The event was run by Pint of Science, a grassroots non-profit organisation that has grown over the past few years since two people decided to share their research in the pub. Their mission has expanded, but their core values remain the same: to provide 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. They create events that allow people to discuss the research going on both on their doorsteps and beyond.
With this in mind, the NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Centre sponsored an evening as part of ‘The Body’ arm of the festival. This aimed to inform the public about eyes and the research work we do here. The event was well attended and took place in a London pub, The Owl and Hitchhiker, with poker games underway in the next room and pool being played downstairs, not a mysterious lab or lecture theatre.
Andrew spoke on his ‘seriously’ specialist subject, the Human Eye. Covering the evolution of the eye, the importance of eye health to every single person and future innovations in eye health care. He helped us to discover the eye’s unique status in the body’s systems and how it interacts with the other senses.
Colin took us on a journey through some of the imaging they work with in his lab. He guided us through the eye into the other systems in the body and had the audience investigate the ways the eye can tell us about our overall health. Speaking about developments and research into three converging fields he presented the audience with the possibility of a truly different future.
They both delivered entertaining talks, the real joy of the evening was the Q&A where members of the audience who were student scientists and members of the public asked considered and tricky questions. It was great to see Andrew and Colin thinking on their feet to answer some of the trickier questions and if you want to hear what the most shocking thing they have ever seen in an eye, you will have to come to another one of our public events in the future and ask the question.
