‘One Health’ research showcased at Blue Dot Festival
The Faculty of Health and Life Sciences has become a regular fixture at the annual Blue Dot Science festival held at Jodrell Bank in Cheshire and this year researchers working on ‘One Health’ got involved in the action.
Members of ILCaMS, IVES, and the School of Medicine and School of Dentistry were in attendance on 20-23 July 2023 to engage with the hundreds of festival attendees and showcase all the brilliant research being led by the faculty to aid both human and animal health.
Visitors young and old were invited to take part in a range of fun, interactive activities, including carrying out ultrasounds of specimens and guessing what species were being analysed and what their condition may be.
The Liverpool festival team included Professor Mandy Peffers, members of the INSPIRE group, and PhD student Emily Clarke.
Emily commented: “Throughout the weekend we met many excited and enthusiastic children and adults, with a stand footfall of over 800 people across the three days, from young people with dreams of being marine biologists, chemists and astrophysicists, as well as doctors and vets.
“To adults with a passion for science that shared a genuine love of the opportunity to have a ‘pint with a professor’ or learn something new from the range of stands and activities available. The team have raved about the experience and have said they would recommend the opportunity to anyone with an interest in public engagement, even if it was very muddy!”
Alongside the faculty OneHealth team, the Microage group were in attendance, leading attendees through their high-flying research on the effects of ageing in muscle and their partnership with the UK Space Agency. The team showcased a range of activities to allow people to better understand the changes out musculoskeletal system undergoes during ageing, and how their experiements on the International Space Centre are providing them with a unique ability to see those processes as they play out.
The BlueDot Festival has been held annually at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Jodrell Bank since 2016. It brings together music, science, and culture, with live science experiments, expert talks, and immersive artworks.
You can find out more about the festival here.