Unweaving the Rainbow: exploring colour with art and synchrotron radiation

该项目旨在让公众参与谢菲尔德集团使用STFC支持的中央设施-特别是同步辐射-探索生物结构中结构颜色的起源，如鸟类羽毛和蝴蝶翅膀。该提案汇集了长期成功使用STFC设施的科学家和一位执业艺术家，后者已经在许多不同领域，特别是在学校工作的公众参与研究方面有着出色的记录。该项目将通过吸引艺术和科学观众，并通过让南约克郡学校的一批小学后期和初中早期学生参与，大大发展和加强科学资本。科学主题提供了一种不同的和新颖的方式，通过采取非常熟悉的概念吸引观众-颜色的概念，以及我们对色彩鲜艳的鸟类和昆虫的经验-并说明我们强大的新技术，如同步辐射散射和纳米断层扫描可以将这些与迄今为止看不见的纳米级世界联系起来。艺术家和诗人的参与给了科学研究的本质以意想不到的见解。重点将放在观众与低现有水平的科学资本，在南约克郡和其他地方，包括一个队列的4个当地学校通过这种积极的参与过程中，我们的观众将获得一个更全面的了解复杂的性质光-如何颜色是通过吸收，反射和折射感知。该项目还将进一步了解在“非常小”和“非常大”的领域发生了什么，通过探索和解释STFC设施如何打开进入正常人类经验之外的长度尺度。这些目标将主要通过我们的巡回活动计划来实现，该计划基于Paul Evans最近作为艺术家在住宅研究中的作品的新作品和现有作品的“弹出式组合”-以及基于谢菲尔德大学科学家在欧洲同步加速器研究设施（ESRF）、ISIS和RAL进行的实验图像的新工作。大部分的作品将在投资组合中显示，主要是基于光子结构，将通过创造性的研讨会/发现日南约克郡学校，将设计和项目艺术家保罗埃文斯沿着与谢菲尔德大学的科学家一起推广计划创建。这个创新和吸引人的活动计划将包括蒙眼绘画/3d打印建模，为年轻学生提供的彩色数字活动，创意写作，以及基于艺术家在ESRF观察到的抽样程序和ISIS和RAL目前正在进行的尖端研究的灵活性测试/游戏。年轻人在这些工作坊中创作的艺术也将被“科学之美”所告知-ESRF的同步加速器研究的科学图像在线画廊：http://www.esrf.eu/home/news/beauty-of-science.html和来自Diamond和ISISThe组合的类似材料，以及将促进其相关活动的交付团队，将在2017年秋冬期间参观英格兰北部的许多场馆/活动。该项目将得到谢菲尔德大学公众参与和影响团队的支持。

This project aims to engage the public with the science emerging from the Sheffield group's use of STFC supported central facilities - particularly synchrotron radiation - to probe the origins of structural colour in biological structures such as bird feathers and butterfly wings. The proposal brings together scientists with a long record of successful use of STFC facilities with a practising artist who already has an existing outstanding track record of public engagement with research in a number of different fields, especially working in schools. The project will significantly develop and enhance science capital by drawing together arts and science audiences and by involving a cohort of late primary and early secondary pupils from South Yorkshire schools.Key features:i.) The science topic offers a different and novel way of engaging audiences by taking very familiar concepts - the notion of colour, and our experience of brightly coloured birds and insects - and illustrating how our powerful new techniques like synchrotron radiation scattering and nano-tomography can relate those to the hitherto unseen nanoscale world.ii.) Engagement of artists and poets gives unexpected insights into the nature of scientific practiseiii.) The focus will be on audiences with low existing levels of science capital, in South Yorkshire and elsewhere, including a cohort of 4 local schoolsThrough this active process of engagement our audiences will gain a fuller understanding of the complex nature of light - how colour is perceived though absorption reflection and refraction. The project will also further understanding of what happens in the realm of the 'very small' and the 'very big', through the exploration and explanation of how STFC facilities open up access to length scales outside normal human experience.These aims will primarily be achieved through our touring event programme based on a 'pop-up portfolio' of new and existing works based on Paul Evans' recent work as artist in residence research - and new work based on images from experiments undertaken by The University of Sheffield scientists at the European Synchrotron Research Facility (ESRF), ISIS and RAL. Much of the artwork to be displayed in the portfolio, primarily based on photonic structures, will be created through an outreach programme of creative workshops/discovery days for South Yorkshire schools that will be devised and led by the project artist Paul Evans along with University of Sheffield scientists. This innovative and engaging programme of activities will include blindfold drawing/modelling of 3d prints, colour by numbers activities for younger students, creative writing, and dexterity tests/games based on sampling procedures that the artist observed at the ESRF and cutting edge research that is currently being undertaken at ISIS and RAL.Art created by the young people during these workshops will also be informed by 'The Beauty of Science' - ESRF's online gallery of scientific images from synchrotron research: http://www.esrf.eu/home/news/beauty-of-science.html and similar material from Diamond and ISISThe portfolio, and the delivery team that will facilitate its associated activities, will tour a number of venues/events throughout the north of England during Autumn/Winter 2017. The project will be supported throughout by the University of Sheffield Public Engagement and Impact Team.