The Lightwave Roadshow is an outreach program organized by the University of Southampton Optics and Photonics Society and supported by the OSA, SPIE and STEMNET. Targeted at primary school children, Lightwave is run by PhD student volunteers with an interest in optics. We aim to teach the children a little about light, but more importantly to get them engaged and interested in the wide world of optics and science in general.

Lightwave has a wide variety of hands-on demonstrations for the children, giving them a basic understanding of the power of light in everything from mirrors and lenses to optical fibres and telecommunications. Educational and inspiring demonstrations go hand-in-hand to make The Lightwave Roadshow an exciting and interactive way to enhance the science curriculum.

Lightwave runs FREE shows at the University of Southampton and on request at schools in Southampton and the South East, running around 15 shows a year. We also take part in national science fairs and run sessions in after-school clubs such as STEM clubs and Scouts and Brownies.  The demonstrations can be tailored to suit the various primary school year groups and also to develop specific aspects of the curriculum.  Our topics include Mirrors and Reflections, Sound and Light, Lenses, Optical Fibres and Telecommunications, The Electromagnetic Spectrum, Optical Illusions and The Eye.

For more information about Lightwave and exciting experiments to try at home or in the classroom, see our website:

http://www.lightwave.soton.ac.uk

Or contact our Lightwave Director:

lightwave@orc.soton.ac.uk