Plan your visit Event programme
Saturday 17 May 2025, 10am to 4pm
We invite the curious minds from across Leeds and beyond to join us for a day packed with exciting activities for everyone.
You’ll be able to find your way around the different locations using the Be Curious map. The map will be available to download from this page nearer the time, or you can collect a printed copy on the day.
Future artists
What is Basic Design and why are we excited about it?
Drop in to our artist-led drawing workshop to discover Basic Design philosophy and Maurice de Sausmarez, the man behind it!
Location: Parkinson Court
Suitable for ages 6 and above
Run by Dr Kerry Harker and the Stanley and Audrey Burton Gallery
What is a proverb?
Discover the fascinating history of proverbs, from Shakespeare to the present, and have a go at creating some new ones!
Location: Parkinson Court North
Suitable for ages 6 and above
Run by Treasures of the Brotherton
What is the connection between your clothes and fossils?
Discover why coal forest fossils have cool patterns and how fossil fuels link to polyester. Then stitch your own fossil design!
Location: Refectory
Suitable for ages 6 and above
Run by Sonja Andrew
Body builders
How strong are your teeth?
Discover the hidden sugar and acid in your favorite drinks. Join our fun challenge to see how they affect eggshells – and your teeth!
Location: Refectory
Suitable for ages 6 and above
Run by Alice Rigby and Claire Smith
How do we balance?
We walk down the street, climb steps, navigate obstacles and all kinds of complicated things without even thinking about it – but how?
Location: Riley Smith
Suitable for ages 6 and above
Run by Reader-Harris Lab
How does your heart pump blood?
Get ready to explore your amazing heart! Find out about blood types, check your pulse and learn why keeping your heart healthy is so important.
Location: Parkinson Court South
Suitable for all ages
Run by Leeds Heart Beats
Can you piece together the story to improve people's health?
Every day you generate data, like when you shop or go to the doctors. This information can help researchers identify patterns and improve health and care.
Location: Precinct
Suitable for ages 6 and above
Run by Survivorship and Multimorbidity Epidemiology Research Group
How can girls and women stay strong and healthy?
Unlock your inner superheroine! Explore how strength training and understanding your body’s changes can help girls and women stay strong, confident and healthy for life.
Location: Michael Sadler LG.10
Suitable for ages 6 and above
Run by Hannah Campbell
Is sugar good or bad for your heart?
In this activity, you’ll learn how to keep your heart healthy and understand how the body works.
Location: Riley Smith
Suitable for ages 6 and above
Run by Dr Hema Viswambharan
What do you know about bowels and bugs and poo?
Come and play some of our poo-themed and bug-themed games. Learn how antibiotics affect the bugs in your guts. You might even win a prize!
Location: Riley Smith
Suitable for all ages
Run by Dr Susan Richman
Do you enjoy trying new sports?
Try out some fun sports with our students, including rugby, netball and football.
Location: Precinct
Suitable for ages 6 and above
Run by Grpyhons Abroad
Germ busters, can you kill the germ?
Knock down the nasty germs with your immune cells! Learn how your body fights infections – can you defeat the germs?
Location: Riley Smith
Suitable for all ages
Run by Samson Group (Tamara Humphries and Abi Connor)
Young innovators
What makes you move?
Ever wondered how ballet dancers do all those amazing moves? Find out how art and science meet to inspire new engineering research.
Location: Michael Sadler LG.10
Suitable for ages 6 and above
Run by Mechanical Engineering Ingenious Team
The Supply Chain Challenge
Make sure everything is in the right place at the right time, or the products won’t make it from farm to table! Prove your worth as logistics manager and get your best problem solving hat on to make sure the deliveries get through.
Location: M&S Archive
Suitable for all ages
Run by M&S Archive
What is going on in the quantum realm?
Do you want to learn about quantum technologies? Come and see how we can build the networks and computers of the future to create the quantum internet.
Location: Riley Smith
Suitable for ages 6 and above
Run by Quantum Communications Group
Can AI make self-driving cars smarter?
Discover how artificial intelligence (AI) helps self-driving cars avoid traffic by using smart programs to find the best routes, reduce jams and make driving faster and smoother.
Location: Refectory
Suitable for ages 10 and above
Run by Maha Alruwaili
How do we make the computers of the future?
Learn how we engineer the quantum properties of new materials atom by atom. Discover how we can create the building blocks of new computers!
Location: Parkinson Court South
Suitable for ages 6 and above
Run by Condensed Matter Physics Group
How protected is your home from flooding below ground?
Floodwalls stop water above, but what about below? Uncover hidden risks and surprising solutions that could improve your flood protection!
Location: Refectory
Suitable for ages 6 and above
Run by Andel
Eco heroes
The Space Between the Lights
The Space Between the Lights is a sound trail across campus, revealing the hidden lives of the animals that call Leeds campus home.
Location: Precinct
Suitable for all ages
Run by Cultural Institute
What colour is a woodland?
Discover the science of leaves! Create colourful art with special paints that change colour and natural pigments from our research woodlands.
Location: Refectory
Suitable for all ages
Run by Leeds Ecosystem, Atmosphere and Forest Centre (LEAF)
Community champions
How can we make streets safer and more fun?
Imagine kids and transport designers teaming up to create fun, safe streets! This stall will turn children’s ideas into real designs, making a child-friendly city.
Location: Parkinson Court South
Suitable for all ages
Run by Child Friendly Leeds
Leeds Young Research Owls
Meet Leeds Young Research Owls, a group of young people who support child health researchers with their projects, from start to finish and beyond!
Location: Parkinson Court North
Suitable for ages 6 and above
Run by Heather Rostron
The Lifelong Learning Centre
It’s never too late to learn! Explore options into higher education for adults. Learn about support available for mature students. Find out about what studying at university as an adult is like.
Location: Parkinson Court North
Suitable for adults
Run by the Lifelong Learning Centre
Super scientists
How fast are your fingers?
Play on our Turbo Typing arcade machine and find out! Tap or type your way to victory and join our leaderboard. Compete against your family and friends!
Location: Michael Sadler LG.16
Suitable for ages 6 and above
Run by Dr Emily Williams
What makes a good surface?
Explore how surface textures and materials affect everyday life. Discover cool surface effects like electrostatic charging and corrosion.
Location: Michael Sadler LG.10
Suitable for ages 6 and above
Run by Josh Armitage
What kind of chocolate makes people happier?
Learn about the stages of a clinical trial and help us answer “what kind of chocolate makes people happier?”
Location: Riley Smith
Suitable for all ages
Run by Clinical Trials Research Unit
How fair is AI?
Explore a real example of artificial intelligence (AI) and challenge the algorithm yourself. See how AI decisions can sometimes be unfair or misleading!
Location: Parkinson Court South
Suitable for ages 6 and above
Run by Liqun Liu
How tough is your chocolate?
Come along to discover materials! We’ll look at how different chocolates are similar to the types of materials that surround us.
Location: Refectory
Suitable for ages 6 and above
Run by Nicole Hondow
How do medicines work in our bodies?
We all take medicines sometimes, but what do those little molecules actually do? Join us on a virtual reality tour to find out, and take some science home with you in our goodie bags!
Location: Refectory
Suitable for all ages
Run by Katie Simmons and Stephen Meunch
What are proteins and how do they work?
Proteins are like tiny machines in our cells. Watch them twist and fold into amazing shapes to do important jobs. Come see how it all works!
Location: Michael Sadler LG.19
Suitable for ages 6 and above
Run by Sharon Yeoh, Bayliss Group
What is it like to be a laser scientist?
Do you have what it takes to be a future laser scientist? Play with lasers, learn about light and what scientists use it for.
Location: Baines G.37
Suitable for ages 6 and above
Run by Thomas Gill
How are proteins made?
Decode a message to make a protein from DNA, just like your cells do. And take home your own ‘protein’ keychain!
Location: Parkinson Court South
Suitable for all ages
Run by RiboCode
How do researchers answer big questions with simple ideas?
Science can be tricky, but finding the right clues makes it easier! Explore shapes, colours and textures to solve big puzzles step-by-step.
Location: Michael Sadler LG.19
Suitable for ages 6 and above
Run by Victoria Byelova
Fearless explorers
How does blood travel outside of our body?
Join Mina the Mouse on her incredible blood journey! Discover how blood travels after donation and meet the many people involved, each with unique stories.
Location: Refectory
Suitable for ages 6 and above
Run by Jieun Kim and Leigh Bowser
What science experiements can I do at home?
Try some experiments and discover the incredible stories of girls from 100 years ago who grew up to become famous scientists!
Location: Parkinson Court South
Suitable for ages 6 and above
Run by Katie Carpenter