Past events

Meet the Scientist at Thinktank Science Museum, Thursday 30th October 2014

We hopefully inspired a future Marie Curie or Alexander Fleming by wowing children with some fantastic interactive experiments and games, driving their desire to have lots of fun and learn about science!

Lecture: Your Astonishing Liver - Disease Investigation to Transplant Innovation.  11th September 2014

The British Science Festival came to the University of Birmingham in September 2014 and there were hundreds of activities taking place during this week long extravaganza of science and fun.  Research scientists and surgeons from the UoB and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital presented a lecture on the history and development of liver disease, and an exciting new clinical trial we are involved with which could revolutionise the future of organ transplantation. 

Photo above: Mr Barney Stephenson, surgeon, introducing the audience to a groundbreaking piece of equipment which is being developed for potential use in liver transplantation (image courtesy of Jon W Mueller)

University of Birmingham Community Day, 7th September 2014

The annual community day was moved this year (normally in June) to coincide with the British Science Festival.  The team from the Centre for Liver Research saw about 400 people at their stand - in just one day!  They unveiled new experiments and activities to help adults and children learn why their liver is so essential for life.  144 children took part in an experiment  showing how bile works, and 237 adults learnt how diet can potentially lead to liver disease. 

Queen Elizabeth Hospital Research Showcase Open Day, 20th May 2014

Commonwealth Athlete Somto Eruchie was the guest of honour at this event and he spent the day giving advice on how to get the body and health of an athlete.  This was day brilliant for adults who also had the chance to talk with doctors, scientists and nurses about clinical trials we are running, cutting edge scientific news and liver disease.  There was a £100,000 machine on show which is part of a trial to prolong the life of livers awaiting transplant into a patient.  Visitors also had the chance to participate in some interesting activities which resulted in few raised eyebrows and visitor exclamations of "oh my goodness, I really need to rethink how much I eat!" 

Haemochromatosis Enlightenment, 27th March 2014

A representative of the Haemochromatosis West Midlands Support Group presented at the last Patient and Public Involvement meeting.  Haemochromatosis can be a debilitating disease which impacts daily life, but support is available.  To find out more see the Haemochromatosis WM Support Group website or email them at info@haemochromatosiswm.org.uk. 

Research Awareness Day - Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham 
15th January 2014 

Researchers and nurses from the University of Birmingham had a research awareness stand in the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) recently to highlight the research they are undertaking, the clinical trials they run and the progress being made into understanding liver disease.

This event focussed on NAFLD, which is a form of liver disease that is on the increase in the UK and can be caused by obesity.

Meet the Scientist at Thinktank, Millennium Point, Birmingham
31st October 2013

Scientists, nurses and doctors from the University of Birmingham and Queen Elizabeth Hospital descended on Birmingham's Thinktank at Millenium Point for one day only to show young visitors how viruses work and the how the liver functions.  There were loads of hands-on activities for children to take part in and even some experiments!

A Virus in My Liver: Royal Society Summer Exhibition, July 2013

 The prestigious Royal Society in London was where Dr Zania Stamataki spent time presenting to children, teenagers and adults of all ages about the liver: how it keeps you alive, how it filters blood, how it can heal itself (!) and how viruses 'use' the liver.  You can view one of Dr Zania Stamataki's talks by visiting the Royal Society website.

University of Birmingham Community Day, 9th June 2013 

On a blisteringly hot day the campus at the University of Birmingham was full of the sounds of children as local families poured on site. Year upon year this event gets bigger and better with an estimated 12,000 people attending this FREE day out. 

The Centre for Liver Research stand was in the spectacular and grandiose setting of the Great Hall. Visitors from young children to adults took part in some fabulous new experiments designed by our scientists, and learnt why the liver is so vitally important to body health and that liver disease has many causes - it's not just alcohol!

Queen Elizabeth Hospital Showcase Day, 20th May 2013

The Showcase Day at the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital highlighted some of the innovative and revolutionary research being undertaken, much of it in collaboration with the University of Birmingham.

There were 33 different exhibition stands with some very amusing (and some very gory) activities. 

Meet the Liver Scientist at Birmingham's Thinktank, 22nd October 2012

Crazy Experiments and Gooey Madness: Science is FUN!

That was the message scientists and nurses from the NIHR Birmingham Liver BRU and Centre for Liver Research were passing on at Birmingham’s Thinktank museum. The team are passionate about showing that science is fun and their enthusiasm was very infectious. Hundreds of children had the opportunity to dress up like a scientist and take part in real experiments. They learnt how the liver works and why we need it, felt a mock scarred (cirrhotic) liver, participated in games, made badges and asked questions to doctors, nurses or scientists.  

L-R: Children guessing where body organs live, and visitors undertaking REAL laboratory experiments! 

Seminar on Liver Research and Trials, 20th September 2012

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) are the research side of the NHS, it funds many initiatives throughout the UK and is driving research from bench to bedside for the benefit of patients.  The NIHR Birmingham Liver Biomedical Research Unit hosted a free seminar on the 20th September 2012 focussing on some current studies funded by the NIHR. If you missed this seminar and would us to host another, then please let us know. You can still view a summary of the talks* in a PDF document. Academics (researchers), clinicians (medical doctors) and members of the publicattended and talks were suitable for all levels of knowledge.

University of Birmingham’s FREE Community Day, 10th June 2012

Each year the University welcomes everyone from the local community to visit our campus and find out what we do, as well as take part in some fun activities. Outside there were bungee robes, a myriad of giant inflatables, mini golf course, helter skelter, rock climbing wall and fairground stands.

Inside the Great Hall, our liver stand had lots of hands-on and interesting activities to fascinate, captivate and stimulate brains of all ages, and which showed the range of liver research undertaken at the University.  

Research Open Day at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, 9th March 2012

The NIHR Birmingham Liver BRU and Centre for Liver Research once again took part in this popular annual event.  Many visitors came and tried our 'guess the units' game and learnt just how many calories there are in alcohol! Visitors also learnt more about our research.

Big Bang at the NEC, Birmingham, 17th March 2012

This event was aimed at children aged 5-18 years to show how exciting science and engineering can be. 29,000 children attended, many of whom were fuelled up on the free sweets being handed out. Our activities included an ‘I’m A Celebrity’ style box where children could blindly feel a normal liver compared to a cirrhotic liver (actually jelly filled with popcorn in!). Children learnt where organs live on our special organ tunic, and learnt why Homer Simpson may have a liver problem!  .