Be Curious Public Engagement 2026

On the 16th of May 2026, students from the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Fluid Dynamics took part in the University of Leeds’ Be Curious Festival, an annual public engagement event that invites families, school pupils and members of the public to explore research taking place across the university.

The activity was developed as part of the CDT outreach training module, which encouraged students to think creatively about how fluid dynamics could be communicated to younger audiences through visual and interactive demonstrations. The training helped students consider how to design activities that are accessible, engaging and scientifically meaningful.

Visitors of all ages were fascinated by interactive experiments, including bottles filled with liquid and makeup glitter that vividly revealed turbulent mixing, and the crowd-pleasing "Can you punch through Custard?" demonstration of non-Newtonian fluids.

The stand gave CDT students the opportunity to practise communicating fluid dynamics concepts beyond a specialist audience, while giving young visitors a memorable introduction to the fluids all around us.