What scientific breakthrough can you discover in a weekend?
No, obviously we’re not expecting a cure for a virulent disease or a new type of particle with really great hair (although you’re welcome to try if you feel like a total genius on Saturdays). This is an opportunity to get stuck into scientific data and make something really interesting.
On August 16 and 17, scientists, designers, developers, makers and artists are invited to get down to Newcastle University’s CultureLab for the Science Collider, an event run by data hackers iodatalabs in association with Newcastle University and Cancer Research UK.
The idea is that participants can either work in groups of up to four, or head off on their own to fiddle with scientific numbers, text, pictures or sound. The result can be anything, really: a physical object, a game, an app, a website, a data visualisation, an artwork, an Arduino, a giant extinct lizard from the past…
Actually, not that one. The insurance probably doesn’t cover it, and Jeff Goldblum would get angry with you.
There will be prizes for the best projects, and food and drink is provided. If you’re struggling for ideas or execution, there will be people to advise and mentor. All IP will still belong to the participants, even if it’s really good and worth stealing.
The first workshop was announced recently, and features Newcastle Science Comic, which was first seen at the British Science Festival in Newcastle last year. The workshop will feature some tips on how to make collaboration work, and how to use comics to communicate ideas.
The event follows on from the successful hack involving city data at the Ignite100 loft earlier this year. It could be an excellent way to get a whole new group of people involved in hacks, not to mention a good opportunity to open up a whole new toybox of data to people that love making stuff.
Now, here’s the important bit: The event needs your support NOW.
The organisers have a few sign-ups, but need more to guarantee the event takes place as planned. So if you’re holding off from signing up because you’ve forgotten or want to be fashionably late, the time to act is NOW. Likewise, if you’re not sure whether it’s for you or not, why not take a chance. The worst thing that can happen is that you get too caught up in the event and accidentally get turned into a fly in a badly-thought-out teleportation gene-splicing accident. And everyone loves flies, right?
Yay. Flies.
So, anyway, get yourself signed up before 1pm on Friday on EventBrite, and you won’t regret it. You’ll have to pledge a £10 deposit to join in, but that’ll be refunded at the event.
GO SCIENCE.
(Fly picture courtesy of Umberto Salvagnin. Headline image from Basil Wolverton’s SPACEHAWK, snapped by Cory Doctorow)
