The 2024 summer festival of the Institute of Physics (IOP), which publishes Physics World, took place on 5 June at Silverstone racetrack, the home of the British Grand Prix and MotoGP.
Entitled “A celebration of physics: on the road to a sustainable world”, the event was held to celebrate the achievements of the IOP’s 2023 award winners and to recognize the work of the IOP’s members.
The day was opened by IOP chief executive Tom Grinyer, who discussed the IOP’s new five-year strategy and outlined its efforts to get science on the agenda during the UK’s general-election campaign.
Over 150 local school children heard University of Surrey physicist Elizabeth Cunningham, the IOP’s vice-president for membership, speak about the many career opportunities on offer for physicists.
Current IOP president Keith Burnett handed out medals and prizes to more than 40 of the 2023 award winners before speaking about his career, the IOP’s new strategy, and its new Physics Inclusion Award.
Mark Richards, a new honorary fellow of the IOP, spoke about his research career as a spectroscopist and his efforts as a Black physicist to improve diversity in physics.
Laura Tobin from ITV’s Good Morning Britain, who studied physics and meteorology, talked about her career as a TV weather broadcaster and her book Everyday Ways to Save the Planet, which offers practical ways to deal with climate change.
Liv Davies from IOP Publishing spoke about the impact of AI on research integrity, while Physics World features editor Katherine Skipper interviewed Hannah Stern, who won the Henry Moseley medal and prize for her work on novel magneto-optic materials.
There were also talks from James Davies from the UK Atomic Energy Authority about fusion; James Binney (winner of the Isaac Newton Medal) about his studies of galaxies; and David Homfray, chief technology officer at Space Solar, which wants to beam sunlight to Earth to generate electricity.
Science writer Kit Chapman, author of the book Racing Green: How Motorsport Science Can Save the World, discussed how technology from racing can make the world cleaner and safer.
Alongside the main stage was an exhibition of companies and organizations ranging from British Airways to Quantum Gas Lasers, while delegates were able to enjoy a Formula 1 VR simulator and sitting in a replica of 1989 Batmobile.
Among the many people I personally bumped into were Clare Harvey, chief executive of the Ogden Trust, which promotes the teaching and learning of physics, and Hugh Deighton, chair of the IOP’s history of physics group, which has some seriously in-depth newsletters on offer. Sadly, Hollywood’s Brad Pitt, who happened to be filming his new movie at Silverstone, was unavailable.
