Medicine and Veterinary Science are instrumental in the third and final sessions. They are bringing the buzz words, ‘Big Data’ to a level that kids can understand, telling us the secrets of Animal DNA and then exploring hidden microscopic worlds found in our cells with The Giant Cell. And any budding doctors will love the last two days when the Medical Frontiers session looks at the future of medicine in relation to new technologies and advancing science.There is also a schedule of paid workshops which are suitable for kids from about 7 years and above (check each workshop for its age limits) and these need to be booked in advance to avoid disappointment as they are hugely popular. So if Physics Wizardry, Amazing Immunology and Game On! sound like your child’s cup of tea, then get onto the Edinburgh Science Festival website as soon as possible. It's important for our scientists to interact with the local community and share their discoveries. Janet Paterson (School of Biological Sciences) What’s On At The Edinburgh Science Festival Related LinksEdinburgh Science FestivalEdinburgh Centre for RoboticsNational Museum of Scotland This article was published on 2024-10-29