Following the success of the 2015’s event in Glasgow, Soapbox Science decided to visit Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh, for its 2016 edition! On Sunday 24th July, researchers from across Scotland took to their soapboxes on the historic Mound, next to the National Galleries, to share their passion for science with the public. From astrophysics to salad dressings, they definitively had quite some questions for our experts! If you’d like to see what Soapbox Science looks like in action, have a peak at the Soapbox Science 2015 video
Details of the location and timing of the event
Date: Sunday 24th July, 2016
Address: The Galleries precinct on The Mound
Time: 12pm – 3pm
Sponsors
We couldn’t run our events without the logistical and financial support of our sponsors. Since 2014, Soapbox Science is supported by the Science and Technology Facilities Council. The Edinburgh event is moreover sponsored by Edinburgh Napier University.
Speakers
For a first event in the city, 2016 saw strong competition to appear at the event. The 12 winners and their discussion topics included:
Ms Valerie Bentivegna (@vbentii), Dundee University “Gutting cancer”
Prof Lynne Regan, the University of Edinburgh “Proteins are awesome”
Dr Stephanie Zihms (@geomechsteph), Heriot-Watt University “Going deeper underground – why do we want to know how rocks behave ”
Ms Helen Cammack (@h_cammack), University of St Andrews “The Quantum Playground”
Ms Sorcha Gilroy, the University of Edinburgh “How do we teach computers to understand and translate languages?”
Dr Katherine Duncan (@kate_duncan), University of Strathclyde “Medicines from the sea”
Ms Jessica Clark, the University of Edinburgh “Mumma’s always right! How mums prepare their offspring for the big bad world”
Ms Katherine Rumble, the University of Edinburgh “Mixing the Un-mixable: why do we add mustard to salad dressing?”
Dr Anne Pawsey, the University of Edinburgh “A physicist in the kitchen: Soft matter physics applied to food and drink”
Dr Megan Davey, the University of Edinburgh “The Chicken, the Emu and YOU!”
Dr Caroline Holmes, the University of Edinburgh “Future changes in Scottish climate; what will we notice, and how can we be ready?”
Dr Shaena Montanari (@DrShaena), the University of Edinburgh “New methods for old bones: Using geochemistry and new technology to unravel the mysteries of dinosaur diets and mammal munchies ”