08 Mar 07

Discover the amazing world of insects, have a go at extracting DNA or find out what the weather will be like in 2080 as the University of Oxford celebrates National Science and Engineering Week 2007 (9-18 March).

Fresh from BBC1's Expedition Borneo, entomologist Dr George McGavin will deliver the Keynote Lecture on Friday 9 March at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History: 'It's a Small World' will explore how all animal life is dependent on trillions of tiny creatures we ignore at our peril. As part of the Lecture the winners of the eleventh Oxfordshire Science Writing Competition will be announced. The Competition, organised by the University and The Oxford Times newspaper, saw another record field of aspiring science writers with 480 entrants from age 12 and upwards.

On Saturday 10 March, from12 noon until 4pm,the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and the Pitt Rivers Museum will be hosting the hands-on family science fair Wow! How? At this year's fair University students and staff will give visitors the chance to extract DNA, get close to bugs and launch rockets. Visitors who drop in will get another chance to hear Dr George McGavin's Keynote Lecture.

Cancer and cures, and the avian flu risk are among the topics discussed in an evening of public lectures being held on Tuesday 13 March, from 6pm until 8pm, at The Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Headington.

On Saturday 17 March, from 10pm until 4pm, there will be a range of lectures on the one subject we can't stop talking about, weather and climate. At the event, held at St John's College, scientists will tackle common misconceptions about how weather predictions are made, why extreme weather events like hurricanes aren't always predicted and will even take a stab at forecasting the weather for the May bank holiday, 2080.

Calling time on the week's events is Saturday's Time Trail, from 2pm until 4pm, at the Museum of the History of Science where visitors can learn about the secrets of timekeeping and marvel at a unique collection of antique clocks.

Oxford's Science Week Highlights

9 March - Dr George McGavin's Keynote Lecture

10 March - Wow! How? Family science fair

13 March - Institute of Molecular Medicine lecture

17 March - Making sense of the Weather and Climate talk

17 March - Time Trail family event