Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PROBE (PROBE: European Researchers\' Night at Trinity College Dublin)

Teaser

PROBE addresses the general perceptions of research and the stereotypes of researchers. The benefit of research to everyday life, the opportunities provided by research careers and the role of the European Union are all important to society and were highlighted by the PROBE...

Summary

PROBE addresses the general perceptions of research and the stereotypes of researchers.

The benefit of research to everyday life, the opportunities provided by research careers and the role of the European Union are all important to society and were highlighted by the PROBE events.

The events connected researchers with members of the general public through a wide range of interactive and hands-on activities with a focus on dialogue and participatory learning.

PROBE also embraced the theme of cultural heritage to coincide with the European Year of Cultural Heritage and emphasised citizen science as an approach to co-creating research.


The overall objectives were:

To bring researchers closer to the general public

To increase awareness of research and innovation activities

To support the public recognition of researchers

To create an understanding of the impact of researchers’ work on citizens’ daily life

To encourage young people to embark on research careers

Work performed

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The main results achieved from the project was the running of the main PROVE event on 28.09.18. The Event Programme included:

Exhibition Space
5pm–9pm
Tackling TB
Find out how researchers use the body’s own immune system to research tuberculosis, and take a look at lung samples that reveal the impact of smoking on the disease.
5pm–9pm
Bilingual bothers
Investigate how the added task of learning English affects the success of international students who are new speakers of the language, and how best to provide support to those learning a second language.
5pm–9pm
Voracious Vaccines
Discover how new types of vaccines, called mucosal vaccines, can take down potential infection at the source.
5pm–9pm
AROMAGENESIS
Yeasts are the workhorses of the beer and wine industries, responsible for the complex flavours and aromas in these beverages. Learn how yeasts contribute to flavours and aromas, an essential area of study for the improvement of fermentation techniques.
5pm–9pm
A tough pill to swallow
Exploring how research findings in oesophageal cancer has made the leap from lab bench to hospital bedside, introducing new diagnosis and therapy techniques.


Main Stage Tent at Front Square
5.30pm–6.30pm
Citizens who do Science
Everyday, people around the country are working with researchers to make new discoveries. From collecting data to helping analyse it, citizens are catalysing discoveries across many scientific disciplines, from biology to astrophysics. Join us for a panel discussion on the growing field of \"\"citizen science\"\", as we explore this exciting relationship between researchers and people who want to get involved.
6.30pm–7.30pm
Telling Stories with Research
For research to make a difference, it must be shared. The way we share that research often depends on the discipline, but telling a story is a key part of the process. Whether sharing your research with your colleagues, or with society, storytelling can help people connect with the data, facts, and theories behind it. Join us for a panel discussion on the role of storytelling in the biological sciences, in manuscript research, and in archaeology.
7.30pm–8.30pm
Bright Club
Bright Club is a variety night for lateral minds, where researchers become comedians for a night! Each event features academics from science, humanities, and social science talking about their work alongside professional comedians and musicians. Over 40 events have taken place across Ireland since 2015 in Dublin, Galway, Cork, and Athlone. With comedy, music and more besides, Bright Club is the only variety night where you’ll furrow your brow before laughing your face off.

Science Gallery Dublin
11am–7pm, 28th-30th September
Faces of Recovery
Faces of Recovery is a photography exhibition featuring prominent people from a range of backgrounds: authors, academics, journalists, athletes, singers and politicians - all of whom are openly in recovery from addiction. These nine images tackle our preconceptions around addiction and stigma. This exhibition is brought to you as part of National Recovery Month by the Recovery Academy of Ireland, in partnership with Science Gallery Dublin and TCD PPI Ignite.

10.30am–12.30pm
Make a Bee Hotel
How are bees essential for our food and clothes? How do bees communicate? And where do bees live? Join us for a school workshop and make a bee hotel to take back to the classroom along with bee-friendly seeds to plant.

Science Gallery Dublin
5pm-6pm
Walking Debate with Trinity Talks Science
Join the team behind Trinity’s very own science podcast for a Walking Debate focusing on issues surrounding the theme of Citizen Science.

6pm-7pm
\"\"Jeopardy\"\" with the Global Development Society
Join the Global Development Society for a discussion on challenges in humanities research through the format of this popular game show.
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Final results

There has been no progress beyond the state of the art yet. Although the Makerspace programme was considered to the event that was most likely beyond the State of the Art:

Makerspace
5pm–9pm
How healthy is your liver?
Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), a disease caused by obesity, can lead to liver failure, liver cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Find out how a team of researchers devised a 12-week hospital-based programme to evaluate whether weight loss can reverse the disease’s progression, and get your own liver checked at the same time.
5pm–9pm
Lightbulb moments
Put your heads together to make batteries out of potatoes, coins and screws, and check out a fuel-cell car to see how fuel cells can be the “clean batteries” of the future.
5pm–9pm
Learning a language through art
Children are masters of learning by doing. In this workshop, children and adults alike can dabble in art and language learning simultaneously through fun and engaging activities.
5pm–9pm
DNAwesome!
Using household materials, extract the DNA from different fruits and see its amazing structure up close!
5pm–9pm
Invading parasites
Are parasites always a bad thing? Investigate how and why you can get infected - and how parasitism can be the most popular lifestyle on earth.
5pm–9pm
Blood works
Explore a blood testing lab where you can make giant blown-up blood drops, and discover what’s going on in the cell while your blood is being pumped through your heart. Ever wondered how many blood cells are in your body? Now is your chance to find out!
5pm–9pm
Healthy Mouth, Healthy Body?
Visualize and learn about your oral microbiome. Can it impact your overall health?
5pm–9pm
Pregnancy Bootcamp
Explore the science behind yoga during pregnancy, and try your hand at our taster workshop.
5pm–9pm
Neurogenetics
Discover how the the study of genomes is enhancing our understanding of of neurodevelopment disorders such as autism, learning difficulties, developmental delay and psychosis.
5pm–9pm
Spreading like Wildfire
One of the many effects of climate change is an increased risk of wildfires. Many plant species are now confronted with an increased frequency, timing and spread of wildfire, never seen before. Examine how plants respond to these new circumstances, and whether plant populations can adapt rapidly enough to survive these new pressures.

Website & more info

More info: http://www.tcd.ie/research/probe.