Be Curious, the annual University of Leeds family open day, is back for 2024.
On Saturday 18 May from 10am – 4pm, the University will be open to the public for a day of free interactive and family-friendly activities on subjects ranging from Artificial Intelligence to fossils and medicine to volcanoes.
Professor Hai-Sui Yu, University of Leeds Interim Vice-Chancellor and President, said: “Be Curious is an annual highlight for our University when we throw open the doors to the public for a day.
“Be Curious offers everyone a chance to learn more about the great teaching and research we do at the University of Leeds, while giving young people the chance to learn new skills and be creative.
“We are committed to engaging with our communities across the city and region and hope to inspire the next generation of researchers.”
This year, a quiet hour has been introduced for visitors who prefer a calmer environment. Between 10am – 11am, the number of visitors will be limited to allow movement around campus at their own pace.
Dr Alexa Ruppertsberg, Head of Public Engagement with Research, said: “We want all children in Leeds and beyond to have the chance to get hands-on with the research that happens here at the University. It is a fantastic opportunity for the public to see how our research is revealing life-changing discoveries.”
Activity Highlights
Be Curious features a wide variety of research topics, from arts to health and literacy to science. Highlights include a jellyfish station, where participants can make a jellyfish from recycled materials with Immortal Bloom. The artwork will be featured at Light Night on campus this October.
In the arts, Dr Scott McLaughlin and Pianodrome are transforming an old piano and giving it a new lease of life, whilst in health, Dr Emily Caseley takes you on a virtual reality tour to find out how medicines work in our bodies.
The Dialect and Heritage Project is hosting the Great Big Dialect Trail, where clues across campus will discover how to save lost dialect words from extinction.
Visitors will also get the opportunity to learn about Leeds legend John Smeaton – the UK’s first civil engineer. Researchers will demonstrate how Smeaton’s ideas are still important, 300 years after he was around, as a part of the Smeaton300 programme.
We are committed to engaging with our communities across the city and region and hope to inspire the next generation of researchers.”
This year there will also be a space specially curated by Leeds Youth Council, where research topics that are important to the youth council and children across the city will be showcased. The research dives into the future while exploring the past, to figure out what we can do right now to make the world better for the younger generation.
Be Curious has worked closely with Child Friendly Leeds and the programme will be shared with communities across the city. Child Friendly Leeds brings everyone together to make Leeds a child friendly city.
To book your free tickets and view the full line-up of events visit the Be Curious website.
Further information
For more information, please contact Corporate Communications Officer Rebecca Hurrey at r.hurrey@leeds.ac.uk in the University of Leeds Press Office.
General admission tickets are free, and these can be booked here.
Tickets will be required to enter the quiet hour, and you can book your tickets here.
Picture credit: Simon and Simon Photography.