Latest from Life: Don’t poo-poo popular appeal

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Don’t poo-poo popular appeal

Last week’s Super Blue Blood Moon caused a bit of a stir in the British media, even though this spectacle wasn’t fully visible from the UK.

I think the appeal can partly be attributed to the name; it sounds exciting, intriguing and it doesn’t include any technical jargon, making it a winner with the public.

So, following the Moon example, we have declared that this February half-term is Poo Week!

Visitors can find out about human and animal digestion and the physics of toilets in Number 2 – the poo show, a production supported by our partner Northumbrian Water.

Poo Week has already grabbed a fair bit of attention, so I’m hopeful we’ll be flushed with success this half-term.

As always, if you have comments or questions, or just want to know more, do get in touch.

Best wishes,

Linda Conlon, Chief Executive

What January blues?

With new shows opening in the Science Theatre and planetarium, the launch of the revamped Young Explorers’ Zone and a Burns Night celebration, there has been much to celebrate recently at Life.

Clockwise from top-left: Wombat poo facts in Number 2 – the poo show; looking to the stars in new planetarium show Naked Eye Astronomy; a tartan-clad party for Burns Night with Auld Lang Science at Life Meetings and Events; and three-year-old Kaianna plays in the revamped Young Explorers' Zone.

Life’s entrepreneurialism showcased in venues around the world

The team at Life has been inspiring visitors for many years with live shows and great demonstrations. Now they have started to attract the attention of peers at other science centres and, for the first time, have sold one of their productions.

Kaleidoscope – a show without words, in which colourful chemistry demos are set to music – has been sold to Carnagie Science Centre in Pennsylvania, USA, and VilVite in Norway. The Life production has also inspired shows in Maryland Science Center in the USA.

Life team member honoured for career in Her Majesty’s service

David Oxley, a Facilities Assistant at Life, has been awarded an Imperial Service Medal at a ceremony held in January in recognition of 28 years’ service for Her Majesty’s Prison Service. He left the Prison Service in 2014.

During his career, David often went above-and-beyond what was expected of him and he was instrumental in designing and implementing a five-year painting and decorating programme that involved employing inmates, which helped with their rehabilitation and to find work upon release.

In the news: Newcastle Fertility Centre

The Newcastle Fertility Centre at Life has hit the headlines again in national newspapers for its pioneering work on mitochondrial replacement therapy.

The new fertility treatment could allow women with mitochondrial disease – a genetic disorder that occurs when the mitochondria of cells fail to produce enough energy – to have children without the risk of passing on the disease to their offspring.

The first two patients have now been selected for treatment and permission granted by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). With the green light to proceed, doctors at Newcastle Fertility Centre can now attempt to create healthy embryos for the patients.

Genetics Matters

Newcastle University’s Institute of Genetic Medicine at Life is holding its annual Genetics Matters day on 24 February.

The event serves to showcase genetic research and to give patient and charity organisations a voice and a platform to interact with the members of the public. So, if you know someone with a rare genetic condition, or if you just want to find out more about personalised medicine and research at Newcastle University, click the link below to register. This event is free to attend, but places are limited.

New neighbours

North East Futures UTC, a new school in Newcastle for children aged 14-18 years, is holding an open evening on 19 February at Life.

The new school will be situated close to Life, in the Stephenson Quarter of the city, housed in a beautiful high-tech building. It will offer education for young people seeking a career in digital technologies or healthcare sciences and partners include the University of Sunderland, Dynamo North East, Ubisoft and the NHS.

They are currently recruiting for Year 10 and Year 12 students to start in September 2018.

60-second interview with... Councillor Stella Postlethwaite

Councillor Stella Postlethwaite is a Labour councillor for North Jesmond in Newcastle and a Trustee of Life. Prior to entering politics, she used her Master of Chemistry degree from Durham University to study electrochemistry at the Centre of Electrochemical Surface Technology in Austria.

Why did you decide to transition from science to politics?

When my project in Austria had finished and I returned to live in UK, the 2015 General Election was only a few months away, so, hoping for the election of a new Labour government, I threw myself and all my time into campaigning, both working and volunteering for the Labour Party.

I quickly discovered that I loved campaigning – in particular, talking to residents one-on-one about politics both local and national – which is what led me to put myself forward as a Labour Party candidate in the 2016 local elections.

What qualities do you think scientists can bring to politics?

Working in local government, I frequently have reports to read where data is presented to me in different formats on very different topics and I always feel comfortable understanding the data due to my years of working in scientific research. Since scientists are so comfortable working with data, they are able to ask probing questions about the data before them and to question the methods used of both measurement and analysis.

Have you discovered anything that surprised you about Life since you became a Trustee last year?

Prior to becoming a Trustee, I was not aware of all the educational workshops and outreach work that Life does with schoolchildren. I was particularly excited to see the on-site laboratories that the schoolchildren use at Life and the equipment that they can use, including high-quality optical microscopes.

What is your proudest work-related moment?

The first time I gave an oral presentation at an international conference, I had to speak just after Professor Allen Bard – the most renowned electrochemist alive today and the founder of scanning electrochemical microscopy as a field – so I was very nervous beforehand! After doing the presentation, I felt proud to have got over my nerves and to have presented my work confidently. I also felt proud more broadly to participate in such an interesting conference.

How do you de-stress outside of work?

I find that exercise is by far the best way for me to de-stress – I like either to go jogging or swimming. My New Year’s resolution is to try to do the Newcastle Parkrun on the Town Moor every Saturday morning!

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