On Saturday 17 June, 11am-2pm, twelve female scientists will share their research in areas of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) as part of Soapbox Science Dublin 2023. Taking place on South King Street in Dublin city centre, this is a free event and the public are welcome to drop by any time.

This year's lineup includes speakers from UCD, Dublin City University, Maynooth University, and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM). The 15-minute talks will cover a diverse range of fascinating topics, including climate change, biodiversity, drug design, computational logic, and green forensics. 

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.

UCD Earth Institute Director Professor 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.”

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.”

Iuliia (Yulia) Promskaia, a PhD researcher at University College Dublin will take part, 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.”

UCD PhD researcher Rosa Fernandez Pison will present on ‘Carbon Dioxide-Based Drugs: Unlocking the Potential of a Climate Villain’. She 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.”

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, and UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, and the Department of Agriculture Food and Marine and Women in Technology and Science (WITS) Ireland. 

Follow Soapbox Science Dublin via Twitter on @SoapboxSciIRL and find out more at https://www.soapboxsciencedublin.com/

Soapbox Science Dublin 2023 Speakers:

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’