A family getting involved in Living Science at Slough Museum. Courtesy Slough Museum.

Slough’s first science festival launched at Slough Museum on January 28 2006 with a new interactive exhibition aiming to reconnect visitors with science relevant to their lives.

Slough Science Expo, running until April 1 2006, celebrates local scientific and technological achievements and explains science that occurs as part of our every day lives - in our food, our work and our environment.

It has been produced in collaboration with several industry and community partners, including, among others, pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline and telecommunications company O2.

A visitor exploring the Built Environment section. Courtesy Slough Museum.

The exhibition has been developed for a wide audience of all ages and provides simple science ideas and activities for visitors to take away with them. Local Year 10 pupils from Langleywood School have also been involved, giving creative input on how science can be presented in an exciting and fun way.

Members of GlaxoSmithKline’s Research and Development team were also present at the launch to run some interactive activities.

“The opening day, as part of Slough Science Festival, was a success,” said Claire Toogood, Creative Co-ordinator at Slough Museum. “Visitors enjoyed being able to handle the objects and we had many visitors, including teaching staff from schools, whose projects had featured in the exhibition.”

Two desks in the window display. Courtesy Slough Museum.

A set of loan resources for local schools will be developed when the exhibition finishes in April. These will support the science curriculum and provide opportunities for creative learning for students.

Education and learning has been a major focal point in the development of the exhibition, along with a desire to create a greater public involvement in science.

“Slough Museum, by its involvement in the Slough Science Festival, is sending a powerful message about science learning,” said Slough Borough Council’s Schools’ Science Advisor, Mehar Brah.

“Science is in our history, our homes and ourselves. It is not only in laboratories, nor does it require special people to explain it to us," he added. "Seeing the science around us helps us understand how our world works, and why our lives are the way they are. Slough Museum takes us a step closer towards that understanding through this exhibition.”

Nicola Tann is the 24 Hour Museum Renaissance Student Writer for Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire. Renaissance is the groundbreaking initiative to transform England's regional museums, led by MLA, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council.