The Circle of Life: Making & Unmaking

Most people know 3D printing as a way to make shapes. But what if the real power isn't in the shape at all? Layer by layer, scientists are using 3D printing to design and engineer materials from the ground up, rapidly prototyping not just objects but entirely new material and composites. Control what goes where, and you control how a material behaves. Stronger, lighter, smarter, and healthier. From advanced composites to materials that shift and adapt, 3D printing is becoming one of science's most powerful research tools.

Reconstructive scientists and maxillofacial technologists manufacture devices and appliances for correcting malformations, cancer-related conditions, or traumatic injuries, particularly those affecting the skull, jaw, and facial regions (craniofacial). For example, one common form of rehabilitation treatment is facial prosthetics which are designed to replace or restore the missing or damaged area of the face. This presentation will focus on the history of maxillofacial materials and how they have developed alongside technologies to the present day for patient focused care and rehabilitation.

Did you know your body has built-in emergency responders that stop you from passing out when your blood sugar drops? In this fun and interactive talk, we’ll explore how tiny macromolecules act like superheroes, keeping your energy levels in check. Watch how scientists create smarter nanomedicines and discover why sugar isn’t always sweet! Perfect for anyone curious about the hidden science inside us, no lab coat required!

The anatomical specimens imported from the USA to the UK for research, testing and surgical training, once unusable, end up being destroyed at facilities designated for burning miscellaneous waste. The ethnography of these disposal practices reveals respect towards the dead body to be a set of business-to-business services, contingent upon situational constellations of industrial spaces, machinery and human labour. Using a drawings as its research method, the study takes an infrastructural angle on studying human remains rendered waste.