The Ensonglopedia of Science

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This project is a collaboration between the Physics & Astronomy Department at the University of Sussex (hereafter UoS), a number of other UK scientific institutions, and a team of award-winning science communicators working in theatre and music. It will get young people excited about contemporary scientific research by presenting it through music and comedy. The Arts Council-funded live show that forms the project's centrepiece will be a fast-moving, fact-packed theatrical experience that appeals to children and adults alike. Music videos will be made to spread the show's scientific learning to a broader audience. Teaching aids linking all parts of the show to the school curriculum, and highlighting relevant career paths, will be distributed.While the project informs its audience about many areas of science, the current application focuses on 6 songs & their accompanying videos, which communicate these areas of research:* A song about atoms, particle physics and the standard model, with reference to the discoveries made at CERN. The accompanying video will find an original and light-hearted approach to representing atomic structure pictographically. The scientific advisor is Dr Darren Baskill at UoS.* A song about Bangs (Big & small). This song will explore a) Big Bang cosmology, from the first nanoseconds up to recombination (with reference to the data gathered by the STFC-funded Planck Satellite); and b) explosions in general, including gamma ray bursts (with reference to the STFC-funded Swift Space Telescope). Scientific advisor: STFC-funded Professor Mark Hindmarsh at UoS.* A song about quantum mechanics, exploring the cutting edge of research into quantum technology. Scientific advisor: bestselling science author Dr John Gribbin.* A song about fusion energy, produced in partnership with Culham Centre for Fusion Energy. It will a) explain the fundamentals of nuclear fusion with a focus on the energy created in our sun, b) differentiate between fusion and fission power, and c) highlight the steps towards achieving a sustainable fusion reactor.* A song about entropy and the possible scenarios for the end of the Universe, with reference to STFC-funded research into dark energy at the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh (ROE). Scientific advisor: Professor Andrew Liddle at ROE.* A song about time, exploring our everyday understanding of the concept, Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity, the role of time in quantum gravity, the Arrow of Time, and irreversibility, with reference to STFC-funded research at ROE. Scientific advisor: Dr Marina Cortes at ROE.Other project areas not funded by STFC will communicate entomology (in partnership with London's Natural History Museum), botany (Cambridge University Botanic Garden), stem cell research & cancer treatment (Centre for Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine), DNA (Nemesis Bioscience), childbirth (Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust), anthropological science (Loughborough University) and others.The project will supplement the science learning within schools by a careful linking of each segment with the curriculum at all relevant key stages, which will be provided to schools in the booking pack and teaching aids accompanying the show, on the project's website, and in a mail-out to schools. The teaching pack will additionally detail the career paths taken by the project's scientific advisors, promoting the sciences as a career choice. By characterising science as an ongoing quest, the project will spark the imaginations of the audience and ignite a desire for further study. It will encourage debate between youngsters and their parents, teachers and peers. It aims in particular to encourage scientific participation amongst children in deprived areas, through a focus on these areas during the tour of schools. In the longer term, it is hoped that the project will help the national economy by inspiring the next generation of scientists