Find out what you're really made of at the Imperial Fringe

The Imperial Fringe programme is going on tour, travelling to the Imperial West campus for the first time on Thursday 12 September.

The sixth Imperial Fringe: What makes me me? will showcase the College’s diverse work on the subject of identity and personalised medicine. This free public evening drop-in event takes place on Thursday 12 September at the Wood Lane Studios on Wood Lane 17:30 – 20.30.

From the composition of DNA to the delicate structure of the brain, and from genetic sequencing to emergency surgery, Fringe-goers will have a unique opportunity to discover what makes them who they are. And if you’ve always wanted to be an astronaut or a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, the team from Mighty Booth will be on hand to change your identity in the blink of an eye with their mobile photobooth.

Imperial researchers will also be joined by the Science Museum’s Outreach Team Leader Tracey Morgan, who will discuss the challenges she faced attempting to communicate science to inmates at nearby Wormwood Scrubs prison.

Professor of Surgical Education Roger Kneebone will be setting up his famous pop-up operating theatre on site to recreate the emergency procedures performed on a victim of knife crime. As a team of surgeons perform realistic simulations of emergency procedures, brave audience members will get a rare chance to see what really happens when patients go under the knife. The simulation will also provide the opportunity to think about the emotional impact of a stabbing on the individual as well as the wider community.

Sir Keith O’Nions, President & Rector of Imperial College London, said: “As the Imperial West vision takes shape, this Fringe evening provides an opportunity for us to meet our new neighbours, and introduce them to some of our researchers and their work over a drink.

“Exploring the science of identity and personalised medicine is a fitting way for us to introduce ourselves, and we look forward to welcoming people who live and work in W12 to join us on a voyage of discovery.”

Imperial Fringe is a series of monthly evening public events for people to explore the unexpected side of science, inspired by Imperial’s ground-breaking research. Visitors will meet academics and performers for a voyage of discovery, debate and hands-on demonstrations.

The event will be held 17.30-20.30 on Thursday 12 September, 2013. It is free to enter, visitors can drop in anytime, and it will take place in the Common Room of the Wood Lane Studios, on Wood Lane, W12 0BZ. A pay bar will be open throughout, so drop in and wind down with a glass of wine and good company after a long day.

To find out about other upcoming Fringe events, visit the Imperial College London website at: www.imperial.ac.uk/festival/fringe