Obituary: Vic Leverett (1944-2023)

Vic Leverett OBE, Past President

Vic Leverett, who has died aged 78, was a former President, recent trustee and active committee member of CSES. From 2009 until his death, Vic was instrumental in modernising the society, raising its profile and building partnerships across Essex to bring science and technology to everyone. His work has had a lasting impact, felt by a lot of people in both the public and private sectors.

After sponsored studies, Vic enjoyed a long and illustrious career at the English Electric Valve company (EEV), now Teledyne e2v, from where he became involved with CSES.

Roger Pittock, a colleague of Vic's at EEV and latterly a good friend and fellow CSES trustee, reflects on their time together, in a celebration of Vic's life.

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Welcome to the 2022-2023 CSES programme

Return of talks and socials for the new season

Now that the worst of the Covid pandemic is behind us, and following the success of events over the summer such as Do and Discover and our Schools' TEXPO (see our COMPRESS newsletter for further information if you're interested), we are delighted to be returning to a full talks and social programme, alongside some new (regular) flagship events for families and the public.

It's still early days and we are still ramping back up – as are our partners such as the IOP, IET and IMechE – so please keep an eye out for new dates added to the diary over the coming months.

Read on for the events in the calendar so far.

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Website technical issues

Update 3 July: Functionality for online registration is restored. There is still an issue with the generation of links in some automated emails (especially event reminders), which we are continuing to investigate with the software developers. A fix should be in place for the start of the 2022-2023 events programme.

Update 15 July: We have had to migrate the server on an emergency basis to a new facility. Users should notice no change, and everything appears to be working as normal, but please advise if there are any issues.

If you experience any issues using the website, please Contact the Webmaster (technical support) with any relevant screenshots and the exact date/time that the problem occurred.

Thank you for your patience.

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First Briton in space leads extravaganza of science

Helen Sharman's talk one of many 'out of this world' Chelmsford Science Festival events

The first British astronaut, Helen Sharman OBE, will give a headline talk at the inaugural Chelmsford Science Festival, taking place across the city between 12-18 October and organised by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU).

During her talk on Tuesday, 18 October, Helen will explain how, in May 1991, she spent eight days orbiting the Earth after being chosen from a pool of 13,000 applicants. As part of the selection process, she undertook rigorous psychological and medical assessments, and had to train intensively for 18 months to prepare her body for the harsh environment of space.

The talk will take place at Chelmsford Cathedral in front of the spectacular Gaia installation, which will be on display throughout the festival.

Helen's talk is just one of several fascinating and free events at the festival, which will feature world-leading experts speaking about issues ranging from the future of work to the secrets of visual short-term memory, and from the science of getting fit to how nano-technology can benefit all aspects of our lives.

The festival also features a free Family Science Day taking place at ARU's Chelmsford campus from 10am until 4pm on Saturday, 15 October, featuring hands-on and fun activities for people of all ages. As well as activities from CSES, people will have the chance to meet Titan the Robot, see shows from Cloud Factory and Bubble Superstars, and even experience a different body through virtual reality.

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Exhibition celebrates Chelmsford innovation

Throughout June and July 2022, ARU hosted a special exhibition showcasing Chelmsford innovation from the last 100 years to the present day.

Chelmsford has been a world-renowned centre of scientific and technological innovation for well over 100 years, and still is today. Among other things, Chelmsford is home to the world's first wireless (later radio) factory, the world's first river water treatment plant and the world's first colour digital camera – and that's just from within the last century. Today, companies in Chelmsford continue to build the technology of the future, with high-tech developments in fields as diverse as space, healthcare, communications and defence. The impact of industry in Chelmsford on all of our lives is incredible.

A collaboration between ARU, CSES, Chelmsford Civic Society and the Marconi Veterans' Association, this exhibition told a part of that story, revealing how household names such as Marconi are echoed in the modern age.

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CSES at the Chelmsford Festival

Following the success of the British Science Festival in September 2021, CSES was back in June 2022 for the Chelmsford Festival, bringing Do and Discover to the city. A new joint initiative between CSES and Chelmsford Festival, Do and Discover is a weekend of fun experimental activities for all the family, taking place across Chelmsford. Working with our partners, we were delighted to put on a packed programme that was widely regarded as a highlight of the festival.

Saturday 25 June saw a family Lego day at ARU organised by Make Happen, alongside the Marconi: Innovation and Beyond exhibition also taking place, with a special thermal imaging demonstration by Leonardo for the festival. On the Sunday, IOP (Institute of Physics) East Anglia Branch held the post-pandemic return of their spectacularly popular PhysicsFest at KEGS. Across both days, CSES were joined in the city centre (Meadows and High Street) by Teledyne e2v, Essex Steamettes, the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the Ideas Hub and ARU to put on a rich display of hands-on experiments, STEAM / craft activities and career opportunities.

From figures obtained at the events, we know that over 700 people and families directly took part in one or more of the activities.

Our thanks to all the organisations and people involved, and we look forward to returning for both the Chelmsford Festival and Chelmsford Science Festival in 2023!

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