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Credit Toby Weller

Credit Toby Weller 

University of Exeter to showcase research at Royal Cornwall Show

Students and staff from the University of Exeter’s campuses in Cornwall will be at the Royal Cornwall Show again this year from the 6th- 8th June to showcase some of the exciting research taking place in the county.

Through interactive displays and hands-on activities, visitors will learn about the University’s research across a variety of fields in a fun and family-friendly way.

Experts from the Renewable Energy department will be at the University’s stand with a small-scale “Wave Energy Generator” which demonstrates how you can convert wave energy into electricity. Visitors are invited to experiment with changing the frequency and height of the waves, to find out how this affects the amount of electricity converted.

The popular “Renewable Energy House” will also be on show, illustrating how every home has the potential to generate its own sustainable power, thus helping the environment. It has a wind turbine, solar cells, a hydro turbine and also a hydrogen fuel cell attached to show how a mix of these energy sources is an exciting possibility for our future. Visitors are invited to conduct tests on each source to generate power to light up the house. They’ll learn how effective each source of energy is, how it can then be stored and find out more about the technologies which will meet the increased demand on power across the world in the coming years.

Budding microbiologists will get the chance to explore the world of antibiotic resistance by taking part in interactive demonstrations. Learn about how bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics, the drugs we can use to treat them, and the scary realm of superbugs!

Visitors can test their reaction times in a fun electronic game zone, while helping Exeter researchers answer fundamental questions about animal behaviour, camouflage and the evolution of viruses.

Back by popular demand is the interactive “Augmented Reality Sandbox” which combines a real sandbox with virtual projections. Visitors are invited to come and create their own landscape in the sand while a simulated map, including water flow and contour lines, responds to the changing model in real-time.

There will also be the opportunity for visitors to get a taste of student life at the Penryn Campus. By wearing the virtual reality headset, visitors can immerse themselves in a 360 degree tour, sharing in some of the academic and social experiences available to students at the University of Exeter in Cornwall.

Jane Chafer, Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs, said: “The Royal Cornwall Show is one of our most valuable community and outreach events in Cornwall. It is a great way for us to share some of our research and the courses on offer at our Penryn Campus and our European Centre for Environment and Human Health, which is based at the Knowledge Spa, Treliske. Children and adults alike are fascinated by the fun activities that bring alive our real-world research.”

The University of Exeter stand will be open for all three days of the Royal Cornwall Show, which takes place in Wadebridge on 6th, 7th and 8th June.

Date: 4 June 2019