51³Ô¹ÏÍø

Researchers from Chemical Engineering took part in another fantastic 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Festival last weekend.

Researchers from Chemical Engineering had great fun demonstrating their research to members of the public at last weekend. The Festival is a weekend dedicated to sharing the best science and arts on offer from 51³Ô¹ÏÍø. Hundreds of 51³Ô¹ÏÍø researchers were joined by thousands of participants who came along for the fourth, and largest Festival since it started in 2012. This hugely successful and fun event encompassed hands-on interactive exhibits for people of all ages, alongside behind-the-scenes facilities tours, music and dance performances and an entire weekend of alumni celebrations.

Some of the activities Chemical Engineering researchers were involved in included the following:

Researchers from Professor Andrew Livingston’s group were joined by researchers from Professor Kang Li and Professor Alexander Bismarck at a stand demonstrating the efficiency of membrane technology versus heat evaporation. Two energy (electricity) generating bicycles were used: one connected to a membrane unit and the other to an evaporation unit. Attendees were invited to have a go at using pedal power to see which was the most energy efficient technique.

In this video  , Research Associate in the Department of Chemical Engineering introduces the concepts demonstrated at the stand.

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At this exhibit, members of the BioBlood Team from the Biological Systems Laboratory (BSEL) led by , invited visitors to find out how they are producing blood in the laboratory, and explore how understanding the process of making blood is used in the treatment of people with leukaemia and other blood disorders.

This research sub-group concerns the fabrication, design, and modelling of human blood culture systems for cell therapy, disease modelling, and blood production. This includes the study of cell growth in leukemic and healthy bone marrow, umbilical cord, and peripheral blood in more natural, 3D culture systems. The healthy or cancerous (leukemic) human blood (marrow, umbilical cord, peripheral) is obtained from consenting hospital patients from London NHS hospitals.

This stand was led by  and   from ’s group. Anna Sofia Tascini is jointly supervised by Dr Rongjun Chen and Professors John Seddon and Fernando Bresme in the Department of Chemistry who collaborate as part of the . The researchers invited attendees to produce colour explosions in milk using dyes and washing up liquid, and in this way discover how a 'split personality' can make fat molecules key to life.