As part of joint initiative with groups from the universities of Southampton, Keele, Portsmouth and Bournemouth, the National Oceanography Centre sent a group of four students (Emma Caven, Yasmin Labibi, Suzie Tooke, and  Amelia Astley) to set up a pitch at this year’s science tent at Bestival, held on the Isle of Wight. The stand was a huge success with the crowds which flooded into the tent from Thursday to Sunday and gave the NOC an opportunity to showcase its research to a wide range of festival punters.

A particular highlight of the festival came on the Saturday (which traditionally is fancy dress day, with this year’s theme being ‘Nautical’) from a man dressed as a crab that proceeded to create a massive theatrical scene over his ‘dead brother’ in a jar (we had brought several deep sea specimens, including a porcupine crab). The stand was a huge success and couldn’t have been done without help from Katie Quaeck, another PhD student, and from Anthony Gallagher, who organised the entire tent.

Outside the Science tent

Inside the NOC’s stand inside the Science Tent

 By Amelia Astley, PhD Candidate studying the taphonomy of historic shipwreck sites.