The Pint of Science Festival in Bristol was run over three nights in May, bringing together researchers and members of the public.  The festival aim is to take science out of laboratories and lecture theatres and into a relaxed pub environment with science presented in an inclusive and accessible way.  It was great to see that many of the events were completely sold out, attracting a diverse audience and covering a broad range of topics, with the only common theme being shared scientific curiosity. 

One of these events, co-organised by School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine (CMM) PhD student Simon Eastham, was run in a cosy railway arch pub called 'Little Martha Brewing'.  Here, along with colleagues from the School of Physiology Pharmacology and Neuroscience (PPN), a series of talks on the theme of our ‘Beautiful Minds’ was held.  The range of topics covered included Dementia, brain organoids, neuro-prosthetics, AI, sleep and psychedelics. The talks were then followed by vibrant Q&A sessions allowing everyone to engage and share their thoughts and ideas, in turn leading to further fascinating discussions and new ideas for some of the academic speakers.

CMM MRes student, Will Miller, organised events in the ‘Our Body’ theme, which included several CMM scientists, from Professor to PhD students, sharing their intriguing research on antimicrobial resistance. The line up included Professor Matthew Avison, speaking about the end of the antibiotic age, Dr Oliver Mounsey who talked about applying phylogenetics to anti-microbial resistance, Dr Carlos Reding on big-data analysis of bacterial genomes, Dr Catherine Tooke on applying X-ray crystallography to antimicrobial resistance, Dr Jordan Sealey on transmission of resistant bacteria and Michael Beer on understanding resistance to our current antibiotics.

Speaking about the event, Simon commented “The relaxed feel of the evening in a comfortable, friendly venue gave everyone an opportunity to share their thoughts, questions and ideas. Given the array of talks and the importance of communicating science effectively, we hope that next year will be as successful and enjoyable for everyone across our Bristol community".