Nanomaterials:
A giant leap for healthcare
Our journey began back in 2010, when we first exhibited at the Royal Society Summer Exhibition (RSSSE) on: “Nanomaterials: A Giant Leap for Mankind” to celebrate 350th anniversary of the Royal Society.
15 year have passed and we have made lots of progress.
To celebrate 200th anniversary of UCL in 2026, it would be amazing to run a new exhibit at the RSSSE.
8th October 2025: Deadline for the application to the RSSSE 2026 Call for Proposals.
20th November 2025: Application outcome was announced. Our proposal was selected!
Planning Day at the Royal Society
11th December 2025
Public Engagement Training
13th January 2026
The team attended the Public Engagement Training run by Steve Cross.
First
Rehearsal
1st April 2026
The team met to test and rehearse the exhibit activities for the first time.
Second
Rehearsal
12th May 2026
The team met again to test and rehearse the exhibit activities.
Third
Rehearsal
9th June 2026
The team met one last time to fine tune the exhibit activities.
UCL Physics
Festival
19th June 2026
The team delivered a preview of the exhibit at the UCL Physics Festival.
Setting up at RS
1st day
28th June 2026
On the Sunday before the exhibition week, the team arrived at the Royal Society to set up the stand.
Setting up the stand at the Royal Society
Setting up at RS
2nd day
29th June 2026
Final touches to get the ready stand for the exhibition starting the next day.
Press
Preview
30th June 2026
On Tuesday morning, we met the press for a preview of the exhibit.
Primary School Tours
30th June 2026
On Tuesday morning, the exhibit was open exclusively to primary school students.
Official
Opening
30th June 2026
On Tuesday evening, the official opening ceremony was held.
Open to the
public
30th June 2026
On Tuesday evening, after the opening ceremony, the exhibit was open to the public for the first time.
Panel Discussion
1st July 2026
On Wednesday, Prof. Thanh T.K. Nguyen joined the panel discussion "Can science emerging science beat cancer?" chaired by presenter, broadcaster and the BBC’s first Global Health Correspondent Tulip Mazumdar.
Open to the
public
1st July 2026
On Wednesday, the exhibit was open to secondary school groups and the public.
First
Soirée
1st July 2026
The first soirée took place on Wednesday evening. The soirée are exclusive evening openings of the Exhibition for invited guests.
Open to the
public
2nd July 2026
On Thursday, the exhibit was open to the public and school groups.
Second
Soirée
2nd July 2026
The second soirée took place on Thursday evening. The soirée are exclusive evening openings of the Exhibition for invited guests.
Open to the
public
3rd July 2026
On Friday, the exhibit was open to the public.
Saturday
Opening
4th July 2026
The weekend was the busiest time of the Exhibition. Almost 5,000 members of the public visited the Exhibition over two days.
Sunday
Opening
5th July 2026
The weekend was the busiest time of the Exhibition. Almost 5,000 members of the public visited the Exhibition over two days.
End of
Exhibition
2nd July 2026
Once the Exhibition closed to the public, the whole team got together for the final group picture and for announcing the winners of the two best exhibitor awards, sponsored by the RSC Chemical Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Group and the Department of Chemistry.
Views of the
public
Over five days, the exhibition was attended by 11,000 members of the public. Saturday, July 4th, and Sunday, July 5th, were the busiest days. On these days, long queues formed at the entrance of the exhibition venue.
What the public said:
"Christina was super helpful in explaining the entire booth to us, and was also passionate about it all, which got me into it."
"I believe much more research is needed to discover the full potential of this exciting technology. The PhD student Bita convinced me this technology has a great potential indeed."