Systems Biology Ireland (SBI) at University College Dublin (UCD) hosted the fifth Invisible Spectrum event on Monday 18 November. Organised each year by the Precision Oncology Ireland (POI) team at SBI, Invisible Spectrum is the flagship initiative in POI’s public engagement portfolio. Each annual event is co-organised between POI and members of the Bangladeshi community in Ireland, with the goal of promoting awareness of cancer symptoms, encouraging uptake of vital cancer screening programmes, breaking down communication barriers between the attendees and the medical/scientific communities, and encouraging an interest in research amongst the attendees.
“We are delighted to have reached the 5-year milestone for Invisible Spectrum and feel truly honoured at the continued involvement of the Bangladeshi community in this initiative,” said Walter Kolch, Director of Systems Biology Ireland and the Precision Oncology Ireland consortium. “UCD has long been fertile ground for collaborations such as these and this event is a further opportunity for us to celebrate not only the impact of Invisible Spectrum but also the work being done across campus in the public outreach and engagement space.”
This year’s event featured speakers from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds, highlighting the achievements of the programme over the last five years. Because Invisible Spectrum has been aimed at underrepresented and minority communities, it has also laid important groundwork in scientific communications, public policy and health research accessibility that can now be used in other institutions. Within UCD, the Invisible Spectrum team have worked to involve the Bangladeshi community in other public engagement initiatives such as ‘Cut From the Same Cloth’ (led by the Patient Voice in Cancer Research), CuriosiTY (jointly led by SBI and UCD Conway Institute) and Let’s Chat Medicine (led by SBI).
"Over the past four years, Precision Oncology Ireland's Invisible Spectrum initiative has built inclusive pathways for Ireland’s ethnic minority communities to engage in science, STEM, and cancer awareness, empowering them to actively shape the future of health and science in Ireland," said Arman Rahman, Assistant Professor of Anatomy and co-organiser of the event.
“Invisible Spectrum is a wonderful success story stemming from many years of working alongside minority community leaders to co-develop impactful public engagement events," said Jessica Ralston, COO for Precision Oncology Ireland. “We are so grateful to our community leader collaborators and the organising teams over the years who have all been pivotal in making this event happen.”
The enduring impact of Invisible Spectrum can be best summed up in the words of one of the participants, Md. Mostofa: ''Invisible Spectrum has bridged the gap between science and our community, empowering us to have a voice and actively participate in shaping research that impacts our lives.''
Photo 1: L to R, Dr. Jessica Ralston, Prof. Walter Kolch, Dr. Arman Rahman, Md. Mohammed Mostofa
Photo 2: Dr. Arman Rahman
Photo 3: Prof. Walter Kolch
Photo 4: L to R, Dr. Arman Rahman, Shayla Sharmin, Prof. Walter Kolch
Further information:
Systems Biology Ireland (SBI) at University College Dublin investigates new therapeutic approaches to disease, with a focus on cancer at a systems level. Researchers in SBI use a combination of traditional “wet” lab and computational modeling approaches to understand cellular signaling networks. SBI has a staff of ~60 group leaders, researchers, students and administrators from all over the world. https://www.ucd.ie/sbi/
Precision Oncology Ireland (POI) is a consortium of 5 Irish Universities, 6 Irish Charities, and 7 industry partners aiming to develop new diagnostics and therapeutics for personalised cancer treatment. Officially launched in November 2019, the consortium is part-funded by Science Foundation Ireland under their Strategic Partnership Programme and is co-ordinated by Systems Biology Ireland. https://www.precisiononcology.ie/
For more information, please contact Shane O’Grady, POI Research Administration and Communication, at poiadmin@ucd.ie or Maryann Kelly, SEA, Administration and Communication, Systems Biology Ireland at sbiadmin@ucd.ie.