Visitors to the British Science Festival have continued to be amazed by mind-boggling experiments, impressive demonstrations and potentially world-saving announcements.

Children and their families had the opportunity to learn about experiments at an event run by a healthcare company, hosted by Bradford College.

Demonstrations on how to build a model brain, as well as how to isolate DNA and gain an insight into genetic engineering were some of the events being held at the festival yesterday.

Bradford College was celebrating the work of pioneers in science, technology, engineering and maths with two exhibitions featuring Bradford College Scientific Heroes and Women of Outstanding Achievement in Science, Engineering and Technology.

Among the feats shown to children by Abbott Laboratories, at Bradford College’s Old Building, in Great Horton Road, was how to skewer a balloon without it popping.

Cindy Schwab, director of global citizenship for Abbott, said: “As a UK healthcare company Abbott aims to inspire, motivate and encourage children and their families to have fun with science at home.

“It has been an absolute privilege to be involved in the 2011 British Science Festival.”

Announcements made at the festival yesterday included the plans for a study to see if taking vitamins can stave off Alzheimer’s disease. The trial, involving 1,000 people, builds on findings that B vitamins can help prevent brain shrinkage with age.

Dr Celeste de Jager, of Oxford University outlined the researched plans at Bradford University as part of the festival.

She said: “There are other studies that haven't been successful. We think ours was successful because we started at an early stage of memory loss rather than people with full-blown Alzheimer's disease. We need more research to show that we can actually delay decline to dementia.”

Meanwhile, details of a £1.6 million Spice (Stratospheric Particle Injection for Climate Engineering) project were also revealed, which will see an “artificial volcano” experiment at a disused Norfolk airfield which could help save the planet from global warming.

Scientists will attempt to pump water up a hose suspended one kilometre off the ground beneath a helium-filled balloon. Light-scattering particles would be pumped high into the atmosphere to reflect the sun's rays and cool the earth.

The effect would be similar to that of a volcanic eruption spewing out clouds of sulphate which can have an impact on the climate.