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As any good teacher can tell you, children learn when they're enjoying themselves. Which is why there's an emphasis on fun at the inaugural Manchester Science Festival.

Fizzy logic at MOSI

There will be more than 100 events in October Ìýwith intriguing titles such as 'Transform Your Teacher into an Alien' and "More Magic Than Harry Potter.’ Visitors will be able to go on a city walk, debate controversial issues, make music, play with robots, or see special film screenings.

But there's an important message behind all the explosions and eye-catching experiments, as Festival Director Laura Drane explains:

"The North West has a history of important scientific achievements, ranging from the work of early Manchester-based scientists like Dalton, Rutherford and Joule to cutting edge modern-day research. Yet universities are concerned that every year less and less young people are going into science. We hope that the Manchester Science Festival will help put science back on the agenda and continue the great scientific traditions of the North West.

She added: "The idea is to inspire people of all ages to consider how science changes our lives in so many ways, and to encourage more young people to take up science as a career."

Festival themes

The festival is divided into six themes:

1. Mind & Body: activities about our brains and brawn
2. Manchesticity: the city's achievements and ideas, people and places
3. Planet: looking at our impact on the Earth and space
4. Extra-Ordinary: the science and technology of the every day
5. Past, Present and Future: looking forward and back in time
6. Lifestyle: the science of food, shopping, sport and music

The Manchester Science Festival will be held between 20-28 October, and will feature over 100 science, technology and engineering events for all the family, in venues across Greater Manchester.