Making Waves
Innovations in the Science of Sound
EVENTS
As well as our exhibition, we've organised a range of events for children and adults.
When / Where:​
Sunday 23rd March
1-2 pm for ages 3-6
2.30-3.30 pm for ages 7-12
Museum of the University of St Andrews (MUSA)
Learn how musical instruments produce sounds by having a go at making your own! You can try percussion instruments, string instruments and wind isntruments and find out how they all work in very different ways. Free, but booking essential.
When / Where:​
Thursday 20th March
1-1.45 pm
The Gateway Galleries
Our understanding of the physics of musical instruments owes a huge debt to the work of Hermann von Helmholtz in 19th century Germany. His seminal work ‘On The Sensations Of Tone’ (1863) also set out novel techniques crucial in studying the perception of pitched sounds.
This talk by Dr Jonathan Kemp (Music Dept) will cover the experiments he conducted and their relevance to contemporary musical acoustics. Free but booking essential.
Event:
Herman von Helmholtz and the Physics of Music
When / Where:​
Monday 7th April
1-2 pm for ages 3-6
2.30-3.30 pm for ages 7-12
Museum of the University of St Andrews (MUSA)
Come along to the Gateway Galleries and get a chance to play some of your favourite musical instruments!
When / Where:​
Wednesday 23rd April
5.30-6.15 pm
The Gateway Galleries
In recent years sound has been used by scientists at the University of St Andrews to reveal the past both on and beneath the sea floor. This talk by Dr Richard Bates (School of Geography and Geosciences) will look at how acoustics have enabled us to map the changes in submerged landscapes and to investigate and monitor our maritime archaeological heritage. Held at the Gateway Galleries. Free but booking essential.
Event:
Seeing Sound
When / Where:​
Thursday 3rd April
1-2 pm for ages 3-6
2.30-3.30 pm for ages 7-12
Museum of the University of St Andrews (MUSA)
Find out how sound works by carrying out lots of fun experiments in our science classroom! Play games and make your own scientific equipment to learn about the properties of sound. Free, but booking essential.
When / Where:​
Thursday 10th April
1-2 pm for ages 3-6
2.30-3.30 pm for ages 7-12
Museum of the University of St Andrews (MUSA)
Be inspired by artists who have made noises visible through their work! Think about ways to interpret sound through pictures and use scientific experiments to produce your own art. Free, but booking essential.
Event:
Music Lab
Event:
Demonstrating Sound
Event:
Instrument Workshop
Event:
Looking Beneath the Waves
When / Where:​
Wednesday 30th April
5.30-6.15 pm
The Gateway Galleries
The 19th century was a time of scientific innovation, with new, ground-breaking instruments pushing the boundaries of human knowledge. But instruments were not only for research: they had a key role in demonstrating scientific discoveries to learners and to lay people.
This talk by Dr Aileen Fyfe, School of History, will investigate how instruments were used to spectacular effect in popular scientific lectures, and how they transformed the nature of science teaching in universities, including St Andrews. Free but booking essential.
Event:
Scientific Instruments as Teaching Tools in Victorian Britain
When / Where:​
Saturday 10th May
2-3 pm
Museum of the University of St Andrews (MUSA)
Join the curators of ‘Making Waves’ to handle and learn about some of the objects from the University’s Recognised Collection of Historic Scientific Instruments, which played an integral part in the development of our understanding of acoustics. Free but booking essential.