Whatever your New Year resolution it is time to make science fun says MIKE DENNIS

What are your New Year Resolutions? To be better informed, to think about a healthy diet, to do more with your children or even that you should have more fun?

Science Oxford has come up with a varied programme of activities for January and February that will help you with these resolutions.

A Science Cabaret Evening has been put together to give an entertaining twist to science. The evening includes Jonathan Wood, a local scientist who works at Elsevier, a science publisher. He has recently won a national competition, called Famelab, which aims to find the UK's best new talent in science communication, it's like a scientific version of The X Factor!

Jonathan is a biologist turned deputy editor of research journal Materials Today. His winning entry wowed the judging panel with a tale that began with Spiderman and ended with genetically modifying goats to produce a substance in their milk with the tensile strength of steel. The second act in the Cabaret is Oxford Impro, a local group who specialise in improvisation and have recently turned their hand to giving it a scientific theme.

Should you want to improve your diet Prof Jeya Henry from Oxford Brookes University will be talking about the benefits of eating five fruit and vegetables a day. Prof Henry is one of Oxford's most engaging speakers who can put across serious messages in an entertaining and informative way.

If you feel guilty about not doing more with your children why not visit Hands-On, the interactive science gallery on the first floor of Science Oxford. The theme of the changing exhibition in January is Puzzlemania, an intriguing set of games, puzzles and challenges for you and your children to tackle together. Beyond January at February half-term, The Science of Magic Show comes to Science Oxford. This show encourages the audience to look for the science behind a series of apparently magic tricks.

Many people decide to read more every year, in order to give you some ideas, Science Oxford is setting up its own Science Book Club. This will be launched with an evening to hear several well-known members of the local science community trying to persuade you to read their favourite book that has a scientific theme. This will then feature as the first book to be read by the newly-formed club.

The Resolutions Programme also includes a chance to become better informed about environmental issues, particularly those related to water and flooding with Terry Marsh and Nick Reynard, both from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. They will discuss possible impacts of floods and droughts in the Thames basin, what the future may hold and what we can do to be more water friendly.

An informal evening called Scientists on the Sofa will introduce you to three local scientists in a chat-show format, which will give the audience a chance to ask questions all the way through the evening. Dr Rachel Midgley from the Churchill Hospital, Dr Lucy Dorrell and Dr Sarah Gilbert from the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, will discuss their research into breast cancer, HIV and malaria. These are all featured in the Designs for Life' exhibition being shown at Science Oxford.

Sarah Richardson, events officer at Science Oxford, who has put the programme together, said: "Our innovative programme of events will kick-start 2007 and with the wide variety of topics and formats there's something for everyone."

Perhaps none of the above fit your New Year's Resolutions, if so, Science Oxford would like to cheekily suggest that perhaps a good New Year's Resolution would be to go to more science events locally, if you were to do this they can promise to help you fulfil this throughout the year.

This article is co-ordinated by The Oxford Trust.