Astro Lego Building Battle 2025

After an array of previous spring socials, this year we wanted to introduce something novel. Lego building took top place in a poll which also included a cooking competition and a singing/playing an instrument contest. Classic Lego as well as something a little more quirky in additions to random mini-figures were provided.

The four teams were:

• Artistic Galactic Navigators: Manasvee Saraf, Leonor Simoes and Amelie Saintonge
• Block to the Future: Lorne Whiteway, James Ray and Bryn Parry
• exoDOTbricks: Arun Nambiyath Govindan, Sushuang Ma and Coztanza Azzini
• Where are the instructions?: Jason Sanders, Zac Khan and Dakshesh Kololgi

The builders had an hour to create something astrophysics related - whilst they were busy constructing, the rest of the group were feasting on delicious cakes. After the competition ended, each team took a few minutes to explain their builds. First prize went to Artistic Galactic Navigators: Manasvee, Leonor and Amelie, the runners up were Block to the Future: Lorne, James and Bryn.

Some photos from the event:

Some comments about the event:
James Ray, builder: "Small events like these really help with the department cohesion. It’s a nice change from spending hours staring at code but still applies some of the same thinking. I will say that with us coming second it shows the department values effort over raw talent."

Dakshesh Kologi, builder: "Hi, my name is Dakshesh, and I had the pleasure of taking part in last week’s Lego Building Battle. I teamed up with Zac and Jason as part of the brilliantly named ‘Where Are the Instructions?’ team. Together, we built T CrB, also known as the Blaze Star—a fascinating binary star system about 3,000 light-years away that experiences recurrent nova outbursts due to a red giant transferring material to a compact white dwarf.The most challenging (and fun!) part was trying to create star-like spheres using square Lego bricks—a test of our creativity. The atmosphere was great: relaxed, lively, and full of friendly competition. Plus, the steady supply of snacks and drinks helped keep us going! While we didn’t take home a win, we had an amazing time doing something playful and imaginative outside of our usual work."

Photographers: Joanna Fabbri and Jools Clarke