Probe: The scientific equivalent of Culture Night comes to TCD

Analyse your digital footprint, visit the Long Room and eat a crowdsourced meal

On the Probe trail in TCD during the 2016 staging of the event.
On the Probe trail in TCD during the 2016 staging of the event.

More than 40 free events including debates and live experiments feature in Dublin's "pop up festival of research" taking place at Trinity College Dublin on Friday night.

Topics range from how the study of video games can lead to research breakthroughs in crowd psychology to how bees communicate with each other. They make up the diverse world of academic research and are part of ‘Probe: Research Uncovered’ for 2017, which is being staged by universities across Europe.

The scientific equivalent of Culture Night is hosted in partnership with the Science Gallery Dublin.

A Probe participant gets a chance to see science up close at the  festival last year.
A Probe participant gets a chance to see science up close at the festival last year.

In Trinity’s Front Square, visitors will be invited to contribute to live experiments. There are also exclusive performances from the award-winning Mornington Singers; interactive workshops, stand-up comedy and storytelling sessions guiding visitors through a mix of research subjects including the study of vaccinations; the future of tiny satellites, and artificial intelligence.

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Other highlights include:

Roboslam: Learn how to build your own bot; battle against other creations and explore how to build classic arcade games at the Roboslam table in the Maker Tent.

A Brief History of Life: A journey through the history of life, told by Professor of Zoology Nicola Marples, and illustrated by six incredible artefacts from Trinity College Dublin's Natural History Museum.

Research and Activism: Host Sinéad Burke, a PhD Researcher in Trinity who has been a strong voice in calling for more inclusive design practices, leads a discussion on the overlap between research and activism. She will be joined by scientist Jessamyn Fairfield, Christina Meehan of Plan International and Niall Breslin.

The Probe programme begins at 5pm. More details available at: tcd.ie/research/probe

Kevin O'Sullivan

Kevin O'Sullivan

Kevin O'Sullivan is Environment and Science Editor and former editor of The Irish Times