Tuesday, 25 July 2023
Astronaut costumes, air rockets and a gravity demonstration using a BMX bike were all part of an interactive event celebrating the legacy of the Apollo moon landing, and the role engineers played in its success.
Hosted at the University of Nottingham’s Lakeside Arts, “Apollo Legacy: How Engineers Landed People On The Moon” was attended by more than 150 adults and children who came along to learn all about the story of the lunar landing in a presentation delivered by Assistant Professor Jez Turner from the Faulty of Engineering.
He said: “It’s almost exactly 54 years to the day since the Apollo moon landing took place, so what better time to shine a spotlight on the role engineers played and introduce this historic event to another generation. The average age of those working in mission control back is 1969 was 26, and only one was female, as many of the ‘older’ engineers didn’t think it could be done."
Something I’ve always been keen to communicate to people is that age really is just a number, so hopefully I sent some of the youngsters back home with inspiration that they can go on to achieve great things!
In addition to the presentation, where Jez demonstrated the effects of gravity using his BMX, there were several other activities on offer for children to enjoy, including the opportunity to dress up as an astronaut, shoot an air rocket and touch real meteorites.
James Parkinson, Interim CEO at Lakeside Arts, said: “There’s no doubt that this event was incredibly well received by adults and children alike, and it was fantastic to see so many young people getting stuck into the activities and enjoying Jez’s lecture.
"Events like these are crucial when it comes to engaging younger people in topics that they might otherwise not get to experience. Who knows, we may have just played host to the astronauts and space engineers of the future!"
The entire venue was transformed into outer space for the day and all children received space-themed activity packs or goodie bags for attending.
I loved it! I really enjoyed learning about how brave the astronauts were who first landed on the moon, but my favourite part was the moon rocks.
The event formed part of the University’s public engagement activities, focusing on supporting Nottingham’s journey to be recognised as a UNICEF child friendly city by making academic research accessible to all ages.
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
More news…