European Researcher’s Night 2024

The European Researchers' Night is a fantastic way for research infrastructures such as Euro-BioImaging to connect with diverse audiences. Every year in September, researchers across Europe take time to talk to their local communities about their work. This year, under a splendid autumnal sun, teams from the Multimodal Molecular Imaging Italian Node in Milano and Euro-BioImaging Med-Hub in Torino, participated in the “Notte europea dei ricercatori” festivities with posters, games and fun activities for children. Euro-BioImaging Node colleagues in Coimbra and Oeiras, Portugal, were also active locally in the “Noite Europeia dos Investigadores.” We spoke to Sara Belloli and  Silvia Valtorta of the MMMI Node in Milan, and with Erika Cerutti and Feriel Ramdhane of the Euro-BioImaging Med-Hub team to learn more about these initiatives. We highlight activities from our colleagues in Portugal, too.

European Researcher's Night in Milan

On Saturday, September 27, representatives of Euro-BioImaging’s MMMI Italian Node had a dedicated space to talk about their work in Milan’s beautiful Piazza Duomo.  “It was very amazing,” explained Sara Belloli, Researcher at IBSBC-CNR. “There were many different target audiences, like families, researchers and tourists.” “We spoke to thousands of people,” her colleague, Silvia Valtorta, added. 

The day started at 10 am, with demonstrations and interactive activities with school groups until 3 pm. Students aged 11-13 were able to visit workstations and participate in activities allowing them to explore CT functioning, metabolomics & other imaging related approaches. In the afternoon, the activities were open to all. The event lasted long into the night, until 11 pm. 

“The overarching message we aimed to get across is that Research is connected to life,” explains Sara. “For CT and PET, we explained that they are diagnostic techniques that allow you to understand what’s happening in your body. Our basic research scales up to the clinic and many people and resources are put into play. Everything is connected. This is a concept both children and adults can understand,” concludes Sara. 

European Researcher's Night in Torino

In Torino, the Euro-BioImaging Med-Hub team had a spot shared with the department of Chemistry and the department of Molecular Biotechnologies and Health Sciences of the Turin University in the gorgeous “Piazza Castello”, just in front of the main entrance to “Palazzo Reale”.  Med-Hub team members Erika Cerutti and Feriel Ramdhane exhibited a poster that graphically summarised the Euro-BioImaging activities while the other departments prepared some nice games attracting both children and adults. “We had the occasion to explain to lots of curious people how Euro-BioImaging can support the research of scientists around the globe and how it can contribute in connecting researchers and specialists working in the imaging field who only occasionally need imaging technologies,” explains Erika.

European Researcher's Night in Portugal

Other Euro-BioImaging Node representatives were also involved in European Researcher’s Night. Researchers from CIBIT, University of Coimbra, part of our Portuguese BIN Node, were part of the local “Noite Europeia dos Investigadores”, with activities centred on "The Global Brain: bridges to mental health".  Their booth, located next to a restaurant in Coimbra’s downtown included games and a Brain Maze Escape Room. 

These amazing, creative initiatives from our Nodes and Med-Hub are an important way to connect with local communities and raise awareness about basic research. Their efforts to explain the power of imaging in supporting human health research using localised, audience-adapted material, is extremely effective.