Hack The Planet

Plastic pollution and climate change are two defining issues of our time: But what if producing MORE plastic could help tackle climate change? In this talk, we will investigate how plants can help. As plants grow they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, so if we turn plants into plastic we can create a product which can eventually become a new fossil. However, it takes energy to do this, so our timing will have to be perfect!

Food shortages are commonly seen in countries dependent on fisheries due to viral infections, threatening fish farmers’ livelihoods and income security. In Ghana, a virus (ISKNV) has been causing outbreaks in tilapia, with deaths of 60-90%, losses of ~10 tonnes of fish/day, leading to the closure of ~50 farms and the loss of ~400 jobs. Early detection is important for managing outbreaks, and portable sequencers may improve our understanding of the virus’s evolution and spread, empowering the locals to monitor outbreaks and in their own ponds.

From red sunsets and rainbows, the reason for blue skies and oceans, to patterns of sound, Slinkys, disappearing jelly balls, and patterns of swinging pendulums: wave physics and the closely connected study of light in optics are all around us in our everyday lives! We hope to demonstrate some of the main effects that cause these phenomena, in a relaxed and fun way, with a focus on exploring and inspiring questions, rather than simply dictating answers.