British Science Festival 2017 hosts announced
The British Science Association (BSA) is pleased to announce that the British Science Festival 2017 will take place in Brighton. The University of Brighton and the University of Sussex will co-host the Festival, which will run from 5 – 9 September.
First held (as the inaugural and then annual meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science) in 1831, the Festival has been the stage for many iconic moments in history – such as the famous debate on Darwin’s then controversial theory of evolution between Thomas Huxley and the Bishop of Oxford in 1860. It also saw the first use of the word ‘scientist,’ in 1834. The annual meeting has been previously held in Brighton on three occasions: 1872; 1948; and 1983.
Professor Michael Davies, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Sussex, said: “We are thrilled to welcome the festival back to our city. Many staff still connected to the University of Sussex remember fondly the impact of the event when we hosted it back in 1983. The ethos of scientific teaching, learning and research at Sussex hasn’t changed since then – we are as passionate today about cutting-edge innovation that spans across the boundaries of traditional academic disciplines to address themes, such as neuroscience, digital humanities and sustainability. Collaboration sits at the heart of our approach to scientific discovery and impact through combining disciplines, working with a wide range of partners and most importantly engaging and encouraging brilli