ARMI Opens its Doors to the Public as part of Opening the Vault
Opening the Vault has become the leading public science event at ARMI, with the event returning this year for another edition.
In partnership with Convergence Science Network, ARMI has once again opened its lab doors to the general public, providing a rare sneak peek into the amazing work of ARMI scientists and the innovative tools they use to make groundbreaking discoveries.
Just like previous years, we saw attendees range from high school students to retirees, speaking to the enduring spirit of curiosity, and the power of science to intrigue and inspire.
Attendees had the chance to visit Aquacore, ever the popular pitstop, which highlighted the incredible regenerative capacity of certain species of aquatic animals and how ARMI scientists study them to better understand stem cells, early development and how we can harness these discoveries to develop new regenerative medicine-based treatments.
The night also took attendees into the dark of the microscopy room, where ARMI researchers talked about the colourful and complex images of cells and tissues they’ve captured with some of the institute’s advanced microscopes.
Public science events, such as Opening the Vault, don’t just serve the public. They also give scientists the opportunity to refine their presentation skills, to practise explaining their research to a broader audience and to connect with the community.
PhD student and ARMI Social Media Ambassador Oliver Anderson was one of the many volunteers on the night who shared his work from his research project.
“It was a very well attended evening with people of all kinds turning up, with many asking lots of interesting questions,” said Oliver. “It was great to be able to show people the kinds of research that they may never normally see and show them technology they don’t know even exists.”
Thank you to all ARMI researchers and staff who volunteered their time and shared their passion for science, Luan Ismahil from Convergence Science Network and ARMI’s Carolyn Hornstra and Lisa Douglas for organising the event, and all attendees!