Soapbox Science 2018

Dr Emma Richards and chemistry PhD student Katherine Armstrong took part in the 2018 Soapbox Science event in Cardiff city centre.

Dr Richards presented her research into the use of metal oxide nanoparticles for a wide range of applications, including pigments and catalysts for environmental remediation of toxic air pollutants.

Soapbox Science is a novel public outreach platform for promoting the research activities of female scientists. A number of free Soapbox Science events take place in city centres across the UK throughout the year. This year’s Cardiff event took place underneath the Alliance Sculpture outside St David’s shopping center and Cardiff Central Library on 2nd June 2018. In total, 12 female researchers took to their soapboxes to teach, inform and inspire the general public about their latest discoveries.

Dr Richards said: “One of the highlights of the day, especially given the glorious weather conditions, was demonstrating the use of titanium dioxide in sunscreen applications with the aid of invisible ink pens.  It was great to see people of all ages getting involved – events like Soapbox Science are a great opportunity for academics to interact with the public about our science, and it was a real privilege to be involved.”

During the course of the afternoon, over 11,000 visitors engaged with the science busking, with one visitor commenting “I’ve learnt so much today, I’m so glad that I saw the crowd and came along to listen.”