Pint of Science Galway Festival 2015

A momentous occasion took place this week in Galway.... no, not the royal visit..... the first ever Pint of Science Galway Festival! On the evenings of the 18th and 19th May leading scientists in their field came to an unorthodox venue for scienitific discussions - the pub! The Pint of Science fesitval (www.pintofscience.com) is an international festival that takes place in several countries across the world on the same night and has the aim of bringing researches and the public together to allow them to have a chat in a relaxed atmosphere.

In Galway, over 200 people came to join the conversation on topics based on the themes of Our Body, Planet Earth and Tech. In the Oslo Bar, Salthill, two nights addressed the theme of Our Body, with talks and discussions about how imaging of the brain can help diagnose psychiatric disorders, how smartphone interventions can improve our health and how exercise can help fight cancer.

Cell EXPLORERS was involved in organising two events at Busker Brownes with the themes of Planet Earth and Tech. On Monday the sub theme of the night was Water. Cindy Smith introduced us to the unseen world of the microbes, while Gavin Collins & Anna Trego talked about the development of their sanitation system to help alleviate drinking water problems in Zambia. Finally Eugene Farrell discussed what would happen to Galway if our winters continue to get stormier in his fascinating talk on coastal erosion. Contributions from the panelists gave different perspectives to the discussions that were sparked by questions from the crowd. On Tuesday the theme was Tech, thinking about how our Future can be SMART. Talks on SMART cities, tourists, water and sums got great discussions going amongst the whole panel on how technology can be used to work for people and to better the lives of the people of Galway city.

Thank you to all who were involved - MCs, speakers, panelists and organisers and to all who attended. We are looking forward to the 2016 Pint of Science Galway festival already!