Great Exchanges, A Dialogue Between Science & Community Series 3

Great Exchanges is a collaboration between Portobello Radio and Imperial College London. We bring together research scientists and members of the community to discuss topics that feature in the 2026 Great Exhibition Road Festival on June 6th and 7th. In this latest episode, we turn our attention to a pivotal moment in London’s history: the Great Exhibition of 1851. This year’s Festival marks the 175th anniversary of the largest public event the city had ever seen, and on the anniversary of the day it first opened to more than six million visitors, we step back inside the Crystal Palace — home to over 100,000 objects celebrating industry, technology and empire. Joining the conversation is Dr Jennifer Wallis, historian of science and medicine at Imperial College London. We’re also joined by Alair Ayeni from down the road in White City, one of the Festival’s 2026 Young Producers helping to re‑examine the Exhibition’s legacy through a contemporary, decolonising lens. https://www.greatexhibitionroadfestival.co.uk/ Chapters (00:00:00) - Great Exhibition(00:02:14) - The Great Exhibition of Industry(00:06:21) - Young Producers at the(00:09:43) - Experiencing the Exhibition(00:11:23) - The Great Exhibition(00:12:07) - The Great Exhibition(00:16:52) - The Great Exhibition of 1851(00:18:43) - Exploring the Exhibition(00:20:12) - The Great Exhibition(00:23:24) - The Great Exhibition: Analysis(00:25:09) - The Great Exhibition and its contemporary(00:29:43) - The Great Exhibition

In this episode, Piers Thompson hosts a discussion with Dr Philippa Mason from Imperial College London and local amateur astronomer Ben Thorp Barnes. Dr Mason is part of the EnVision mission to Venus and shares her love of the rocky landscapes of Mars and Venus. Ben on the other hand is fascinated by the moons of Jupiter. Incidental music: Food Show by Music_For_Videos ©Pixabay Chapters (00:00:08) - Great Exchanges(00:01:09) - Places for Science at Exhibition Road Festival(00:02:17) - The science of staring at the stars(00:08:31) - Getting it out of the Way(00:13:10) - Amateur Astronomers(00:20:33) - How to see planets from space(00:23:13) - Earth vs Venus(00:25:29) - If a planet were the same as Earth, what color would it(00:26:54) - A guest interview

In this episode, Piers Thompson hosts a discussion with Katherine Welch and Molly Parry from Imperial College London who are researching new forms of plastic and Carolina Fattori from Urbanwise who leads a litter pick every week on the canal. Plastic is integral to so much of our lives but the piles of plastic waste are clogging up waterways, hedgerows and landfill. Can the circle ever be squared? Incidental music: Food Show by Music_For_Videos ©Pixabay Chapters (00:00:06) - Great Exchanges(00:00:52) - The challenge of plastics(00:01:37) - How to Clean the Canal(00:05:47) - Volunteers collect litter from the canal(00:13:12) - The role of government in the fight against plastic waste(00:15:40) - Polylactic acid(00:20:00) - How to lengthen the life of plastics(00:21:46) - Microplastics in the environment(00:29:40) - The Great Exhibition Road Festival