Led by Dr. Catherine Galloway and Dr. Mariam Rashid
As part of our long-term mission to connect with the Abbey community — a district in Cambridge facing significant deprivation—we were honoured to be invited to join a local science festival hosted by community organisation Abbey People. This event featured other organisations such as AstraZeneca, Cambridge University Botanic Gardens, Ninja Theory, and the Centre for Computing History.
Our goal was to create an inspiring, family-friendly engagement event that showcased our work and also empowered the local community. Reflecting on our 2023 contribution to the event (a ‘curiosity lab’), we crafted our 2024 contribution around the theme of ‘wonder’. In attendance as support to this event was Dr Nadia Mohd-Radzman, a postdoctoral botanist at the University of Cambridge. Nadia’s pioneering research explores the connection between food and mental health, as well as developing new technologies for food sustainability. Her feature in The Guardian newspaper added depth to her conversations with the public at the event, which can be seen here. She was also featured in the Cambridge Independent, here. Dr. Mariam Rashid, our very own Engagement Associate and cosmology PhD holder, was also on hand to support, fielding scientific questions alongside Nadia.
We aimed to make science accessible and exciting. At the heart of our event was the “Wonder Wall,” an interactive art installation. Working with artist Hilary Cox-Condron, the WonderWall was built of cardboard boxes, stacked high and looping round to create our very own creative corner. An arch on either side let our wonderers come into our den, where they’d find paint pens, paper and markers galore. Our wonderers scribbled, scrawled and scratched their questions onto our cardboard bricks, creating a wall covered in questions and musings about the world. This vibrant centrepiece celebrated curiosity and creativity, making science feel approachable. We encouraged attendees to see themselves as “wonder-full” contributors to scientific dialogue, measuring their “wonder levels” and distributing badges reading “Wonder-FULL Abbey!” which we were delighted to see still pinned to people at the 2025 event — more on that here.
With over 100 families participating, the event strengthened community confidence in engaging with science. The event welcomed 162 attendees over the day, from 48 households – with a remarkable100% of them stating they’d like to explore more about science by the end of the day. Our contribution demonstrated the power of collaboration— bringing together residents, artists, and scientists to spark meaningful conversations. By breaking barriers, we fostered a sense of belonging and rooted science in the community’s aspirations.
Our efforts earned the trust and appreciation of local leaders, and we have since returned to deliver our ‘wonder dome’ in the 2025 Eager Explorers event.
