Cambridge Festival Open Day – Saturday 21 March 2026 Open from 10.00am to 4pm
Visit the Department of Chemistry to try some hands-on chemistry experiments and enter the world of science. Once kitted out in a lab coat and safety goggles, you will be ready to go. Our researchers and students will guide you through our family-friendly activities, with the emphasis on you having a go and making discoveries for yourself. Joined by Crash, Bang, Squelch! run by CHaOS, it will be CHaOS@Chemistry!
The hands-on activities do not need to be booked in advance.
Beyond photovoltaics: Unlocking the photon economy with solar chemical technologies – A presentation by Professor Erwin Reisner. Book here.
Professor Erwin Reisner will present futuristic solar technologies that use waste as a precious resource for a circular economy. The talk will explore the valorisation of carbon dioxide, non-edible biomass and plastic waste, all powered by solar energy, to produce the sustainable fuels and chemicals that are essential for energy storage, transportation and the chemical industry. Professor Reisner will look at the concept, design and prototypes of devices performing solar chemistry to achieve a net-zero 2050 economy. The presentation includes a device display and will be supported by hands-on demonstrations.
More information is available at: http://www-reisner.ch.cam.ac.uk/
It’s a gas: A demonstration lecture by Professor Peter Wothers. To book click on time. 11am or 4pm
Professor Peter Wothers invites you to join him as he investigates the gases in our atmosphere. We all know we need oxygen to live, but why would too much be a bad thing? How can inert nitrogen be used to save lives, and what change does lightning bring about to the gases in the air? You’ll find out the answers to these and many other questions in the usual explosive fashion during his exciting demonstration lecture.
Expect loud bangs; consequently this event is more suitable for children aged 8+ years.
Crash, Bang, Squelch!
Our experiments will show you why hot air balloons stay up, what happens when you split water in half, how your lungs work, and much, much more…
CHaOS student volunteers are running a series of talks filled with exciting demonstrations. You will find even more crashes, bangs, and squelches, and discover all sorts of weird and wonderful science!
Find the full list of talks and now to book here. (Scroll to bottom of page.)
Find the Chemistry Department on Google Maps here. For all activities, robotics workshops and talks, enter using the entrance opposite the Scott Polar Museum, off Lensfield Road.
