A personal recollection and reflection by David Featonby

In 2005, shortly after I had been appointed as a Physics Network Coordinator for the Institute of Physics after 35 years in a large city comprehensive in the UK, I was privileged to be selected to represent the UK at Science on Stage in Geneva, at CERN. 

Wow !! What an experience! I will never forget. Three days with other enthusiastic teachers from all over Europe, sharing great ideas. We all had lots of experiments, and many were easy to transfer to our own countries.

I shared some magic and neo magnet experiments on my stall but also learned such a lot from others.

That was the beginning of my relationship with Science on Stage. I attended the next festival in Grenoble which cemented my relationship, but unfortunately, the funding from the Eiroforum and the Institute of Physics (UK)  was now directed at other things. Thankfully the German Science on Stage group mounted their own festival in Berlin in 2008 to which I was invited, along with Richard Spencer from the UK.

After that, I took some responsibility for the UK, and we formed a National Steering Committee and were able to select a team for the next festival in Copenhagen.

Even at that stage I had made genuine friends - not just facebook friends - across borders. It seemed to me that whilst SonS could form an initial contact, working together and being able to visit each other could be the foundation of long-lasting friendships.

At last, SonS had a structure and a base in Germany and we were able to plan for the future. I was elected to the board of Science on Stage Europe and able to share more directly in planning ahead. We broadened the scope of SonS from secondary Physics Chemistry and Biology to include a full range of STEM and Primary Schools. It has been great to see these extra branches develop as well as additional follow-up activities which all participants have to opportunity to take part in. Latterly SonS UK linked up with the Association of Science Education which gave us the stability and continuity the group needed.

From my IoP days I was fortunate in having my own special workshops, and had several written articles published ”What Happens Next?" (which is still going strong!), Spinning Tops, Neo Magnets, and Colour Vision deficiency so was asked to give these workshops in different countries. I also helped in the production of the ebook on Football and Science. As a member of the board I was “given “ several countries to buddy (or specifically support) and that gave me the opportunity to be involved in the selection events for forthcoming festivals. All this further enhanced friendships and I was able to spend a little extra time in countries in schools with teachers there.

It was a privilege to be involved with Hungary in the preparation for their excellent festival in 2015, and also share my “What Happens Next?” workshops at Hungarian schools and in Ireland with help from two young Hungarian Science on Stage teachers, Fanni Vitcoksi and Borbarla Herendi that I still have contact with. The workshops have also been to SonS friends in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy, Belgium, Ukraine, and the Netherlands. It is such a privilege to be able to be involved with those preparing the SonS festivals, and as a board member that was recently with Cascais(2019) and Prague (2022).

Of course to host a Science on Stage Festival is something else as we did in London in 2015, thanks to Queen Mary University. A lot of work but great to be able to have a larger team of teachers from one’s own country attending, and well worth the hard work! 

Most recently and during the pandemic we have been able to share even more through online events. Our webinars have been well received and also are such a simple way to share ideas across borders.

What of my highlights? There really are too many to mention and as soon as I finished writing this I will think of something else.

The early festivals were special but everyone has a lot to offer. Here are some memories:

• our eggs experiments lying on eggs
• Tissandier’s experiment with a French Bread stick
• the neodymium experiments….50 experiments with paperclips
• magic and Phantoms or Physics with Nuria
• the rubbish orchestra
• introducing spinning tops and developing those ideas
• the SonS choir- each year has been special
• giant Magdeburg hemispheres in Grenoble 
• rockets
• highlighting colour vision deficiency in London
• experiments with phyphox in Cascais
• coding
• fabulous orchestra in the sports stadium in Debrecen and
• dancing in London and Geneva
• and the gala dinners
• and fabulous people.

The special thing about Science on Stage festivals is that everyone goes away with their own list of special memories..I could easily add another two paragraphs !!

I can’t understate the joy of what I might call the extra bonuses that SonS gave me

• visiting families and schools in different countries
• sharing ideas across borders after the festivals
• writing articles with colleagues
• and finally working throughout the pandemic with my facebook “What Happens Next Experiments?” group.

I couldn’t have maintained an experiment a day for over a year without ideas and encouragement from SonS friends. I should also thank other members of the board for the voluntary hours and hard work that is put into ensuring SonS’s continued success, as well as, of course, the staff in the office in Berlin, under the leadership of Stefanie Schlunk without whom SonS would not be here.

So if you are reading this and wondering how you can be involved, I would say, just do that: Get involved in whatever way you can. Through festivals, webinars, workshops, or even just use the materials that SonS provide. They are unique in being written by practicing teachers from all over Europe.

Broaden your horizons across borders!! Also, if you have been to a festival, keep up your friendships, it is so easy these days, an email takes only a few minutes to write. Keep on sharing!!