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Researchers Meet and Talk with the Public at “Live Research Fair 2008”

By 7 de April de 2008November 18th, 2020No Comments
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 07.04.2008

Researchers Meet and Talk with the Public at “Live Research Fair 2008”

Can neuron activity be controlled with microchips? How do the oceans move? Do we really only know about 1% of our genome's functions? What kinds of effects does virtual reality have on the brain?" All of these questions and many more have been addressed at , a science fair organised by the Barcelona Science Park (PCB) with the financial support of Caixa Catalunya. Set for 10-11 April, the event offered the public some of the projects currently being pursued by researchers at the various research institutes and schools in Barcelona.


The fair, which was held in the Movistar Space (Diagonal Campus, Pascual i Vila Street), opened its doors on Thursday, 10 April. The fair’s aim is to bolster scientific knowledge in our society, enlisting researchers themselves to share typical features of the scientific method, bringing the world of research nearer to the public and fostering a dialogue between researchers and the public. It also aims to encourage young people to give thought to a career in the sciences.

«Live Research 2008» is part of , a programme aimed at sharing scientific research with society at large, spearheaded by the Barcelona Science Park and counting not only on the support of Caixa Catalunya, but also on the collaboration of the Catalan Biology Society, the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science, the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology, the Ministry of Innovation, Universities and Enterprise within the Generalitat of Catalonia, Catalonia Radio and the Movistar Space.

The initiative is practically unique in Barcelona, because it offers science “live”. That is, it brings subjects currently under research directly to the public and involves the researchers themselves in doing so, sharing the methods being used in their work. Each stand is designed to be a small laboratory where anyone attending can observe and handle the tools, materials and components used by the researchers, hear them explain their projects straightforwardly and get the chance to talk with them face to face.

This year, in the sixth edition of the fair, the number of participating research groups and centres has risen and their projects will represent a wide range of disciplines, including genetics, oceanography, robotics, bioengineering, medicine, information technology and archaeology.

Among the many projects on hand, visitors were able to hear about the latest advances in biocompatible materials and find out how they are being used to regenerate human tissue. They learned how skin cancer can be detected and what the differences are between normal cells and cancer cells. They could gain insights into the methods used by archaeologists to reconstruct the past, look into the challenges faced by scientists studying the human genome, see how information technology can help regain brain function, and review the strategies being used to manage marine dumping. As well as asking researchers any questions they might have, attendees could handle robotic arms used by surgeons in a number of surgical interventions, interact with optic illusions to discover how we process and interpret information, step back into the past through the practice of cuneiform script, and even take home their own DNA in a jar.