"Research should be a part of society and not stay within the walls of the university. School collaboration is important to achieve this", says Marie Palmnäs, postdoc at the Division of Food and Nutrition Science at Chalmers.
She and five colleagues have therefor initiated an interactive event focused on nutrition research and diet intervention studies in the school program at the International Science Festival in Gothenburg.
She and five colleagues have therefor initiated an interactive event focused on nutrition research and diet intervention studies in the school program at the International Science Festival in Gothenburg.
"With this event we hope to increase the students' interest in biology or other fields in natural science and at the same time show how complex, varied and rewarding research process actually is", says Marie Palmnäs.
Informing and interacting with society is part of the researchers', doctoral students' as well as professors', mission. It can be difficult, though, to find the right arenas for outreach - especially during the pandemic when the physical meetings have been scarce.
"There is always a risk that we, especially as young researchers focus too much on our own projects and miss the bigger picture. For successful outreach, our research must be put in context. It can be very helpful and rewarding to meet different target groups, in this case high school students, to adapt the communication to them and listen to their questions and opinions", says Marie Palmnäs.
Simulation of research project
During the event at the Science Festival, she and five doctoral students, Elise Nordin, Sebastian Åberg, Thérése Hjorth, Olle Hartvigsson and Viktor Skantze, will let 15-year-old high school students experience a simulation of a research project. They will start with the set-up of a clinical study, do laboratory work, and finally analyse and discuss the data that has been collected. The event is based on an internationally recognised IBS project, but in a concentrated format.
"We also want to show the wide range within the area of nutrition; that there are many different tasks and people needed within a project, spanning from nutritionists to data analysts, and how we bring these fundamentally different parts of the project together. This event might also broaden the students' image of Chalmers. It may not be generally known that we conduct research in food and nutrition science at the Department of Biology and Biological Engineering", says Marie Palmnäs.
Contribute to society − strong driving force for researchers
In times of fake news and research being questioned in public discussions, the researchers behind the event hope that students will gain a little more knowledge about the solid and rigorous process behind a research result.
"We are involved in countless discussions about the set-up of each project and how to interpret and communicate the results. Our projects go through ethical assessments, are evaluated alongside other projects to (hopefully) get funding and the papers are extensively reviewed prior to submission. We want the students to understand how much goes into each research study - and that we base our knowledge on results and experiences from years of prior research. Our research may, in turn, be something other researchers can base their studies on and that we can base new innovations, dietary guidelines etc. from. In this way, we contribute to society, which I believe is a strong driving force for most researchers," says Marie Palmnäs.
The event can inspire other researchers
The Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, where the researchers behind the event work, actively supports school collaboration and outreach to the society.
"We have received a lot of support from the department, and we see this event as a pilot project that can both inspire and guide other researchers in all the divisions at the department."
Text: Susanne Nilsson Lindh
Meet researchers from the Department of Biology and Biological Engineering at the Science Festival
PUBLIC PROGRAM
Wednesday 4 May
Researchers' Driving Force - the Unknown
Interview: Acclaimed researchers about possible future discoveries.
Thursday 5 May -Sunday 8 May
Blå mat − framtidens sjömat
Exhibition
Friday 6 May
Scientific Research Pipeline in Cancer Studies
Lecture: The new approaches of performing research in different steps of dealing with cancer.
Evolution in Yeast using CRISPR Technology
Lecture: Evolution is the main way to get genes with novel properties and CRISPR can act as an evolution tool.
Havets hållbara protein
Lecture
Lördag 7 maj
How Can We Eat Seaweed?
Lecture: Join us to know more about seaweed or try delicious seaweed treats!
Sön 8 maj
A Peek into the Microworld with Foldscope
Workshop: Make your own paper origami microscopes 'foldscopes' and explore the microworld with us.
