Participatory and art-based approaches are key aspects of research and communication actions

As well as working on developing a bio-inspired solution for the large-scale manufacturing of biosensors, Bioassembler is fostering dialogues with society about the results and impacts of this technology throughout the project’s lifespan. To this end, we are implementing a series of dissemination, exploitation and communication actions (see WP2 goals), grounded on a dialogical approach to involve society in what is happening in our laboratories. 

Over the past months, members of the CES team participated in two academic conferences. During the events, they presented the first outcomes of the project’s public engagement actions. They also highlighted another area of the strategy: merging art and science by using art-based approaches in our upcoming communication products.

Find out more about the events and the papers presented:

Bioassembler at ECSA Conference (Vienna, Austria)

In April, Rita Campos and Bianca Brito, members of the CES team, travelled to Vienna, Austria to attend the European Citizen Science Association Conference (ECSA2024).

Rita and Bianca are leading the participatory process for producing an art-based dictionary for the project. During the conference, they presented an oral paper entitled “The role of citizen science in addressing scientific controversies“, in which they shared an overview of the Bioassembler project and the first results of two engagement sessions with students in Portugal.

Bioassembler at SciComPt (Braga, Portugal)

In May, CES team member Bianca Brito attended the Congress of the Science and Technology Communication Network of Portugal (SciComPt 2024), which took place in Braga, Portugal.

In a session focused on Art and Science collaborations, she presented the work “Artistic and Participatory Approaches in Science Communication“, co-authored with Rita Campos. In this presentation, she also highlighted how the project has fostered public engagement and how the results of these social interactions are contributing to the creation of the visual dictionary. This illustrated book is currently in production and will explain key concepts from the universe of biosensor technologies, exploring the socio-cultural impacts of the innovations developed in the project.