Soapbox Science Dublin 2023
Soapbox Science Dublin is coming to South King Street in Dublin city centre on Saturday 17 June from 11am-2pm where twelve (12) female scientists are set to share their research in areas of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) with the public. Visitors can call by any time to hear some fantastic scientists talk about their amazing work!
This free, family-friendly event will showcase the work of 12 female scientists, each of whom will give a 15-minute talk on their research. The talks will cover a diverse range of topics, including climate change, biodiversity, drug design, computational logic, and green forensics. This year's lineup features some of the leading female scientists in Ireland and promises to be an exciting and informative afternoon for all attendees.
The event will involve speakers from University College Dublin (UCD), Dublin City University, Maynooth University, and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
Established in 2011, Soapbox Science is a global grass-roots public outreach platform for promoting women and non-binary scientists and the science they do. Inspired by the question ‘What happens if you put a few scientists on soapboxes on a busy street?’, Soapbox Science Founders Sumner and Pettorelli explain, “We’ll tell you what happens: People who don’t usually think about science get to hear about it first hand … it’s street theatre with a difference. And we aim to make a difference!” This year over 34 Soapbox Science events, including the Dublin event, are planned across 14 countries.
Dr. Dónal Sammin, Assistant Secretary General and Head of Laboratories for the Department of Agriculture Food and Marine (DAFM), one of the supporters of Soapbox Science Ireland, emphasised DAFM support for the event, “The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine encourages equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and strongly advocates for the importance of science in providing for the design and implementation of evidence-informed policies. Therefore our Department is delighted to support Soapbox Science because good science needs diversity to advance and to thrive – it needs different people with different perspectives asking different questions and thinking differently about the world around us.”
The Earth Institute is proud to again support Soapbox Science in Dublin. Earth Institute Director Tasman Crowe said, “We are thrilled to once again support Soapbox Science Dublin. This event provides an important platform for female and non-binary scientists to share their work and inspire the next generation of scientists. We hope that this event will help to break down barriers and encourage more women and non-binary people to be inspired and consider careers in STEM.”
One of the Soapbox Science Dublin 2023 speakers is Dr Cassandra Dinius (Maynooth University) who will deliver a talk on ‘Maintaining ageing brains with memory and movement.’ Speaking in advance of the event, Dr Dinius said, “Soapbox Science 2023 is a platform where I can share my excitement about cognitive neuroscience and demonstrate how it applies to everyday life. As the first person in my family to go to university, I am an advocate for explaining how our work as scientists impacts the real world.” Dr Dinius continued, “At Soapbox Science 2023 I will share how bespoke programmes with activities like reminiscence and walking can improve wellbeing and cognition for older adults. Using neuropsychological assessments and fMRI, we are learning what activities are best for different groups of older people, including those in the community, those living with dementias and older adults in custody.”
Iuliia (Yulia) Promskaia, a PhD researcher at University College Dublin is also taking part in our Soapbox Science and delivering a talk on ‘“Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are”: grouping people, countries and other things with Statistics.’ Ms Promskaia said, “The beauty of Statistics is that it is virtually everywhere: from Internet searches and online shopping to business decisions and science. However, it is often thought that Statistics is boring and unintuitive. In my Soapbox Science Dublin talk, I want to try to break this stereotype by showing people simple and relatable examples of fun Statistics. My research lies in finding meaningful groups of objects in networks, and, although my work is quite theoretical, there are many applications of it, such as finding friendship groups at a party.”
Another speaker and UCD PhD researcher Rosa Fernandez Pison, presenting on ‘Carbon Dioxide-Based Drugs: Unlocking the Potential of a Climate Villain’, said “Nowadays, many people misunderstand the role of chemistry and reasonably have an aversion towards it, ignoring that chemicals are the building blocks of life. At Soapbox Science Dublin 2023 I will provide a more holistic view of the potential of this natural science. My talk focuses on how we can turn the accumulation of carbon dioxide into an opportunity by using this gas for the synthesis of antibiotics.”
The full list of the Soapbox Science Dublin 2023 speakers, and the topics of their talks, is outlined below.
Soapbox Science Dublin 2023 is supported by UCD through funding from the UCD Earth Institute, UCD Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), UCD Women at STEM, UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science (SBES), and UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science (SAFS), and the Department of Agriculture Food and Marine (DAFM) and Women in Technology and Science (WITS) Ireland. This year, Soapbox Science Dublin is being organised by a team of scientists from the Department of Agriculture Food and Marine, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and University College Dublin.
Soapbox Science Dublin 2023 joint-organiser, Dr Sónia Negrão, UCD School of Biology & Environmental Science, said, “SoapBox Science Dublin is a fantastic event that aims to bring science to Dublin city centre, offering a platform for women and non-binary scientists to share their research work. It achieves a wider participation of society in science by engaging with the public on the street, challenging the perception of what a scientist looks like, addressing stereotypes and promoting women in science.”
So come to South King Street on Saturday 17 June anytime between 11am – 2pm to hear some fantastic scientists talk about their amazing work so come along and join us!
Follow Soapbox Science Dublin via Twitter on @SoapboxSciIRL and #SoapboxScienceDublin or on our website at https://www.soapboxsciencedublin.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SoapboxSciIRL
Soapbox Science Ireland website: https://www.soapboxsciencedublin.com/
Soapbox Science global website: http://soapboxscience.org
For further information contact soapboxsciencedublin@gmail.com
Soapbox Science Dublin 2023 speakers
The 12 Soapbox Science Dublin 2023 speakers and the titles of their talks are as follows;
Negin Zarbakhsh, University College Dublin, ‘Crowdsourced Street-Level Imagery for Place Recognition in Cities’
Dr Virginia Morera-Pujol, University College Dublin, ‘Deer in Ireland: why, where, and how many?’
Lais Barbosa Latorraca MSc, University College Dublin, ‘Fertility: it is all about the Egg’
Mariluz del Pino-de Elias, University College Dublin, ‘The NeverEnding Story of Plant Biostimulants’
Iuliia (Yulia) Promskaia, University College Dublin, ‘“Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are”: grouping people, countries and other things with Statistics’
Celine G. Erkey, University College Dublin, ‘"Clicking" in a Cure - Designing Powerful Remedies with Science’
Dr Kate Pleace, Dublin City University, ‘Why Premature Ovarian Insufficiency is different to menopause?’
Dr Cassandra Dinius, Maynooth University, ‘Maintaining ageing brains with memory and movement‘
Luz Alejandra Magre MSc, Dublin City University, ‘Think like a computer: Making decisions with logic gates’
Rosa Fernandez Pison, University College Dublin, ‘Carbon Dioxide-Based Drugs: Unlocking the Potential of a Climate Villain’
Dr Anna Tiley, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), ‘Green Forensics: A Day in the Life of a Plant Doctor’
Cristina Abascal Ruiz, University College Dublin, ‘Monoclonal antibodies, a Chinese hamster and a flamenco singer! An imaginative approach to antibody glycoengineering’
The 12 Soapbox Science Dublin scientists 2023
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Soapbox Science Dublin in action on the streets in 2022
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Soapbox Science Dublin in action on the streets in 2022
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Soapbox Science Dublin in action on the streets in 2022
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