TUESDAY, 8 JUNE 2021
Every Tuesday, the Natural History Museum hosts a live interactive chat with different scientists who work through collections in the museum. Voyage to volcanic sites, become immersed in the world of insects, or travel back in time to visit the dinosaurs. There is certainly something for everyone.Being structured as a Q&A as opposed to a lecture, the topics are accessible to adults and curious children alike. The audience is encouraged to ask questions, with the host facilitating discussion with follow-up questions. The live elements provide an engaging discussion whilst involving the technical difficulties we have all grown to love — or tolerate — over the past year of video calls. However, this is not a show and tell talk and the relevant images are few and far between. It would be better if images or videos from the collections are used liberally so as to both communicate the science more effectively and to allow the audience to experience the museum from their homes.
Hopefully, these talks will continue in person in the not-too-distant future, but for now, traveling to London is not essential to enjoy the science behind the fascinating collections at the Natural History Museum.
Sarah Lindsay is the BlueSci managing editor
