This is an archive of the NMS website

Edinburgh International Science Festival

National Museum of Scotland

Thu 8 – Sat 17 April

Learn about science and technology in fun family workshops and activities. Discover Science with the University of Edinburgh, join a Science Secrets workshop, or visit the National Museums Collection Centre on a guided tour. Please note some events are taking place at Adam House, on Chambers Street.

This year’s highlights include:

Discover Biodiversity
Dates:Thu 8 – Mon 12 April
Venue: Special Exhibitions gallery, Level 3
Times: 10:00 – 17:00 (Drop-in)
Suitable for: Age 5+
Cost: Free
This year is the International Year of Biodiversity. Let’s celebrate the mind-boggling range of living things on our amazing planet!

Why are Superbugs 'Super'?
Dates: Thu 8 – Mon 12 April
Venue: Special Exhibitions gallery, Level 3
Times: 10:00 –17:00 (Drop-in)
Suitable for: Age 5+
Cost: Free
Explore the science of superbugs with interactive games.

Build a Monster Workshop
Dates: Thu 8 – Mon 12 April
Venue: Dunfermline Room
Times: 11:00 – 12:00 (Drop-in)
Suitable for: Age 6-10
Cost: Free but tickets required
The Gene Jury team explain how living things use genes to grow and survive. You decide whether monsters should uncover all their gene secrets! Tickets are required for this event but are free. Call 0131 553 0322 to book.

GM’ll Fix It?
Dates: Thu 8 – Mon 12 April
Venue: Dunfermline Room
Times: 14:00 – 15:00 (Drop-in)
Suitable for: Age 10-13
Cost: Free but tickets required
Genes can’t be changed by us. Or can they? Join the Gene Jury team down on the farm and discover the importance of genes. Tickets are required for this event but are free. Call 0131 553 0322 to book.

Sci-Fun at Discover Science
Dates: Thu 8 – Sat 17 April
Venue: Adam House, Chambers Street
Times: 10:00 – 17:00 (Drop-in)
Suitable for: Age 7+
Cost: Free
A wide range of engaging science activities for a wide range of people!

LHC and the Secret of Mass
Dates: Thu 8 – Sat 17 April
Venue: Special Exhibitions gallery, Level 3
Times: 10:00 – 17:00 (Drop-in)
Suitable for: Age 10+
Cost: Free
Do you want to detect particles from outer space or drive your own particle accelerator and find out what the Higgs Boson is?

Maths is Magic!
Dates: Thu 8 – Mon 12 April
Venue: Special Exhibitions gallery, Level 3
Times: 10:00 – 17:00 (Drop-in)
Suitable for: Age 7+
Cost: Free
Explore the intriguing world of mathematics, with activites, games, puzzles and facts.

Science Secrets: The Light Fantastic!
Date: Mon 12 April
Venue: Connect Gallery, Level 1
Time: 14:00 - 15:00 (Drop-in)
Suitable for: Age 7+
Cost: Free
Come see how museum conservators use different kinds of light to see through objects and find out their hidden secrets.

Meet the Medics and Vets
Dates: Mon 12 – Sat 17 April
Venue: Hawthornden Court, Level 1
Times: 10:00 – 17:00 (Drop-in)
Suitable for: Age 5+
Cost: Free
Edinburgh scientists in Medicine and Veterinary Medicine show what they do.

Science Secrets: See the Magic!
Date: Tues 13 April
Venue: Connect Gallery, Level 1
Time: 14:00 - 15:00 (Drop-in)
Suitable for: Age 7+
Cost: Free
Find out what people did before cinema and television by projecting images from a 'magic lantern'.

Pop-up Engineering
Dates: Tue 13 – Sat 17 April
Venue: Special Exhibitions gallery, Level 3
Times: 10:00 – 17:00 (Drop-in)
Suitable for: Age 7+
Cost: Free
Make your own pop-ups: turn flat cardboard shapes into impressive 3D models with these clever engineering mechanisms.

Robotaster
Dates: Tues 13 – Sat 17 April
Venue: Adam House, Chambers Street
Times: 11:00 / 14:30
Suitable for: Age 9-15
Cost: £3
Build LEGO robots using sensors and motors, and learn to program them using logic and reasoning. Call 0131 553 0322 to book tickets.

Fire and Ice
Dates: Tue 13 – Sat 17 April
Venue: Special Exhibitions gallery, Level 3
Times: 10:00 – 17:00 (Drop-in)
Suitable for: Age 10+
Cost: Free
Join our expert geoscientists to discover how volcanoes and glaciers formed the land we live in.

R2D2 – Where Are You?
Dates: Tue 13 – Sat 17 April
Venue: Special Exhibitions gallery, Level 3
Times: 10:00 – 17:00 (Drop-in)
Suitable for: Age 7+
Cost: Free
Why is it so hard to build an intelligent robot? Find out more with our friendly informatics students.

Science Secrets: Getting the Message
Date: Wed 14 April
Venue: Connect Gallery, Level 1
Time: 14:00 - 16:00 (Drop-in)
Suitable for: Age 7+
Cost: Free
How did we communicate before the telephone? Try out Morse code and send a message using bulbs and buzzers!

Science Secrets: Marvellous Molluscs
Date: Thurs 15 April
Venue: Connect Gallery, Level 1
Time: 14:00 - 16:00 (Drop-in)
Suitable for: Age 7+
Cost: Free
Discover the fascinating world of Molluscs and find out how you can help record these mini beasts in your own backyard.

Science Secrets: Fossil Roadshow
Date:Fri 16 April
Venue: Connect Gallery, Level 1
Time: 14:00 - 16:00 (Drop-in)
Suitable for: Age 7+
Cost: Free
Come and get to grips with some of the Museum's fantastic fossils. Found one of your own? Bring it along to test our experts!

National Museums Collection Centre Tours

Dates: Collection tours 7 / 9 / 14 / 16 April & Conservation Tours 8 / 15 April
Time: 14:00 (45mins duration)
Cost: Tickets are free but must be booked in advance. Visitors who turn up on the day will not be able to join the tour.
Booking: Telephone 0131 225 7534 to book your place.
This is an exclusive chance to see behind the scenes at the National Museums Collection Centre, where we store and conserve many of our amazing objects and specimens. Join a guided tour led by curators and collections experts. Tel: 0131 225 7534 for more information on these tours.

Please note all tours are now fully booked.

Connect and Treasured

Don't forget you can see science come alive in our interactive Connect gallery, and discover the history of science through amazing objects in our Treasured exhibition.