Local communities linking with University researchers

 Local communities linking with University researchers to find solutions ...

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What services are required in a rapidly growing suburb of Cork to answer the needs of its residents? What is the level of pollution coming from nearby industry and what are the potential health implications?

These are examples of two Science Shop projects, the first of which was carried out in UCC this past year, and there will be many other project examples discussed at the upcoming Science Shop conference in UCC on April 4th. 
 
A Science Shop is not a shop per se; rather it's an office that brings local community groups together with students or researchers within the University and facilitates research being carried out on topics proposed by the community group by the students or researchers. Science Shops have been in existence across Europe and in the US since the early 80s, but the model has only recently been introduced in Universities such as UCC, DCU and NUI Galway. 
 
The purpose of the Science Shop conference on April 4th is to examine the potential for implementing a Science Shop in UCC across all disciplines and departments. The target audience for this conference is academics, community leaders, politicians and funding agencies. The conference is free to attend and all are welcome. 
 
The conference is kindly sponsored by UCC Arts Faculty funding and also by the Cork City Council.