Hyderabad: Science busker Dr David Price enthralled around 100 school students, teaching them scientific concepts through fun ways at the Birla Planetarium on Tuesday.
In the event titled ‘Making Science Fun and Simple,’ Dr Price utilised devices generally used by street performers to capture the audience’s attention. He began by making the children write their names in the air using their hands, legs and hips, and used the activity to explain a honeybee’s waggle dance, a means of communication.
Similarly, he explained how the concept of insulation helps polar bears keep warm in extremely cold climates by making students sit on balloons, which caused much amusement to the participants.
UK-based Dr Price is an international performer and trainer who is dedicated to the grassroots communication of science. A recipient of the Learning Outside the Classroom Award for Innovation, he terms himself a ‘science busker’, one who presents scientific concepts in the form of street performance.
Using daily concepts, he explained the properties of different substances as well. For instance, he explained the absorbing properties of sodium polyacrylate by informing the audience that it is used in diapers.
As part of the event, Prof Mark McCaughrean of the European Space Agency, Netherlands, also gave a talk titled ‘Eyes behind JWST: From First Light to New Planets’. He discussed various astronomical bodies viewed through the James Webb Telescope, as he is an interdisciplinary scientist for the Nasa/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope.
