Pint glass small pits which aid in nucleation, allowing the gas within it to be released more easily, thus preserving the head. Without the aid of these pits a regular pint glass will keep a head for only 3 or 4 minutes before appearing 'flat'. The markings come in a variety of styles ranging from a simple circular or square hatched pattern to more complicated branding messages. Pint glass collecting is an increasingly popular way for individuals to commemorate their visits to popular tourist destinations, most notably to microbreweries or sports arenas. These destinations often sell pint glasses adorned with their logos,
Pint of Science are based at universities. Pint of Science has its roots in a 2012 initiative by a group of UK based postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers. Festival founders Dr. Michael Motskin and Dr. Praveen Paul were then researching different neurodegenerative conditions at Imperial College London and thought that there was a gap between their research efforts and what motivated them. In addition, when discussing their work with friends, especially some of the new techniques being used, such as nanoparticle delivery of drugs to the brain, their friends thought it sounded like science fiction. They felt that it was important to show how