For several years, we’ve been delighted to exhibit our work at Oxford Brookes University’s annual Science Bazaar, a free event for young people and their families to engage with scientists, engineers and artists from the university and its local partners.
This year, around 70 exhibitors filled the space with hands-on activities and creative displays, attracting over 10,000 visitors in a single day. With such a variety of exhibits to explore, we’re thrilled to have been selected for one of just three awards for most engaging activity!
The winners were chosen by the university’s Pro Vice-Chancellor, based on a combination of public feedback, appeal of the exhibit, engagement of the exhibit leader, and message strength. To be recognised among so many inspiring science communicators is a real honour, and we’re so grateful to the graduate volunteers who supported us on the day.
Our exhibit, ‘Be a Rainforest Explorer’, invited visitors to step into the boots of a field researcher working in the rainforests of Borneo. Led by Dr Susan Cheyne, one of our Scientific Directors and a Senior Lecturer at Oxford Brookes, we wanted budding young scientists to experience a taste of what it’s like to study wildlife in one of the most biodiverse places on Earth.
A central feature of the stand was a backpack filled with essential rainforest research gear. Visitors could unpack the tools scientists rely on in the field, from a waterproof notebook for recording observations in changeable weather forest to hardwearing boots suitable for swampy trails. Camera traps were also part of the kit, giving participants a glimpse into how researchers monitor elusive wildlife deep in the forest.
The exhibit also showcased some of the incredible animals that inhabit Borneo’s rainforests. Young explorers could examine 3D models of primate skulls, comparing their shapes and sizes while learning about the adaptations of different species. Our collection of wild animal plush toys was a big hit with the younger visitors, offering a fun way to meet some of the rainforest’s charismatic inhabitants.
For those looking for a challenge, we ran a rainforest animal tracks scavenger hunt across the exhibition space. Participants searched for eight hidden sets of animal footprints and then matched them to the species they thought had left them behind. The scavenger hunt sent our young scientists all over the bazaar, ‘tracking’ Borneo’s wildlife and deciding whether a print belonged to a hornbill, a monitor lizard, or another rainforest resident.
Another highlight was our bespoke LEGO gibbon kits, which challenged visitors to build their own long-armed rainforest acrobat. The activity sparked plenty of conversations about how gibbons move through the forest canopy and why protecting their habitat is so important.
Throughout the day, we were bowled over by the curiosity and enthusiasm of everyone who stopped by. Winning an award for engagement was a wonderful bonus, but the real highlight was seeing so many people connect with the wonders of Borneo’s rainforest. If even a few visitors left imagining themselves as future rainforest explorers or thinking a little more about protecting these extraordinary ecosystems, then we can consider the day a tremendous success.
