Next week, Manchester will be hosting a series of public events exploring and celebrating the histories of science, technology and medicine – areas where Manchester has made crucial contributions to world knowledge, and which have in turn shaped the city’s own history.

Highlights include the UK première of the Turing Machine Opera, an exploration of the iconic University of Manchester computer theorist Alan Turing’s life and work from Finnish company Oopera Skaala; re-creations of the scientific experiments and practices of past times, from electrical demonstrations to séances to the chemical art of ‘beer-doctoring’; a public talk by David Wright, author of a prizewinning book on the history of Down’s syndrome; historical stand-up comedy from Bright Club; and a set by DJ Dave Haslam revisiting the digitally and chemically altered glory days of the Haçienda.

These events are being held from Monday 22 to Friday 26 July as part of the 24th International Congress of History of Science, Technology and Medicine (iCHSTM 2013) at the University of Manchester. Meeting once every four years – most recently in Mexico City, Beijing and Budapest – the Congress is the largest event in the field, and the Manchester meeting will be bigger than ever, with more than 1700 researchers from around 60 countries on site.

For more information about the public programme, including times and locations, see ichstm2013.com/public/.

You can also access research from the Congress through live streaming, audio downloads, and blog entries at ichstm2013.com/blog/.

iCHSTM 2013 is organised by the British Society for the History of Science, through a local organising committee co-ordinated by members of the University’s Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine (www.manchester.ac.uk/chstm).

Posted on behalf of Suzanne Spicer, Social Responsibility Manager |Office for Social Responsibility, The University of Manchester