Author: Victoria Pearson
AstrobiologyOU – an Open University research group looking into life beyond earth and the challenges of astrobiology missions – were showcased this summer at the Bluedot festival, held at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Jodrell Bank Observatory.
The annual festival combines live music, comedy and culture with science and space delivered through expert talks, live demonstrations and interactive activities. More than 15,000 music fans, families, and space and sci-fi enthusiasts attended each day.
The theme of this year’s festival was ‘Our Fragile Earth’, which included the human impact on the space environment, a key research theme within AstrobiologyOU.
Life at the Limits
AstrobiologyOU’s Director, Professor Karen Olsson-Francis, was invited to deliver a public talk on the main stage. The talk, entitled ‘Life at the Limits’ described Open University research in astrobiology and explained how studying extreme environments on Earth plays an important role in planning life detection missions.
Reflecting on the event, Professor Karen Olsson-Francis said:
“It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with the public in such an awe-inspiring location, it was also the first time I had given a talk in wellies!”
Karen was followed on stage by School of Physical Sciences’ Professor Monica Grady, who delivered her 2022 Faraday Prize Lecture ‘Astronomy by Microscope’.
More than 1,000 visitors joined AstrobiologyOU researchers in a marquee to take part in a range of activities such as creating aliens out of Lego, and a “Mars or icy moons” challenge.
The group also showcased their research into terrestrial analogue sites, giving festival go-ers the opportunity to interact with OU research directly. Interactive screens also allowed them to explore astrobiology and other content on OpenLearn.
Karen was also recorded at the event for BBC’s Inside Science as a panellist alongside the UK Space Agency’s Libby Jackson and the Jodrell Bank’s Tim O’Brien. The show will be available on BBC Sounds.
AstrobiologyOU was invited to take part by the Director of the Jodrell Bank Centre for Engagement, Professor Teresa Anderson who has been a champion of the group’s work for several years.
Sharing science
AstrobiologyOU Public Engagement Officer, Hannah Cooper, who developed and managed the Bluedot contributions said:
“It was incredible to be back at large events, sharing science with people in person, something that we’ve been missing since the pandemic.”
The AstrobiologyOU team that delivered the event included: PhD students Amy Dugdale, Anushree Srivastava, Ben Tatton, Grace Richards and Veli Ilieva, postdoctoral researchers Julia Semprich, Mark Fox-Powell, Jess Crumpton-Banks, Rachael Hamp and Peter Fawdon, and academics Karen Olsson-Francis and Vic Pearson.
Photos by Hannah Cooper
