A message from the Deputy Dean (People & Culture)

The Faculty of Science and Technology is committed to the implementation of the Universities Dornwell action plan and addressing gender equity and diversity in STEM subjects. The SET faculty is very proud to be able to support the first-ever Soapbox Science Adelaide event. Six University of Adelaide scientists will be speaking at the Soapbox Science Adelaide event on the 5th of August 2022. One of our leading scientists and a 2021 Superstar of STEM, Dr. Samantha Munroe, is a member of Soapbox Science Adelaide’s organizing committee. Dr. Munroe has provided her perspective and further information about the event below. I welcome colleagues to support and promote Soapbox Scientists.

If you have not heard of them before, Soapbox Science is a novel public outreach platform for promoting women and non-binary scientists and the work they do. Their events, which are held all over the world, transform public areas into an arena for public learning and direct engagement with scientists. “Soapbox Scientists” literally stand on soapboxes and enthusiastically yell out about their science to passers-by, a little like science busking! Soapbox Science promotes community engagement by using only words, props, and activities. There are no PowerPoint slides and no seminar room – just organic interactions and the opportunity for the public to ask all their burning scientific questions.

The inaugural event will be hosted by Science Alive! on Friday 5 August at the Adelaide Showground and will feature six speakers from the University of Adelaide. They will be discussing an incredible array of topics, like designing new beverages for astronauts, advanced strategies to fight bacterial infections in bone, and making edible insects a bigger part of our diet.

Speakers are also taking on what can sometimes be controversial subjects, like University of Adelaide PhD candidate Ashleigh Geiger, who will be talking about the amazing healing potential of genome editing. Said Geiger, “I am going to be talking about how we can use genome editing technology to change our world. Just like maybe you have a Panadol if you have a headache, maybe you’ll take some genome editing if you need to cure an eye disease.”

Helping kickstart Soapbox Science in Adelaide has been a wonderful privilege. Our group is made up of dedicated and brilliant scientists who want to smash barriers in STEM for women of all backgrounds. Soapbox Science is an important way we can speak to people directly without a filter and change perceptions about what scientists really look like.

I am so impressed by our speakers. It takes a lot of creativity and courage to stand up in front of the public and discuss their work. I can’t wait to see them in action!

We plan to hold events each year, giving women in all areas of STEM a chance to participate. You can learn more about Soapbox Science Adelaide from their website or follow them on Twitter.