July CÚRAM Public Engagement Programme Receives Award for Highly Collaborative Work
CÚRAM's Education and Public Engagement team recently received a 'Highly Commended Certificate' for the 2023 Mariano Gago Ecsite Responsible & Responsive Award. The award recognises the highly collaborative nature of the "Tiny Sea Creatures, Big Cures" exhibit created in collaboration with Galway Atlantaquaria.
The award was presented last month at the 2023 ECSITE Conference in Valetta, Malta. Ecsite, the European Collaborative for Science, Industry and Technology Exhibitions,is an internationally recognised organisation in science communication and public engagement.
As part of the conference proceedings, members of CÚRAM's Education and Public Engagement team presented the award-winning Science on Screen programme, together with partners Ardán, filmmaker Niamh Heery of Swansong Films, neuroscientist Eilis Dowd of University of Galway and patient contributors Tom Hope and Rachel O'Mahoney.
'Science Gets Cinematic' was the ECSITE session which brought together the voices of patients, scientists, filmmakers and science communication experts at CÚRAM with filmmaking experts at Ardán. The 75-minute session explored the impact of participation in the Science on Screen programme from various perspectives and practical insights into exploring the use of film as a science storytelling technique.
The Science on Screen programme funds documentary filmmaking and provides access to leading scientists to explore methods of scientific 'storytelling'. It has produced eight short films highlighting current research at CÚRAM and its impact on society.
With more than 320 organisations committed to inspiring people with science and technology and driving science engagement forward with professional events, projects and publications, Ecsite connects, inspires and empowers science engagement organisations and professionals, extending the reach and strengthening the impact of their work.
Ecsite's vision is a European society where citizens are encouraged to engage and participate in science. Their contribution to science research and policy is valuable in addressing humankind's global challenges.
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About Science on Screen
CÚRAM & Ardán together run a partnership project called 'Science on Screen', which aims to facilitate, promote and increase the inclusion of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) content in Irish film and TV production. The partnership began in 2016 with CÚRAM funding documentary filmmaking and providing access to leading scientists to explore scientific 'storytelling' methods and produce short films that incorporate current research at CÚRAM and its partners. These documentaries are freely available for community and educational screenings nationwide. Please contact Claire Riordan (claire.riordan@universityofgalway.ie) to request access. Since 2016, eight Science on Screen films have been produced. These have been broadcast on RTE and or TG4, screened at numerous international film festivals, and scooped six international awards. The documentaries are used throughout the country at schools, for community screenings and at academic conferences and have reached an audience of over 1 million people to date. You can access trailers for all films here.
About CÚRAM
CÚRAM is a world-leading Irish Medical Device R&D Centre (Over €270M committed to date) that works to improve the quality of life for people with chronic illness. Our scientific programme addresses key problems, technical challenges, and current medical device design and functionalisation limitations. We focus on improving existent devices, developing convergent technologies into clinical solutions and establishing quality standardisation systems. Our key strength is bringing together networks of specialist researchers, industry partners and clinicians to develop solutions for global health challenges. Our researchers focus on bioengineering approaches for repair and remodelling, improved drug delivery solutions, and superior medical implant designs to treat chronic diseases, including chronic and acute respiratory diseases, cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, neurological disorders, and musculoskeletal conditions.
About Ardán
Ardán is a non-profit, independent organisation operating across the West of Ireland and beyond. Our principal aim is to support audio-visual creatives in filmmaking, television, animation and games by enabling access and providing opportunities.
Our work is founded upon our belief in the incredible depth of talent we have in the regions of Ireland and, most significantly, in the West. We aim to enable that formidable creative spirit to enrich the audio-visual industry and for talented individuals to realise their full potential and grow a sustainable career path.
At the core of our support is providing opportunities. We know that talented people like you will not hesitate to seize opportunities if you can access them, and when you are given a chance to flex your creative muscles, you can and will produce something amazing.