WHEN some people think of academia, their first thought might be that it is stuffy and inaccessible – lots of well off young people rushing about in mortar boards.

But next month academics in Oxford will be working to shatter that perception.

Oxford University will have 400 of its academics working to highlight the accessibility of the research they carry out and how it impacts on people’s daily lives.

Its museums, libraries, gardens and woods will all be swung open to the public for the Curiosity Carnival on Friday, September 29, making the city one of hundreds around Europe taking part in European Researchers’ Night.

In the famous Bodleian Library there will be a chance to 'loan' a researcher to take out and quiz them about their area of study.

The university's senior facilitator and coordinator for public engagement with research, Dr Lesley Paterson, said: "There will be a librarian to make sure you bring your researcher back.

“Research is really diverse: all ages, men, women people from all different backgrounds, it’s a real community.

"And it is obvious that the university is such a big part of the city.”

Dr Paterson’s career shows academia is certainly not dull.

After spending time as a marine biologist she later worked for Sir Ian Wilmut, the leader of the academic group which cloned Dolly the Sheep.

Dolly was still alive at the time and Dr Paterson would sometimes manage visits for the sheep from interested parties.

She said: “I was a PA to a sheep. She couldn’t manage her Outlook calendar with her hooves.”

For the Curiosity Carnival, Oxford Botanic Garden will be open from 3pm until 7pm.

Visitors will be able to discover all the exciting things living there and, with the help of an expert, discover what makes the perfect cup of coffee.

The Natural History Museum and the Pitt Rivers Museum will be open from 7pm until 10pm and activities will include experts telling how learning languages can be made easier through doing practical activities.

There will be a chance for people to explore their own DNA in 3D between 7pm and 10pm at the Ashmolean Museum and brave teams of four adults will be able to take part in a quiz at the Museum of the History of Science in Broad Street from 7pm until 9.30pm. Their team will be boosted by a researcher.

For those who would rather explore Oxford outside, there is the opportunity to enjoy Wytham Woods by pitching up a tent after enjoying activities there from 2pm and then waking up with an insect 'Crunch Brunch' the next morning?

Ahead of the Curiosity Carnival itself, the university will be running two community fairs for people to enjoy.

The first will be at the Barton Neighbourhood Centre on Saturday, September 9 from 1pm until 4pm and the second will be at Templars Square Shopping Centre in Cowley on Saturday, September 16 from 10am until 4pm.