The Mobile Heritage Lab goes to Cheletnham Science Festival 

 By Josep Grau-Bove, EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Science & Engineering, Arts, Heritage and Archaeology (

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The SEAHA Mobile Heritage Lab has been invited to participate in this year's edition of the Cheltenham Science Festival, one of the largest science festivals in the world. Nine PhD researchers will travel to the festival to explain Heritage Science and their PhD research during a 4 day event, from the 9th to the 12th of June. The Mobile Heritage Lab will loaded up with a wide variety of scientific instruments. Inside the lab, visitors will experience "History under the microscope", an exploration of several historical materials with techniques for surface analysis, such as profilometry, reflective transformation imaging and 3D microscopy. Visitors will also be able to experiment with different sources of light (Ultra Violet and Infra Red) in order to reveal hidden features of artworks. Outside the lab, the students will demonstrate the operation of the Ground Penetrating Radar, a technique that uses radio waves to investigate the subsurface. The radar can detect voids and changes in soil density, which could indicate archaeological remains, burials or a treasure chest - and SEAHA students have ensured visitors will find something interesting underground.
Never before has heritage science featured so strongly in the programme of the festival. It is a great opportunity to learn hands on about the cutting edge techniques used for the preservation of cultural heritage. If you are planning to attend the Cheltenham festival this year, you'll find the unmistakable white silhouette of the Mobile Heritage Lab in the very centre of the action, in the Imperial Gardens behind the Town Hall.

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