Einstein’s Garden at Green Man Festival

A group of scientists from the University of Manchester attended Einstein's Garden at Green man festival 2025, with thanks to funding from M4QN network grant and Nanoscale Advanced Materials Engineering programme grant.

Engaging with everyone from policy makers to toddlers, the group explored the nanoscale world. Through looking at a variety of microscopes including optical, atomic force and scanning electron, the festival goers were able to view ‘the tiny’ and get hands on with a variety of quantum materials, from touching topological insulators in the AFM touch box to SEM images of qubit devices. Using this they engaged in conversations about materials, the potential of quantum computing, what quantum sensing is and what impact quantum is already having. The group engaged with 1000 festival goers over the weekend and had great feedback from revellers about how materials could be used in a quantum capacity.

Highlights included parents saying this was the most engaged their children had been as well as revellers returning with items from around the site to look at under the microscope.