Category: Events
Visit to the Francis Crick Institute
On the 16th July, members of the Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers enjoyed a fascinating visit to the Francis Crick Institute.
Our visit coincided with the opening of the Institute’s new exhibition centre, making the day particularly memorable. We were warmly welcomed by Oktay Asanov, who gave us an excellent tour of the Institute’s collaborative workspaces and laboratories, showcasing the cutting-edge research that is advancing our understanding of life itself.
Following the tour, members continued the conversation over lunch at the nearby Somers Town Coffee House.
The Worshipful Company would like to extend its thanks to Oktay and everyone at the Francis Crick Institute for providing such an engaging and informative visit.
Freeman Sam White
Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers and IOP Medical Physics Group Joint Essay Prize
An essay prize supported by the Medical Physics Group offering a £1,000 reward and a gold medal.
The deadline for submissions is 23.59 on Friday 31 July 2026.
SIM visit to RNLI Tower Lifeboat Station Saturday 27 June 2026
Past Master, Martyn Wheatley, in association with his brother Stephen of the RNLI, organized an interesting and enjoyable visit, for twenty-one SIM members on Saturday 27 June, to the RNLI’s Tower Lifeboat Station.
This dynamic floating workplace is manned, by dedicated and well-trained individuals, who when the call comes in, can be up and away in seconds, aboard their 900bhp E-Class boats to save lives, at speeds of up to 50mph across the water.
The SIM group were welcomed aboard the floating station by Stephen and told all about the remarkable history of the RNLI, plus the amazing statistics regarding lives saved and rescues made along the Thames. We learnt that the station is coming up for 25 years on the Thames, in which time they have responded to over 12,000 ‘Shouts’ and saved nearly 400 lives.
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Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition (30 June – 5 July 2026)
The Summer Science Exhibition is a free showcase of cutting-edge science. Registration is now open.
The Summer Science Exhibition is a free annual showcase of some of the cutting-edge science and technology in the UK, suitable for all ages. Meet the scientists, discover the exciting research and technology they work on and have fun with engaging interactive activities.
Book now using the link below for PRIORITY ENTRY.
Booking is free and allows priority entry during your chosen 30 minute entry time slot. We kindly ask that you book only the entry time slot you intend to visit, to allow fair access for all attendees. If you arrive after your time slot, you will need to claim a new ticket from the box office, subject to availability.
Please note – some entry slots are now fully booked. For entry slots where priority tickets are now fully booked, walk-up tickets will be available, subject to building capacity. Please be aware you may need to queue for entry.
All under 16’s need to be accompanied by an adult.
Due to limited capacity, booking is required for the following:
- Quiet entry: Sunday 5 July, 9:30am -10:30am
- BSL Interpreter (including exhibition entry): Sunday 5 July, 11am -1pm
- Blue Badge parking: Tuesday 30 June – Sunday 5 July
School/college groups should book their visit through the dedicated page.
For opening times and to plan your visit, find more information at royalsociety.org/summer.
Please email exhibition@royalsociety.org with any questions.
#summerscience
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Admiral of the Port Challenge Race 11 June 2026
The Admiral of the Port Challenge Race is a historic 2-nautical-mile traditional rowing event on the River Thames. Organized by the Thames Traditional Rowing Association, the competition features traditional four-oared Watermen’s cutters and skerries representing City Livery Companies and other river organizations. The course of this race is from HQS Wellington to the Westminster Boating Base, Pimlico, a distance of two nautical miles (although somewhat questioned by those rowing). Boats then continue upstream and disembark at Chelsea Harbour Pier.
Those representing the Company took to the water in the Gordon Hall Cutter, with the Livery Flag billowing from the stern the team set off at a cracking pace. As the race came to its closing moments Gordon Hall was tied neck and neck for second place with Vittoria from the London Port Health Authority. Alas Vittoria gained a surprising lead, and Gordon Hall was narrowly pipped to the post coming in third which is a fantastic achievement! taking immense endurance, grit, and hours of hard work.
The Master wishes congratulations to those that took part on a great result!
Full results and pictures from the event can be viewed below.
Congratulations to Feiyu Fang for gaining Freedom of the City
We are very happy to announce that Feiyu gained his Freedom of the City on 11 June 2026 and we will be even happier to admit him as a Liveryman on 6 July. Congratulations!
Colonel’s Review of Trooping the Colour Saturday 6th June 2026
On Saturday 6th June a group of members and guests were delighted to attend the Colonel’s Review of Trooping the Colour on Horse Guards Parade. Although the weather was slightly wet (think downpour in places) it did nothing to dampen the spirt of those in attendance. After the parade the group moved to the Royal Horse Guards hotel for a reception and a splendid lunch.
(Picture Credits: John Canning and Rebecca Tanderyd)
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Consorts visit to Temple Bar followed by lunch
On Tuesday 26 May 2026, the Master’s consort, PM Brian Fishwick, hosted a visit to the ceremonial opening of Temple Bar Gate next to St. Paul’s Cathedral. Guests were busy sheltering under the trees from the 30C heat ahead of the ceremony but a couple are visible in the distance!
After the ceremony we beat a hasty retreat to Côte Brasserie for a splendid lunch where we celebrated PM Brian’s birthday…’
(Almost) Freeman James Goh enters Guinness Book of Records
I’m James Goh, 23, a 3rd year Engineering student at the University of Cambridge from Hong Kong and Apprentice of WCSIM (soon to be Freeman!).
Since 2016, I have been optimising the design of spinning tops as a design & build project/hobby. I research aerodynamics and tribology, collect scientific data from my prototypes, and develop physics models which help to inform and optimise design parameters including flywheel, tip and base materials, flywheel height and inner and outer diameter etc.
A couple years ago, I started applying my expertise to fidget spinners which share a lot of the physics. After a couple prototypes, I made the record-breaking ‘Pulsar’ fidget spinner. This spinner had a large 70mm pure tungsten flywheel, and the whole spinner weighs around 400g. The core is hollow and made from aluminium. As a result, the mass is concentrated outwards allowing for efficient energy storage. The bearing is a small hybrid R188 size with silicon carbide balls, providing very low friction and good wear resistance. Altogether, the spinner is designed to start with a lot of energy and lose it as slowly as possible.
I broke the Guinness world record on the 16th of December but had to wait 4 months for it to be approved in order to avoid paying a hefty fee. The record was set by spinning the spinner with one twirl and balancing it on one finger for the whole duration of 30 minutes 34 seconds. It was recorded and observed by 4 timekeepers and witnesses.
I hope to leverage this achievement on my YouTube channel, HiPer Tops, to try commercialising the design at a small scale. I am interested in entrepreneurship, and this project has proved to be a valuable learning experience – as a solo worker, I design, manufacture, fund, market and sell the products.
If there’s anything specific you would like, do let me know. If something is published, it would be great to mention or link the YouTube channel and possibly my website: hiperspinningtops.com. Thanks!