Digital science festival in Caithness 'an interesting challenge', say organisers

PUTTING this year's Caithness International Science Festival on a digital platform has been "an interesting challenge," according to event co-ordinator, Nicola Macleod.

The 19th annual festival is underway and runs until the end of March but it is the first time it has been delivered online due to the restrictions imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The event, which is organised and run by Science O3, provides a range of educational and entertaining events and workshops that can be accessed online. With experts from fields including astronomy, geology, mathematics, wildlife, forensic science and renewable energy, there is a wide variety of topics available.

Ms Macleod said: "It has been an interesting challenge to bring the festival to life on a digital platform. We’ve tried hard to deliver an ambitious programme of events that caters for all ages and offers a variety of topics through a mix of live and on-demand formats. We would love to see as many people as possible join us live, but most events will have a recording available to watch from the next day. This year we have also designed an activity book that is suitable for all ages, it can be downloaded from our website and printed versions will be available to schools and for members of the public to collect from several supermarkets across the county while doing their weekly shop. I hope the community enjoys the festival and really gets involved with the interactive elements we have included in the activity book."

The festival sees the return of former NASA astronaut Duane “Digger” Carey who on Wednesday evening gave an online talk about the space agency's latest plans to return to the moon. He spoke about the new rockets and spaceships that will be used and what life will be like away from the surface of the Earth. It was followed by a question-and-answer session. He and his wife Cheryl will give a talk called Shared Journey to Space on Thursday, March 25.

Wildlife photographer and author, Dr Michael Leach, making his second appearance at the festival, will talk about animals behaving badly next Thursday and introduce his audience to drunken monkeys, psychotic magpies, spaced-out lemurs and smooth-talking con-birds. In a second talk on March 20, he will draw on his own experiences of living with the incredible mountain Gorillas of the African cloud forest. He will speak about what it means to be an endangered species and how gorillas communicate using body language and vocalisations.

Other highlights include an exotic animal workshop, a seminar about Scotland’s Lost Asteroid, an exploration of how true to life crime dramas are using real forensic science methods, and a gallery of Caithness ‘Scapes’ photographed by Thurso Camera Club. Caithness Astronomy Group gave a presentation about stargazing under the dark skies of northern Scotland earlier in the month and will give a guided tour of the moon on March 19.

Iain Baikie, who help set up the festival almost two decades ago, said: " This format allows us to reach a wider geographical audience and a wider range of people. Science O3 is delighted to welcome back festival favourites Duane and Cheryl Carey and Dr Michael Leach as well as as home-grown presenters: Pat Ramsay, Roy Kirk, Donna Booth, Gordon Mackie and Martin Murray. We hope these inspiring presentations brighten up your life in March."

All events are free to attend.

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