The Workshop

(Scroll down for posters and more!)

Over 100 years ago in Holland, a scientist (Heike Kamerlingh Onnes) designed a way to turn helium gas into a liquid - and the temperature of the liquid dropped to -269 degrees C i.e. very, very, very cold: a Cryogenic temperature. He then designed more experiments to find out what happened when he put things in this liquid and made them very, very, very cold too. In 1911 one of these things was mercury and what happened was magical: it could conduct electricity without any resistance! It was a Superconductor.

Modern superconductors can be cooled with liquid nitrogen (at -196 degrees C) as can lots of other things, including sausages, bananas, flowers, tennis balls, metal plates and more. Using such items and lots of liquid nitrogen, various aspects of science and engineering, from material properties to engineering design, as well as the uses of cryogenics, are explained and explored with the students via exciting demonstrations and creative activities. The topics of electricity, electrical power generation and transmission now and in the future and superconductivity are also covered and the workshop topped off with the ever-popular levitating magnet demonstration.

The workshop is preceeded with a look at some amazing female scientists & engineers throughout history (Women in STEM Heroes) and may be supplemented by the Future Grid Challenge.

Contact

How To Get In Touch


To bring Frozen Aliens & Superpowers, STEM Heroes and/or the Future Grid Challenge to a school/club/group near you - or to ask any questions about the above or any content on this website - please contact Jess Spurrell using the details below or fill in a comment box at the bottom of the page!

Also contact for University of Southampton lab tours, Southampton International Women's Day (8th March) celebration events, and events in Southampton celebrating National Women in Engineering Day (23rd June) and Ada Lovelace Day (11th October).

e: J.Spurrell@soton.ac.uk
m: +44 (0) 7969954971
t: @HungryWomenBlog

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