In the lead up to our coverage of the World Science Festival, which is taking place in New York this week, our most recent mini-series has been focusing on science festivals. In our latest post we are lucky to be getting a real insight into the workings of a festival through the eyes of our guest blogger, a festival manager at Cambridge Science Festival.

Guest post by Nicola Buckley, Head of Community Affairs, University of Cambridge and Cambridge science festival manager. Nicola has been directing the Cambridge Science Festival team since 2004 and set up the Cambridge Festival of Ideas in 2008. She helps to convene the UK science festivals network.

Science festivals seem to be a growing phenomenon all round the world. A survey in 2008 found that 27 out of 52 science festivals who responded had started in the period 2006-2008, with only 5 starting prior to 1995 (research co-ordinated by Karen Bultitude at UWE).

In the UK, the current annual British Science Festival has its roots in the annual conference organised by the British Association for the Advancement of Science since 1831. But the first UK festival founded for the sorts of purposes we now see as common – inspiring young people and engaging with the public of all ages – was the Edinburgh Science Festival in 1989. A Science and Society consultation by the UK government in 2008 described the UK science festival scene as ‘vibrant’ and there are around 15 large science festivals taking place each year, with a growing number of smaller events too.

All festivals consist of days or periods of celebration or an organised series of cultural events. Like other types of festival, the programme content of science festivals is usually diverse to attract as broad a range of individuals as possible. Any science festival might typically include hands-on activities for all ages and the more traditional talks, debates, interviews and discussions. There may also be performance elements such as films, theatre, dance, comedy and music, all with a science-inspired focus.

As with other cultural festivals, there are elements which promote enjoyment and appreciation, but also debate and discussion. Science festivals do play a role in questioning and probing applications of science and its governance. It is possible to evaluate whether attendees felt they were able to enter into dialogue with scientists and other speakers such as politicians.

A special feature of science festivals, when compared with other kinds of science communication activities, is the way in which they bring hundreds of thousands of people in the UK into direct face-to-face contact

with scientists every year in a rich and diverse mix of activities.

The job of a science festival manager is very varied and interesting. Our tasks include fundraising and financial management, programming festivals, marketing, programme and web design, health and safety planning, as well as involving, training and briefing scientists in science communication and evaluating the festivals. At Cambridge, our annual Cambridge Science Festival is organised by the University of Cambridge with numerous partners and our basis in the University means we have up to 1,000 science students and staff volunteering each year during our 2-week festival, much of which is hosted in University laboratories, lecture theatres and cultural venues. Other science festivals are organised externally to universities but with significant participation by scientific and higher education institutions as well as businesses, arts, charity, community and media partners.

Getting involved in a science festival can often provide a first taste of public engagement activity for science students or researchers. The Cambridge Science Festival works through a network of event co-ordinators in departments and partner organisations, who help us recruit the volunteer demonstrators and speakers. We welcome meeting new people who want to get involved, and each year try to come up with new and engaging events which will interest diverse publics. The Cambridge Science Festival offers most of its 150 events for free, and the small central team has a limited amount of planning time, so we seek to collaborate with enthusiastic (and realistic!) scientific partners to get involved and take advantage of the combined publicity effort which a Festival offers to reach public audiences.

Photos copyright of the University of Cambridge. The flame picture is one of their science communication stars, Dr Peter Wothers, the other one is a volunteer science communicator in the Department of Chemistry with a young visitor.

If you want to read more highlights from the World Science Festival, you can find a summary of all our coverage here.

As summer approaches and the festival season gets into gear, what could be better than a jam packed programme full to the brim with science fun? To tie in with the World Science Festival, which takes place in New York City this week, our latest mini-series will focus on science festivals and will ask a range of related questions. What work goes into organising a science festival? How are they planned? What are their goals? We will talk to key contributors, gathering some top tips for aspiring events’ organisers. Finally we plan to link to some of the best science festivals in the world; so if you are looking for some science-inspired entertainment, stay tuned…

WSF, June 1-5, 2011

The World Science Festival is taking place in New York City this week with an extensive selection of pioneering science programmes and events, aiming to shine the spotlight on some of the most fascinating science.

Prominent scientific minds will join forces with artists, performers and dancers for a five-day programme, promising drama, discussion and excitement. But what we want to know is how did this creative festival come about? What are its roots and who are its inspirations? We spoke with Tracy Day, one of the key founders of the World Science Festival, in order to learn more about its origins.

Tracy Day, along with Brian Greene, is the Co-founder and Executive Director of the World Science Festival. She is a four-time National News Emmy award-winning journalist, has produced live and documentary programming for the nation’s pre-eminent television news divisions for over two decades. She has produced documentaries, specials and live broadcasts for PBS, The Discovery Channel, CNN, Lifetime and CNBC. In addition to Emmy awards, she has also won a Hugo Award, a 2004 Clarion Award and the CINE Golden Eagle for investigative journalism. Tracy is a graduate of Duke University and has been an adjunct professor in the Leadership and the Arts program at the Sanford Institute for Public Policy:

How did the idea of a world science festival come about?

Brian Greene and I were discussing things over a business dinner back in 2007 and it came up that there was no major science festival in New York producing science content in a different creative way. My background is not in science but in production and investigative journalism, however during my production career it was always the science that I found most fascinating. What I thought the science world was missing was the storytelling element, transforming science into fine writing, colliding science with art. Born from this was the festival mission:

To cultivate and sustain a general public informed by the content of science, inspired by its wonder, convinced of its value, and prepared to engage with its implications for the future.

What will the festival include?

The World Science Festival approaches science in a new and exciting way, taking theatrical performances and fusing them with science content. It is the marriage of art and science that makes our festival unique; it opens new avenues for both highly informed audiences and those looking to learn.

I bring an entire career of production to the team. As a journalist, I have a deeply rooted background in multi-media and Brian Greene, a professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University, brings his scientific mind to the team. Joining forces we have been able to look at science in a new, inspiring way.

How are your events different?

We are not presenting science in lecture halls but in theatres; we dim the lights and create an electric environment allowing the audience to look at science in a fresh and emotional way. For example we may showcase a scientific historical drama; this year the festival opens with Radiance The Passion of Marie Curie. We do not bury the science – science is the star. However the plays are always followed by interesting conversations with influential thinkers and leading scientific minds allowing the science to remain at the forefront. We also cater for the scientific community with Saloon events and we have programmes specifically for children and their parents.

What about outreach activities?

The World Science Festival is now in its fourth year and is New York’s flagship science festival. This year our main priority has been to make sure the festival has a presence in the digital space. We will stream all events live in HD; we may have 1,000 people in a theatre, but this way we can reach out further and this is why we started WSFTV. There you will be able to find full length shows, but also snippets taken from the event. We also host archives on our website where you can learn about past and present events and participants.

What impact do you expect the festival to have?

Science has remained on the fringes of popular culture for too long. The aim of the World Science Festival is to shift people’s perception of science and to realise that the general public do not need to gloss over science, but can enjoy it in all its glory. We are driven by our mission – science is the star.

We would like to thank Tracy for taking the time out of her busy schedule to speak with us. Do let us know if you plan to attend the WSF in our comment thread.

If you want to read more highlights from the World Science Festival, you can find a summary of all our coverage here.