Education

Applications of GCSE Maths

A lively, real-world tour of how GCSE maths topics power everyday decisions, science, technology, and problem-solving far beyond the classroom.

Discover how GCSE Mathematics isn’t just about passing an exam—it’s a toolkit for understanding (and shaping) the world. In this talk we’ll explore exciting real-life applications of number (budgeting, interest, taxes, error bounds), fractions/decimals/percentages (discounts, inflation, nutrition), …

Talk: Yes | Workshop: Yes | Course: No | Audience: High School

The Mathematics of Planet Earth

An engaging talk showing how A-level mathematics helps scientists model natural phenomena, predict global events, and tackle real-world challenges from earthquakes to climate change.

What do earthquakes, climate change, ocean waves, and the shape of the Earth all have in common? Mathematics. In this talk, we’ll explore how maths is used to understand and predict real-world processes happening all around us — from the movement of tectonic plates to the spread of wildfires and the…

Talk: No | Workshop: No | Course: No | Audience: High School, Sixthform, College, Undergraduate,

Introduction to Design for Manufacture

A practical, industry-focused talk on how engineers adapt designs for efficient, reliable production, exploring real case studies and the balance between performance, cost, and manufacturability.

Design for Manufacture (DfM) is a core principle in engineering design, ensuring products are optimised not only for performance and functionality, but also for efficient, reliable and economical production. This talk explores how manufacturing constraints shape design decisions from concept stage t…

Talk: Yes | Workshop: Yes | Course: No | Audience: Sixthform, College, Undergraduate, Graduate, Professional

Introduction to Design Engineering

An inspiring introduction to how design engineers turn ideas into real-world solutions, exploring what they do, where they work, and how to start a career in the field.

Design engineering is where creativity meets problem-solving — turning ideas into real products, structures, and systems that improve everyday life. In this career talk, you’ll learn what design engineers actually do, from sketching early concepts and using CAD to building prototypes and testing des…

Talk: Yes | Workshop: Yes | Course: No | Audience: Sixthform, College, Undergraduate, Graduate, Professional

The Story Of William Smith

The story of how a canal engineer’s observations of rock layers led to the discovery of stratigraphic succession and revolutionised our understanding of Earth’s history.

William Smith (1769–1839), often called the “Father of English Geology,” transformed how we understand Earth’s deep past by realising that rock layers follow a consistent order—and that fossils within them can be used to identify and correlate those layers across long distances. Crucially, this …

Talk: Yes | Workshop: Yes | Course: No | Audience: Public, Families

Attenborough and the Robotic Plesiosaur

A behind-the-scenes look at how a robotic plesiosaur research project made it to television, revealing the science, engineering, and filmmaking collaboration behind its first filmed swim.

Discover why the world’s most celebrated natural history filmmaker visited a basement lab at Imperial to meet aeronautical engineer Dr Luke Edward Muscutt and his extraordinary robotic plesiosaur. This talk tells the story behind that unusual encounter, explaining what drew a major documentary produ…

Talk: Yes | Workshop: No | Course: No | Audience: Public

Recreating the Loch Ness monster

A captivating journey through 200 years of art, science, and technology showing how discoveries and modern engineering are transforming mythical sea monsters into scientifically accurate reconstructions of prehistoric marine reptiles.

Journey through 200 years of prehistoric sea monsters in art and science, and discover how our vision of ancient marine reptiles has evolved from imaginative sketches to evidence-based reconstructions. This talk explores how early fossil discoveries inspired dramatic interpretations of long-necked “…

Talk: Yes | Workshop: No | Course: No | Audience: Public

Hydrodynamics of Plesiosaurs

An engaging look at the 200-year scientific quest to understand how four-flippered plesiosaurs swam, featuring the history of research and new insights .

Plesiosaurs are the only animals known to have four large flippers, yet exactly how they used them remained a mystery that puzzled palaeontologists for over 200 years. Early interpretations ranged from turtle-like rowing to penguin-style underwater flight, with each new fossil discovery and biomecha…

Talk: Yes | Workshop: No | Course: No | Audience: Public, Families, Primary School, High School, Sixthform, College, Undergraduate, Graduate, Professional

Engineering of the Music Box

A fascinating talk exploring how mechanics, electronics, and control systems combine to turn punched paper into live, perfectly timed acoustic music you can see as well as hear.

This talk explores the complete engineering journey behind a robotic music box, from initial concept through design, manufacture, and testing. Beginning with the mechanical principles that allow motion to become music, it explains how the instrument’s core components—tines, rollers, drive systems, a…

Talk: Yes | Workshop: No | Course: No | Audience: Public, Families, Primary School, High School, Sixthform, College, Undergraduate,

The Engineering of Archery

An engaging exploration of the physics and design principles behind different bow types, revealing how ancient archery technology showcases sophisticated engineering in action.

The Engineering of Archery is an engaging talk that explores how one of humanity’s oldest technologies demonstrates sophisticated engineering principles in action. Across cultures and centuries, bow makers have refined their designs to balance power, efficiency, accuracy, and durability. This sessio…

Talk: Yes | Workshop: Yes | Course: No | Audience: Sixthform, College, Undergraduate,

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