Evenings of discovery return with new Imperial Lates series

by James Romero

15 August 2018

An exploration of infection, a science fashion show, and a celebration of pioneering women form part of a new series of evening public events.

Imperial’s 'after hours' programme of public celebrations of science returns this autumn with a new name, later time-slot and five evenings of discovery.

Interested members of the public can register for any of our Lates via our new Imperial Lates Eventbrite page or find a bit more detail on each theme and topic below.

For the last 6 year’s Imperial’s Main Entrance has hosted regular Imperial Fringe evenings where different research themes have been brought to life by the creativity of Imperial students and staff through live demonstrations, creative workshops, interactive experiments and inspiring talks.

For 2018/19 a new programme - Imperial Lates - will take everything that has made the Fringe series so popular later into the evening for a more adult audience.

"We hope these evenings of discovery will give adult visitors a space to bring out their inner child and have fun with our research, as well as debate the major issues of the day with our scientists and engineers," says Head of Public Engagement, Vicky Brightman.

“Our passionate and talented scientists, engineers and clinicians not only love what they do but also love sharing their work with the public and our Lates programme provides a regular platform for this.”

The Lates series will be run by the College’s Public Engagement team, and represents one way in which Imperial is committed to sharing the wonder of what we do with the wider society.

Last year’s four Imperial Fringe evenings were enjoyed by over 2,000 visitors and included a journey to the stars celebrating the conclusion of the Cassini mission, an exploration of the future of AI, and an atmospheric evening of air science.

Below are the details of the five Lates events this coming year. All will take place within Imperial's Main Entrance, off Exhibition Road. Each are free to attend and and run on a drop in basis between 6pm and 9pm on the dates listed below.

Greenovate - 18th October 2018

Living office furniture, zero-carbon beer and roving self-powered turbines to collect plastic from the oceans. To mark the Government’s first ever Green GB week Imperial will host a showcase of how innovation and new ideas could help address the major environmental issues we face on both global and local scales. With opportunities to print your own green wall paper designs, help shape the future innovations with our ideas workshop, and a frank discussion on how we tackle London’s air pollution, come look at a possible vision for a future, more sustainable world.

Infectious - 15th November 2018

As we turn back the clocks for Autumn, come and see how we can try and avoid those winter bugs! Explore other various anti-microbial resistant infections, and after talking to our researchers why not create your own bacteria in our Breakout area, screen print your own infections and bring your creations to life with 3D pens.

Xmaths - 6th December 2018

Countdown to Christmas with a festive evening celebration by numbers where you can tackle mind bending puzzles and make your own maths inspired tree decorations. Join our world leading mathematicians for a warming beverage and learn hear how they visualise the equations they mull over, why the idea of inherent maths genius is a myth, and how Maths is being applied to understand everything from black holes to how people behave in crowds.

Smart Fashion - 21st February 2019

What will you be wearing in the future? During London Fashion week, join us to try on the latest wearable technology, new textile materials and intelligent clothing. With digital embroidery workshops, AI fashion consultants and technology trends in trendy technology, dress smart for an evening of smart dress.

Wonder Women - 7th March 2019

An evening with the femmes radicales of science. Inspirational women everywhere are pushing the boundaries higher, further, faster and challenging what it means to be a women in the modern world. Help us celebrate their amazing achievements, research and innovations, and be part of the conversation about equality across the sciences and the arts. With a packed programme of performances, workshops and talks, join us to learn from each other, chat to the women who dare, and give sexism something to think about.

Volunteering at Imperial Lates

Each year an amazing team of volunteers help us run the Imperial Lates on the night. Without them we wouldn’t be able to inspire thousands of people with our research and our College community.

This year, we want to make the Lates bigger and better, and we need volunteers to help make it happen! These short, fun volunteer shifts are a great opportunity to try something new, meet interesting people and get involved in some of our biggest public events of the year. Find out more about volunteering and sign up now!