After a hard day’s work, many of us can be tempted into nipping into the local pub for a swift pint and a chinwag with your colleagues. 

Asking “how was your day?” is probably one of the first questions you’ll ask before a back and forth recapping your day to each other. 

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But a handful of Kent pharmacy students and lecturers are chatting about their day at work in local pubs as part of a science festival connecting the public with researchers. 

Seven Medway School of Pharmacy students and lecturers will have taken part in the Pint of Science Festival at pubs and bars in Kent from yesterday (May 19) until the festival finishes tomorrow.

Research student Lorna Brown is leading a talk on “hacking your body clock” and understanding your body’s circadian rhythm. 

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And Makurata Zanika’s research will show how the nerves and immune system “talk to each other to cause pain in people with high blood pressure and arthritis”. 

Perhaps it’s not quite the pub chat you anticipated, but the purpose of Pint of Science is to bring researchers and the public together to “be curious”, according to its founders Dr Praveen Paul and Dr Michael Motskin. 

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The pair says the festival was established so research and science could be discussed in a more fun and relaxed environment away from “mysterious laboratories or daunting dark lecture theatres”. 

Paul and Motskin initially welcomed visitors to their lab at Imperial College London in 2012 to see their research, but they thought “why not bring the scientists out to the people?” 

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The festival was set up the following year and its success has led to 42 UK locations host the relaxed meet-ups every year since, with a further 26 countries worldwide taking place in the annual festival. 

It even led to a Points of Light award be given to them by the previous Prime Minister David Cameron to recognise the impact they had in the community for breaking down the barriers to science. 

Cameron said the festival is a “brilliantly innovative way to take science out of the lab and show thousands of people how interesting science can be”.  

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One of Medway’s pharmacy researchers hoped to achieve the same result after they led a talk about hydrogels to explain how jelly holds it shape and what scientists are doing to make gels more versatile. 

Murtala Dahiru says his research focuses on “using these materials to improve medicines” and he wants people to “remember the amazing science” behind hydrogels. 

Guess the units and herbs 

Clinical pharmacy lecturer Dr Media Zanganeh is running a slightly more pub-friendly talk tomorrow on the “fun facts, myths and truths about alcohol”. 

While her research looks into new ways to “to detect the effects of alcohol exposure during pregnancy”, she will be introducing the subject in a more entertaining way. 

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“I will include interactive activities such as a “Guess the Units” challenge, where the audience will estimate the alcohol units in popular drinks, followed by a reveal and discussion,” she says. 

Fellow senior clinical pharmacy lecturer Dr Sukvinder Bhamra will also hold a “guess the herb” session so the public can smell and touch common medicinal herbs to understand both their “traditional and scientific uses”. 

“My research focuses on herbal medicines as I investigate how natural products can complement modern medicine, ensuring safety, efficacy, and sustainable sourcing,” she says. 

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Founders Paul and Motskin say the festival is a non-profit so it relies on tickets, donations, sponsors and universities to keep going. 

They added: “We've never received large grants or pots of money. We're built on the dedication, enthusiasm and commitment of all involved in organising and attending, as well as the occasional pint!” 

To attend the events, all details can be found here.