Panti Bliss Welcomes Public to Discover Research Dublin 2015

Posted on: 22 September 2015

Panti Bliss swung open Trinity College Dublin’s iconic Front Gate and welcomed the public at the official launch of Discover Research Dublin 2015.

Trinity College Dublin and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) are offering the public an incredible opportunity to get up close and personal with the world of research – and researchers – at an event set to be enjoyed by thousands.

Discover Research Dublin 2015 showcased what researchers really do and why research matters by exploring abstract and practical questions through a variety of unique digital and traditional formats including interactive installations, apps and social media, debates, digital archives, tours and presentations.

Cliona O’Farrelly, Professor of Comparative Immunology at Trinity College Dublin (TBSI) and leader of Trinity’s contribution to what is a Europe-wide Discover Research initiative, is delighted by the rich variety on offer. She said: “This event is a wonderful opportunity to engage people in the amazing research that takes place at Trinity, and to allow the people behind the work to tell their unique stories in an interactive, accessible, engaging way.”

“Last year’s event was a huge success but 2015’s offering will build on that by bringing even more to the masses. The individual events will engage the young and old alike – all that is required is a natural curiosity and an appetite to learn something new!”

“Research is about investigation and discovery, and we are keen to show everyone how dynamic the process is. We are also delighted to challenge the stereotypes that are sometimes attached to ‘researchers’ by showing just how varied the people behind tomorrow’s real-world solutions truly are.”

Participants can immerse themselves in 3D visualisations of the brain, control computers with nothing but their minds, and create colourful visualisations of the music they play with magnetised instruments.

The Robotics and Cybernetics Showcase will display how engineers are creating robots to help the elderly and those living with disabilities, while the Dublin Language Garden will explain how linguistics evolve and teach people to speak a language like a local in a mere five minutes.

Children, meanwhile, will take part in real-time experiments to find out which bacterial beasties live in their mouths and meet some weird and wonderful creatures as they discover life in the Zoology Museum while hearing how researchers combine fossil data with high-tech computers to learn how T-rex lived his life millions of years ago.

People can also go behind the scenes at the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute (TBSI), where cutting-edge medical and scientific research takes place. Visitors will enjoy tours of the labs, where researchers will explain how technology allows them to make life-saving breakthroughs and design drugs that are revolutionising the treatment of diseases.

Additional highlights will see visitors help astrophysicists rank the severity of solar eruptions seen in the Sun, look to the heavens in the Monck Observatory, consider the biodiversity in our everyday lives, hear about the Trinity Medical Graduates lost in World War I, and enjoy musical performances led by the Trinity Long Room Hub artist in residence, Michael Gallen.

In a world increasingly reliant on technology, the Future Cities Showcase will provide snapshots of how we can exploit ICT advances to share resources, promote sustainability, and improve quality of life for the huge proportion of the world’s growing population that is confined to cities.

Professor Ray Stallings, Director of Research RCSI said: “Discover Research Dublin is part of a European wide initiative that is taking place simultaneously in more than 30 countries across Europe with over 300 cities involved. RCSI is excited to be involved in the event, in partnership with Trinity College, to showcase in fun and interactive ways, what our researchers really do for society.” 

The events, all of which are open to the public, will take place between 4pm and 10pm, Friday 25th September. Note that all events are free but they have different start and end times, and some require pre-registration. A full programme of events can be found at http://discoverresearchdublin.com/