Following the success of the six day Festival hosted here in Bradford in September, the event moves to Scotland next year. If there are any academics who would like to run an event at the British Science Festival in 2012 please visit www.britishsciencefestival.org where you can find out information about next year’s Festival and details on how to submit a proposal to run an event.

Unfortunately, the deadline to submit a proposal is Monday 7 November, so academics wishing to submit a proposal must do so as soon as possible, or you can contact Farrah Nazir at the British Science Association directly on 020 7019 4941 or at Farrah.Nazir@britishscienceassociation.org if you have any questions about the Festival.

Alongside events for the general public and press, the British Science Festival hosts award lectures. These are prestigious awards for practicing academics within science, engineering and technology who show excellent skills in communicating science to the public. Amongst others, previous winners are Professor Brian Cox and Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock. If you know of a potential candidate to win an award lecture, then please submit nominations here: www.britishscienceassociation.org

The deadline for nominating an academic for an award lecture is 27 January 2012.

Website: www.britishsciencefestival.org

Professor Jim Al-Khalili spoke to us about his talk the night before about the need for sea-change in attitudes towards science within the Muslim world and some of the great advances made in science one thousand years ago.

He also spoke to us about being Vice-President of the British Science Festival and his talk today on Rutherford.

We caught up with Professor Kevin Kerr, visiting Professor at the School of Engineering, Design and Technology here at the University of Bradford, to talk about his event “If Superbugs are the problem, can the solution be found in your kitchen?”

He explained that there are some highly resistant bacteria that have no antibiotics left to treat them leading to potentially untreatable infections.  Drug companies aren’t discovering new antibiotics so we’ve got to discover new, alternatives to conventional antibiotics to treat these serious infections.

The session was about looking at natural alternatives to antibiotics, and participants had a look at extracts from herbs and spices, yoghurt and probiotics and cranberry juice and a whole range of infection fighting materials that they would be able to find in their own kitchen.

Professor Kerr also talked to us about infections in hospitals and the high level of patients who contract an infection whilst in hospital, such as MRSA, and how researchers at the University are finding solutions to these infections.

Bradford Infection Group is looking at new technologies to prevent the spread of bugs using the state-of-the-art facilities at the University of Bradford, such as the aerobiological test chamber – the only one of its kind in the world.

These facilities, along with the concentration of multi-disciplinary expertise puts Bradford at the forefront of this kind of research.

• Read more about Research at the University of Bradford

This family-orientated event gave participants the opportunity to extract DNA, as well as gain a further understanding of genetic engineering.

Dr Boyne is a lecturer on the BSc Biomedical Sciences course, having come to the University in 2009 with a background in genetic research.  He explains how students at Bradford benefit from the diverse and encompassing research environment here.  Teaching is research-led and cutting edge – teaching is led by academics engaged in research who keep up with advances in the field.

Interested in these sorts of fields?  See our undergraduate courses in Biomedical Sciences.

Professor Greene used neuro anatomy to show participants how to build models of the human brain.  Visitors were able to see the structure of the brain from a medical perspective.  It showed one way of how the University of Bradford is using more modern approaches to teaching across its curriculum.

Professor Greene, who is the Dean of the School of Life Sciences, told us how students at the University of Bradford work with, and are taught by, researchers who are at the forefront of their academic area.  Students have the opportunity to engage with real research environments throughout their studies.

• See our Life Sciences courses.

The treatment has the potential to find and completely destroy solid tumours, regardless of cancer type.