[24/04/2025] Several Informatics research students will be presenting at the grassroots science festival Pint of Science. It takes place between 19-21 May and brings researchers to local pubs to present their scientific discoveries. The audience doesn’t need any prior knowledge. Tech Me Out – big data sets and millions of cells Three biomedical AI students will be involved in two events at Leith Depot, that fall under the ‘Tech Me Out’ theme. Navigating the Big Data Maze, 19th May, Leith Depot On 19 May, Barry Ryan (CDT in Biomedical AI) and Simona Doneva (visiting PhD student) will explore how AI can help navigate big datasets. The progression of Parkinson’s disease varies greatly from person to person. Scientific advancements made it possible to measure a variety of biological markers (e.g. DNA, RNA and protein) from a simple blood sample. Barry will explain whether these measures can be combined to give a clearer insight into the progression of the disease in an individual. In the second talk of the night, Simona will explore how natural language processing (NLP) is being used to extract meaning from a messy, complicated pile of research articles. Scientific research output is growing faster than we can read it, and some of the most important findings might get lost in the noise. From human trial data to animal studies, AI might help bridge gaps in knowledge. However, teaching machines to "understand" science is far from straightforward. Image Event details Zooming In & Zooming Out, 20th May, Leith Depot On 20 May, Thibaut Goldsborough (CDT in Biomedical AI) will look into how AI can help map the millions of cells in our bodies. Microscopy images can be very large and zooming in and out of them can be like exploring Google maps. Only regions such as muscle, fat, mucous, or a tumour are noticed at first but zooming all the way in allows to see the shape and size of individual cells and how they all interact. Studying these requires specialized AI tools that can efficiently detect and describe the millions of cells that make up human organs. As part of the same event, Dr Douglas Finch (Senior Research Scientist at the School of GeoSciences) will talk about using AI to tackle climate change, where it is used to track pollution in real time, from factories to power plants, using satellite data. Image Event details Atoms to Galaxies - turning computation on its head with quantum physics Subatomic: Physics at the Edge of Understanding, 19th May, Bar50 On 19 May, María Gragera Garcés (PhD in Quantum Computing) will examin the strange quantum rules that could revolutionize how we process information at an event which falls under the ‘Atoms to galaxies’ theme. Quantum computing harnesses atoms and photons to process information in ways no classical machine can. From cracking codes to simulating molecules, these machines promise to reshape science and technology. In her talk, María will explore how quantum physics is turning computation on its head. As part of the same event, Dr William Barter (School of Physics and Astronomy) will talk about the search for new fundamental particles that may solve some of the biggest open problems in our understanding of the universe. Image Event details Meet the scientist Pint of Science is a grassroots non-profit organisation dedicated to providing a space for researchers and members of the public alike to come together, be curious, and chat about research in a relaxed environment outside of mysterious laboratories or daunting dark lecture theatres. The first festival, was held in 2013 in just three cities. It quickly took off around the world and now happens in nearly 500 cities. The events broadly fall into the following topics: Beautiful Mind - neuroscience, psychology and psychiatry Atoms to Galaxies - physics, chemistry, maths, astronomy Our Body - medicine, human biology, health Planet Earth - geosciences, plant sciences, zoology Tech Me Out - technology, robotics, computers, engineering Our Society - law, history, politics, policy, languages Creative Reactions - art and science come together Related links Browse all Pint of Science events in Edinburgh Tags 2025 Event Research Student Publication date 24 Apr, 2025
