Twelve Female Scientists Set to Speak at Soapbox Science Dublin 2022
After the success of virtual events in 2020 and 2021, Soapbox Science Dublin is back ‘live’ in Dublin City Centre. On 18 June 2022, twelve female scientists will address the public from their soapboxes about their research in areas of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) at Soapbox Science Dublin 2022.
Soapbox Science Dublin 2022 will take on South King Street, Dublin from 11 am to 2 pm on Saturday 18 June and visitors are encouraged to drop in to hear some fantastic scientists talk about their amazing work! The event will involve speakers from University College Dublin, TU Dublin, Maynooth University, and Dublin City University.
Established in 2011 Soapbox Science is a global public outreach platform for promoting women and non-binary scientists and the science they do. This year over 35 Soapbox Science events, are planned across 11 countries.
Dr Andrea Johnson, Chairperson at Women in Technology & Science Ireland, emphasised WITS Ireland support for the event, “The vision of Women in Technology & Science Ireland (WITS) is to advocate, connect and act for women in STEM. Soapbox Science creates an incredible opportunity to bring science into the public realm. It gives everyone the opportunity to learn about the amazing experiments and discoveries that are made every day. WITS are delighted to sponsor this event helping to spark the imagination of future generations of female scientists in this innovative and creative way!”
Dr Elizabeth Hunter, a postdoctoral researcher at TU Dublin, will deliver a talk entitled ‘How your neighbourhood socioeconomic status can impact your health’. The talk will focus on her work using computational modelling to help understand how differences in behaviours and individual characteristics can impact the spread of an infectious disease.
Eleni Zavrakli, a PhD researcher in Machine Learning and Control Theory at National University of Ireland Maynooth, who will deliver a talk entitled, ‘A journey from Mathematics to 3D printing’. Speaking in advance of the event, Ms Zavrakli said, “Mathematics has always fascinated me, it is somehow beautifully abstract and incredibly specific at the same time. And while studying maths on a theoretical level is very interesting, its countless applications to real life problems can be even more intriguing. At Soapbox Science Dublin 2022 I will talk about my work using mathematical methods and intelligent algorithms to improve the performance of 3D printers. My algorithms will allow the machines to learn in a similar way to how humans learn, based on past experience, gaining a reward for every good decision.”
Dr Veronica Sofianos, Assistant Professor (Ad Astra Fellow) at UCD School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, will deliver a talk entitled ‘Size doesn't always matter. How nanoparticles combat climate change!’ Dr Sofianos said, “Soapbox Science 2022 is a great opportunity for me to share my journey on how I became an Assistant Professor at UCD in Chemical Engineering. You only need passion and the rest will fall into place. My passion is researching how I can use water to produce clean and cheap fuels to ease our pockets and combat climate change.”
The full list of the Soapbox Science Dublin 2022 speakers and the topics of their talks, is available on the website https://www.soapboxsciencedublin.com/
Soapbox Science Dublin 2022 is supported by UCD through funding from the UCD Earth Institute, UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science, and WITS (Women in Science and Technology) Ireland.