Demoing science: Engaging tips from an award winning science communicator

The competition was filled with amazing examples of science presenting and in this article, Peter shares some top tips on how to present science demonstrations, drawing on examples from his award-winning demonstration, together with others competing in the competition. You can view all the entrants on YouTube here.

End with a surprise

For my demonstration, I made a glove by covering my hand in a thick mixture of sodium alginate then dipping it in a solution of calcium chloride. This turns the liquid sodium alginate solid as sodium atoms are replaced with calcium, allowing alginate molecules to connect together forming a stretchy bioplastic.

I ended my demonstration by removing my ‘insta-glove’, showing the audience that it was indeed a solid glove and no longer a gloopy liquid. This final reveal was a big surprise to many, with some gasps heard in the audience! Ending your demonstration with such a ‘wow’ moment really helps solidify things in people’s memory.

Do something unexpected

Kathryn’s demonstration involved something most of the public will never have seen – liquifying oxygen out of the air.

She started by filling an empty drink can with liquid nitrogen. As this was colder than the temperature at which oxygen becomes a liquid, the oxygen in the air began to condense on the can, dripping down to be collected.

By carefully talking the audience through each step of this demonstration, she brought the audience along with what she was doing and made sure they followed along – even if they had never seen it before. Kathryn’s final flourish of picking up the liquid oxygen with a magnet added a final touch of the unexpected to an already impressive demonstration.

Use everyday objects

Marta Cierniak and Ava Makowska from the Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw, Poland used the humble rubber duck to explore surface tension. They placed rubber ducks on one side of an empty seesaw, with the other side balancing above a tank of water. At first, they showed that just a small amount of mass would tip the seesaw over tip over – about three ducks.

Then they filled a tank with water, with the empty side of the seesaw just touching it’s surface. Suddenly, the seesaw could support the mass of a whole flock of ducks without tipping over. It was being held down by the surface tension of water.

By using a common item many people have in their homes like a rubber, you can make a demonstration more relatable, as people will already have an intuitive understanding of what these objects feel like. This means that, as the rubber ducks pile up in their demonstration, the audience can better understand how mass is building up.

Be (a little bit) gross

Ash Redhouse White from The Centre for Life in Newcastle showcased how your saliva is actually the start of the digestive process. This was demonstrated by chewing a whole packet of ready-salted crisps, and spitting these out into a beaker.

Iodine was then added, to prove starches in the potato had begun to be broken down. This was compared with un-chewed crisps which turned deep black with iodine, due to the presence of starch. Inserting a gross element like this into a demonstration can really help make it memorable, especially with an audience of younger children.

Show your audience something can try themselves

Pascal Rothkugel, from Phaeno Science Center in Wolfsburg, Germany showcased his seemingly ‘magic’ ability to become un-shoveable. In this trick he got a volunteer from the audience to attempt to push him over, something they appeared unable to.

He then revealed the biomechanics behind this trick, that by simply pushing on someone’s elbows you can stop their ability to push you over. By giving your audience something like this that they can easily try at home, you are ensuring that they will remember what they saw as they rush to try it out on their family and friends.

Tell an engaging story

Marine Biologist Elizabeth Mills took the audience on a journey through the lifecycle of a crab, all told through the imaginative use of hand-painted puppets.

We were introduced first to its ocean dwelling larval form, and from there the puppets became increasingly more crab-shaped before they splashed into the rockpools of Scotland where Elizabeth spends her time.

This demonstration worked so well because Elizabeth created a clear story, helping link together all aspects of her demonstration into one flowing narrative.

As you will have hopefully seen from these amazing demonstrations, the BIG STEM Communicators Event attracts some of the most talented science presenters and communicators from across the UK and beyond.

For me, this made winning the whole experience all the more special, getting to share the stage with so many other talented people. From recording content for YouTube to working within a University setting like Kathryn and I, there are so many exciting ways to use engaging demonstrations to inspire people to take an interest in science, and this conference was packed full of people with amazing ideas to be inspired by. Why not join the BIG community, and maybe come along to the event next year?

The NMES Outreach Team run a wide range of engaging science outreach programmes for children, teachers and more. Check out our full offer at out website here.