Science spectacular with Big Manny
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Published
30 May 2024
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He’s got three million followers on TikTok and Instagram, and he’s changing how young people see science. UEL alumnus Big Manny has become an internet sensation since he started carrying out experiments online – and now there’s the chance to see him live.
He’ll be taking part in the University of East London’s Innovation and Enterprise Summer Festival on 12 June, with a spectacular display promised. One highlight is set to be Big Manny’s screaming jelly baby experiment, but, as ever, there’s serious science behind his work.
In the jelly baby experiment, for example, the audience will see the principles of energy release demonstrated, with an exothermic chemical reaction between potassium chlorate and sugar taking place in an impressive show of heat and flame.
Festivalgoers will also be able to ask Big Manny questions and hear about his experiences as a UEL student at two events: the open evening welcome talk and the medical sciences subject talk on the same day. Big Manny – or Emanuel Wallace, as he’s known offline – studied Biomedical Science at UEL, gaining both a BSc and an MSc.
He began producing his viral chemistry videos during lockdown in 2021, while employed as a senior science technician at an east London school. Manny got the job after graduating from UEL. He told Now & Then, the University’s alumni magazine, that UEL was important in getting him to where he is now.
Manny said,
UEL was pivotal in my career and specially in my becoming a senior science technician when I was around 23. When I got that job, the majority of technicians were aged 40-plus. So for me to secure that role so young, I feel the reason was because I had a master’s degree from UEL.
Such was the success of his early online posts that he was able to leave his school job and commit to making videos full-time. His relatable approach has won him rave reviews from teachers and students alike. That’s led not just to online success, but to appearances on the BBC’s Blue Peter and work with brands such as BMW, where he made videos on how the German carmaker’s hydrogen engines work.
He’s also got a book, Science is Lit, coming out for Penguin this August, showing 8 to 12-year-olds how to safely carry out experiments at home.
Despite the demands on his time, Manny has remained committed to UEL, becoming one of the University’s ambassadors, a commitment underlined by his appearance at the June festival. Held at UEL’s Stratford campus, it will be free to attend, with all ages welcome at the event, held on Wednesday 12 June from 3pm to 8pm.
Activities taking place during the festival will have a science focus, with the University currently running monthly events for its Year of Science. That culminates with the British Science Festival, which will take place on UEL’s Docklands campus in September.
Apart from Big Manny’s appearances, there will be a host of other highlights, including a mobile planetarium, a gaming van and sustainability workshops on designing your own trainers, upcycling your old clothes and making your own jewellery. Other attractions include an AI photo booth and the chance to sample ice cream supercooled by liquid nitrogen at minus 320°F.
See this AI interview video for more about Big Manny, and explore our bioscience courses.