West Midlands branch
The West Midlands Branch is one of 11 regional branches in England, and part of a wider network of IOP activity across our Nations including Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
We are a well-established and active branch, with a friendly, enthusiastic and diverse committee, organising and developing many activities within the region. We cover the areas of Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Birmingham.
Our activities
Lectures
We currently run four evening lecture centres based in:
- Birmingham
- Hereford and Worcester
- Keele
- Wolverhampton
In 2018-19, we delivered 26 popular lectures, given by excellent speakers from all around the country. The subjects covered ranged from bubbles to ghosts, medical to space research, gravitational waves, exotic particles, alternative energies and more.
The lectures were enjoyed by around 2,400 A Level students, GCSE students, teachers and members of the public, in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere with free refreshments included.
Current lecture programme
Download the Hereford and Worcester lecture programme 2020-2021 (PDF, 345KB)
Outreach events
We organise or participate in regular outreach events, including:
- Science Night and Space Day at the Hive in Worcester
- Family Day, Next Generation Innovators Fair and Science in the Park in Malvern.
In May 2018, we collaborated with the University of Birmingham to organise a 'Physics in the City' event in the city's New Street. In total, we interacted with more than 3,000 members of the public, with fun demonstrations and physics-based experiments/knowledge of current fields.
Working with schools
Our branch interacts directly with schools by:
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giving talks and demonstrations to all age groups on a variety of subjects
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running electronic workshops
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running after school clubs
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supporting projects such as physics and art.
Message from the Chair
"We are proud of our record so far but are always looking for new ideas, enthusiastic volunteers and physics communicators who want to get involved. We welcome enquiries from anyone interested in joining our committee."
Lynne Long, Chair of IOP West Midlands Branch
Branch committee
| Chair | Mrs Lynne Long MInstP, Retired, University of Birmingham |
|---|---|
| Treasurer | Mr John Beale MInstP, Cranfield University |
| Secretary | Mr Mike Boden MInstP, Retired, Technical Director GE Grid Solutions |
Branch events
View our West Midlands branch events.
Contact details
Email: westmidlandsbranch@iop.org
Regional manager
David Wilkinson is the Regional Manager for the Midlands region, which includes both the East Midlands and West Midlands branches. He holds this position full-time and is based in Ashby de la Zouch.
david.wilkinson@iop.org
Tel: 05602 376022
Mob: 07919 035913