Free event aims to get the public to start talking about Irish research

26 Sep 2022

Image: © Marina Zlochin/Stock.adobe.com

The START showcase will involve more than 40 free pop-up events happening around Dublin city as part of a Europe-wide celebration of research.

Trinity College Dublin (TCD) is inviting the public to engage with Irish research as part of an event celebrating European Researchers’ Night, which falls on Friday, 30 October.

TCD will be holding a showcase called START, which stands for Start Talking About Research Today, to mark the Europe-wide celebration of all things research. It will be one of more than 50 events taking place across 25 European countries.

START will involve more than 40 free pop-up events happening on the college’s campus as well as around Dublin city. It is being organised by Royal College of Surgeons Ireland and Adapt, Science Foundation Ireland’s (SFI) research centre for AI-driven digital content technology. The centre is based at TCD.

Those who come along to the event could be invited to contribute to live research experiments, join workshops and engage with Irish researchers on a variety of topics including AI and the climate crisis. The researchers will get the opportunity to showcase their work to the public using interactive techniques such as screening and debates.

Prof Wolfgang Schmitt, dean of research at TCD said the college and its partners looked forward to “welcoming anyone and everyone with a curious mind to celebrate and learn about research”.

“This event provides a unique opportunity for Trinity to open its doors, help researchers and the public to interact with each other, and bring research to a wider audience.”

More information on START’s programme of events can be found on its website. Highlights include a ‘think-in’ debate on AI and its use in public surveillance, taking place at TCD’s Long Room Hub. There will also be an event showcasing TCD’s Botanic Garden’s research into what botany can tell us about our environment.

Some events will also take place online, for those who cannot make it into Dublin city centre. There will be an online session on cuneiform script, one of the earliest forms of writing in the world, as well as how behavioural biases can impact on energy decision making.

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Blathnaid O’Dea was a Careers reporter at Silicon Republic until 2024.

editorial@siliconrepublic.com