Soapbox Science will build on the Galway tradition of public discourse from soapboxes, this time with a scientific twist! Our event will be held by the Spanish Arch on July 15th, and is the first Soapbox Science event in the city! It aims to bring the general public and scientists together, while also highlighting the work of female scientists in the region. It is organised by Jessamyn Fairfield and Dara Stanley. Jessamyn is a nanoscientist and comedian, whose research is focused on building electronics which are more like the brain. She is a lecturer in the School of Physics and CÚRAM (Centre for Research in Medical Devices) at NUI Galway. Dara is a scientist interested in ecology and biodiversity, and in particular in plants and the insects that pollinate them! She is a lecturer in Botany and Plant Science, in the Ryan Institute at NUI Galway. You can read Dara’s blog about her research and bringing Soapbox Science to Galway here. The event is free. If you’d like to see what Soapbox Science looks like in action, have a look at the Soapbox Science 2015 video
We would like to thank Cumann na bhFear Galway for making our soapboxes for the event.
Details of the location and timing of the event
Date: Saturday 15th July 2017
Address: The Spanish Arch, Galway
Time: 11am – 2pm
Speakers
Selected from a competitive pool of Irish researchers, our 12 speakers will be sharing their work in technology, science, medicine and engineering. The winners and their discussion topics included:
Professor Laoise McNamara (@LaoiseMcNamara), National University of Ireland Galway “Close to the Bone: Engineering research into the Biology of Osteoporosis and Implants”
Dr Rachel Cave, National University of Ireland Galway “Help, help, I think my house is dissolving! (How ocean acidification works and why it matters)”
Dr Rachel Quinlan (@rkquinlan), National University of Ireland Galway “How to make stars (in two and three dimensions)”
Dr Marie Coggins, National University of Ireland Galway “Are you breathing clean air indoors?”
Dr Sharon Glynn (@shazglynn ), National University of Ireland Galway “A new dimension to ancient enemies: What are these hidden viruses in our DNA and how do they contribute to cancer development”
Dr Heather Teresa Lally (@HeatherLally), Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology “How do creepy crawlies adapt to living in a watery underworld”
Dr Debbi Pedreschi (@DebbiPedreschi), Marine Institute “The story of sustainable fisheries: solving ‘wicked problems’ and other tales….”
Ms Juhi Samal (@JuhiSamal), National University of Ireland Galway “Biomaterial pills for Parkinson’s : saving cells to stop shaking?”
Ms Kirsten N. Fossum, National University of Ireland Galway “Clouds; where do they come from, where do they go?”
Ms Adele Gabba (@KitchenChemists), National University of Ireland Galway “The sweet universe of carbohydrates chemistry!”
Ms Fiona Malone (@miona_falone), Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology “Biomedical Engineering: Build your own body parts”
Dr Caroline Sullivan (@flamingredapple), IT Sligo “The Wild Atlantic Way; why it’s so beautiful and how farmers helped create it”
To discover more about other research happening in the area, you can also read blogs by Galway-based scientists Sheena Fennell and Katie Togher