London Science Festival returns on 23-30 October, with a constellation of scientific talks, walks and happenings. This time round, the main theme is engineering, with Brunel himself as the mascot. There's also an underlying science-in-London theme, and many local institutions have partnered with the Festival. We've distilled this bubbling admixture into manageable aliquots below:
Brunel Ball, 23 October
The Festival's launch event sees an 'evening of engineering, fun, music and cocktails' down in the Brunel Museum's Grand Entrance Hall, one of the Victorian portals that once led into the Thames Tunnel. Engineers from The Shard and Crossrail will also be on hand to talk engineering. £20, prebook, 6.30-11pm
Launch of Helix, 24 October
Launch event for a new digital graphic novel that tells the history of DNA from the perspective of a 500 year old man kept alive by genetic therapy. The story is told on touch-screen interfaces, on show at GV Art Gallery on Chiltern Street. Free, prebook, 6-9pm. You can then pop along without booking during opening hours until 30 October
The Science of Sherlock, 25 October
Sure to be a popular event, pharmacologists Atholl Johnston, Kim Wolff and Ian Stolerman discuss the uses of poisons and drugs in the Sherlock Holmes stories. Better yet, the event takes place in the same hospital where Holmes is first encountered in A Study in Scarlet: St Bart's Pathology Museum. £10.30, prebook, 6pm
London 2012 Walk, 26 October
Another chance to tour the recently reopened sections of the Olympic Park, with a particular emphasis on the engineering behind the buildings and site. £10, prebook, 11am-1pm
Where's Wallace?, 26 October
Alfred Russell Wallace arrived at the idea of evolution by natural selection around the same time as Charles Darwin, but is less well known. 100 years after his death, the Linnean Society (Piccadilly) host a family-oriented event exploring the ideas of Wallace. Nice building, too. Free, prebook, 11am-noon
Science Pub Crawl, 27 October
Inspired by our own scientific pub crawl, London Science Festival invites you on a circuit of London pubs with scientific connections. Start at the Sir Alexander Fleming in Paddington, and we might well see you there. £10 (including first drink), prebook, 4-8pm
21st Century Brunel, 28 October
Sit in on a series of four talks about science and engineering at Brunel University, Uxbridge. Topics include aerodynamics, biomimetics, the Large Hadron Collider and climate change. £10, prebook, 6-8pm
Imagination: The Key to Engineering the Future, 29 October
Uwe Krueger discusses how engineers can use imagination to shape the future and tackle the big problems of the modern age, such as climate change. The event takes place at the Royal Academy of Engineering in St James. Free, prebook, 6.30-8pm
CaSE Cross-Party Science and Engineering Debate, 30 October
Three Members of Parliament, representing the three main parties, meet at the Royal Society to discuss the direction of science and engineering in the UK. Free, prebook, 6.30-9.30pm
Science Museum Lates, 30 October
London Science Festival joins forces with the SM for its monthly adults-only late opening. This month, the theme is space, with talks, demos and music. A scientist from CERN is also flying in especially to talk about engineering at the LHC. Free, just turn up, 6.45-10pm
See the full programme page for updates and latest details. Follow on @LondonSciFest
