https://doi.org/10.36866/pn.92.7

With the arrival in Birmingham of over 3000 physiologists from across the globe for the 2013 IUPS Congress, we had a fantastic opportunity to connect local members of the public with physiology and the world-leading researchers attending the conference.

Alongside the scientific programme, we held a number of free hands-on physiology activities for the public outside the conference centre, within the Mobile Teaching Unit (MTU) and a marquee, from 22 to 24 July.

The MTU is a lorry managed by the AIMS CETL within the University of Bristol and part-sponsored by The Society. It houses a range of clinical equipment that take physiological measurements, and regularly hosts activities for schools and science festivals, where it’s proven a great hit over the years.

In collaboration with Hannah King, the MTU’s Outreach Assistant Teacher, we organised a range of activities suitable for all ages, including:

• a lung function test with a vitalograph to examine the relationship between height and vital capacity
• a grip strength test to examine how grip changes with age
• a homeostasis activity to look at whether core body temperature changes during exercise
• a number of anatomical models to explore internal organs and their function

The grip strength test was kindly provided by ADInstruments and run by Kevin Evans, one of their Application Scientists with a background in exercise physiology. We were also joined by The Bionic Ear Show, an interactive model of the ear developed by Science Made Simple and Deafness Research UK, and presented by Tobin May.

Equipped with an army of enthusiastic volunteers comprising over 40 delegates, including several plenary and keynote speakers, we set out to bring physiology to the public, and not even some stormy weather could deter us. We received a steady stream of visitors of all ages throughout the three days, as shown by figures collected in the grip strength test alone (figure below).

Amongst the visitors were two hugely competitive five-year-old twins, who were disappointed to discover they had almost equal grip strength; a 77-year-old who had half of his right lung removed 70 years ago and, although he had reduced respiratory function, could still do everything and had excellent grip strength for his age; and a 22-year-old who said he’d failed science at school but then, after taking part in these activities, said, “science is quite cool actually!” One visitor even claimed the activities were “better than the Sea Life Centre”, a popular local attraction for families.

We were, of course, delighted to receive such wonderful feedback and the volunteers also enjoyed their experience, with some expressing a desire to do more activities in future. Lauren Salo, from the University of Bristol, volunteered on Wednesday and says, “Getting to explain physiology to people by ‘doing’ things reminded me why physiology is so much fun – a totally energising experience!”

We’d like to offer our sincerest thanks to everyone who contributed to making this event such a success and, in particular, the volunteers for their generosity and enthusiasm.