Otley Science Festival 2009

Local lad Marty Jopson will be encouraging the enquiring mind

A full line-up of brain-teasing attractions for Otley's first ever science festival has been confirmed.

The week-long event has everything from indoor fireworks to a history of Otley's proud links to the early days of the printing industry.

Marty Jopson, from Otley, The One Show's resident scientist, kicks things off with a prize science quiz.

Scientist, historian and broadcaster Adam Hart-Davis will also be adding his inimitable style to the proceedings.

The popularity of science as a school subject has waned over the last few decades but the Otley Science Festival aims to prove that science can be fun as well as educational.

Marty Jopson - familiar to viewers of BBC TV's The One Show - will present a fun family performance, including plenty of bangs and pops, about 'the man who tamed steam' - Denis Papin.

Papin was a 17th Century French physicist, mathematician and inventor, best known for his pioneering invention of the steam digester, the forerunner of the steam engine.

Adam Hart-Davis is an author, scientist, historian and broadcaster,

Always one for experimenting - Adam Hart-Davis

well-known for presenting the BBC TV series and What the Romans Did for Us (and its sequels involving the Victorians, the Tudors, the Stuarts, and the Ancients). He was also a co-presenter of Tomorrow's World, and presented Science Shack.

At Otley, he will present his talk, Much Ado About Nothing - The History of the Vacuum, with his usual verve and humour.

Local historians Paul Wood and Christine Dean will discuss the world-famous technical developments that took place in Otley in the printing industry during the 19th century.

Music will also be a part of the fun when musician Richard Sabey and the children of the Otley Junior Orchestra demonstrate the science of sound by playing, among other things, a carrot.

Art lovers will also have something to admire during the event, as an exhibition of planet paintings by Menston artist, James Brown will be on display during the week's festivities and until Sunday 29 November 2009.

The week will be rounded off with a Science Fair when guests will be able to try their hands at measuring gravity, join a genetic experiment and even make liquid nitrogen ice cream.

A free family show demonstrating the delights of chemistry, featuring indoor fireworks, will bring the festival to a close on the same day.

Otley Science Festival takes place at Otley Courthouse, Courthouse Street, Otley from Sunday 15 November until Sunday 22 November 2009. More event details can be found on the What's On page of the Otley Courthouse website.