Researchers from the University of Pavia
On the 27th of September 2024, ERA4TB researchers from The University of Zaragoza, Spain, and The University of Pavia, Italy, took part in local events hosted as part of the European Researcher’s night. The European Researchers’ Night is the largest science outreach project in Europe, taking place simultaneously in almost 400 cities. It gives members of the public a glimpse into the fascinating world of science, with a chance to see what happens behind the scenes of major universities and research institutes. Read more about the European Researchers’ Night.
The local events were well attended by people of all ages, including children and teenagers who were keen to get involved, ask questions and find out more about antibiotic drug development.
Researchers from The University of Pavia had a stand with several activities for visitors to get involved with, including a memory-card game with laboratory equipment and lung images; petri dishes showing the bacterial growth from common objects such as mobile phones, door handles and unwashed and clean hands; and a REMA assay, a fundamental experiment to determine the activity of a compound against bacteria. Younger visitors could draw lungs or bacteria and posters were displayed explaining the aims of ERA4TB and the early phases of antibiotic drug discovery.
Dr Deborah Recchia from the Department of Biology and Biotechnology at the University of Pavia was one of the researchers who took part spoke about the importance of engaging younger people in research:
“It was very important to participate as we had the opportunity to interact with people of all ages, to make our passion and dedication to scientific research, felt. Initiatives such as the European Researchers’ Night would help more young people to approach the various branches of science, to allow them to have a goal, and perhaps a new passion.”
Researchers from the University of Zaragoza ready to share the Hollow Fibre System with visitors
The University of Zaragoza team took part in a workshop (named MicroMundo) highlighting the importance of microbiology in our lives and the health problem of antibiotic resistance. They also conducted live demonstrations as part of the “Research Fair”, in which the team showed the hollow-fibre system, an innovative technique developed within ERA4TB that allows researchers to conduct multiple experiments all at once, to a continuous flow of attendees over more than 4 hours, highlighting its pivotal role in clinical research.
Dr Fernando Sanz, a post-doc researcher in the Department of Microbiology, Pediatrics, Radiology and Public Health at the University of Zaragoza spoke of the importance of events like European Researcher’s night for both the public and scientists involved.
“The European Researcher’s Night is a unique opportunity for the public to interact with researchers and to discover how science influences our daily lives. It also allows scientists to develop dissemination skills – never valued enough – and to enrich and expand our often-constrained ways of seeing our own research.”
