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On Saturday 25 May, IRB Barcelona welcomed more than 1000 members of the public of all ages to its flagship public outreach event. Year after year, the institute’s annual Open Day grows in attendance and the number of activities on offer.
The Open Day had something for everyone. This year, the street science fair continued to entertain children and their parents alike, allowing them to delve into the DNA of strawberries and bananas, learn about the Drosophila fly, a model used widely for research purposes, and watch our PhD students use liquid nitrogen to conjure up delicious ice cream, among many other hands-on experiences. Those wanting a bigger adventure were able to sign up for tailored lab visits.
For the adult audience, lab visits, a chat with researchers over a morning coffee and informal presentations by PhD students were going on throughout the morning. The programme of activities also included a round table involving experts on gene editing, bringing the public up to speed with the progress made in this field. For lighter entertainment, the outreach science group Big Van took to the stage to give their fun take on science and scientists, with the aim to bring science closer to the public.
The day ended on a high note with a performance by the institute’s Interdisciplinary Rock Band, which is formed entirely by researchers.
If you missed it, check out the video of the event and watch out for next year’s event, which promises to take science outreach to even greater heights!
About IRB Barcelona
The Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) pursues a society free of disease. To this end, it conducts multidisciplinary research of excellence to cure cancer and other diseases linked to ageing. It establishes technology transfer agreements with the pharmaceutical industry and major hospitals to bring research results closer to society, and organises a range of science outreach activities to engage the public in an open dialogue. IRB Barcelona is an international centre that hosts 400 researchers and more than 30 nationalities. Recognised as a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence since 2011, IRB Barcelona is a CERCA centre and member of the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST).
