A special thanks to our volunteers!

The WWIEM held an open day at the Northern Ireland Science Festival- “LOVE YOUR HEALTH”, aimed to celebrate science, foster curiosity, and promote STEM education among participants of all ages. The event on 14^th February 2026 attracted a diverse audience of over 200 visitors, including families, students, educators and science enthusiasts from the local community and beyond.

The success of the Science Festival would not have been possible without the invaluable contributions of our dedicated volunteers. Over 50 volunteers generously donated their time and expertise to assist with event planning, setup, coordination, and participant engagement. Their enthusiasm, professionalism, and passion for science greatly enhanced the overall experience for attendees.

Activities and Exhibits:

The festival featured a wide range of interactive exhibits, hands-on activities, workshops, and presentations designed to engage and educate participants about various scientific concepts and discoveries. Highlights included:

• Exhibition stations
• The cell culture suite and tour
• The Gory Corner
• Imaging unit tour
• Science cinema featuring WWIEM researchers

 

Reception Desk

Our reception team's tireless efforts ensured that every attendee felt welcomed and assisted throughout the event. They greeted, guided, organized, and answered all inquiries, playing a significant role in creating a welcoming atmosphere for all volunteers. Thank you very much to Georgia Miles and Roisin Morelli!

Exhibition Stations

Groups came together to feature a wide range of interactive exhibits, hands-on activities, to engage and educate participants about various scientific activities that take place in our Centre. Volunteers generously donated their time and expertise to assist with event planning, setup, coordination, and participant engagement. Their enthusiasm, professionalism, and passion for science enhanced the overall experience for attendees and we are very grateful!

 

 

 

 

 

Cell Culture Suite & Tour

We also organized a workshop on cell culture, where our visitors learnt basic principles of cell culture and had the chance to play scientists. The workshop was accompanied by a tour to see real equipment, real cells and a scientist at work!

Gory Dungeon

The Gory Dungeon was back this year, and it was very popular! Dr Mary McGahon and Jasenka did a non-stop workshop teaching about the anatomy of the heart, lungs and digestive system. Kids, families and adults alike enjoyed this hands-on experience.

Advanced Imaging Tour

The very popular Advanced Imaging Tour was sold out this year. The tour features short talks displaying the capabilities of our imaging suite, and teaching visitors about how we use imaging in medical research.

Science Cinema

This year we turned the basement seminar room into a “Science Cinema” featuring professional research videos from WWIEM researchers. A performance from the HIVE choir was also featured in the cinema videos. This area provided a nice rest stop for people to sit and learn about the research that happens in WWIEM.

Feedback from our visitors

• “All the stalls were really fascinating”
• “Great activities for kids but really informative for adults”
• “Great mix and the right amount of stalls to be able to spend time at each and not feel rushed”
• “I learnt so much today”
• “It was awesome!”
• “Awesome fun in the dungeon!”

 

Thanks to our volunteers

Gunnar Schroeder, David Cinseros,  Andrea Puhar, Bianca Plouffe, Imre Lengyel, Tunde Peto, Guillermo Lopez Campos, Evan Troendle, Michael Glenn, Niamh Johnston, Oisin Cappa, Stephen Bridgett, Adam Keen, David  Grieve,  Chris Watson, Tom Waterfield,  Helen Groves, Shaun O'Hagan, Hannah, Norman -Bruce, Holly Drummond, Bettina Shock and Team, Amy Jayne McKnight and the Rare Disease Team, Susan Kee, Claire Hill and the NI Kidney Research Team, Andriana Margariti, Refik Kubras, Asim Tashkandi and the Margariti team, Louise Carey, Mary Mc Gahon, Jasenka Guduric-Fuchs, Clara Radulescu, Emma McKay, Harsh Choudhary, Yuhan Gao, Hannah Turkington, Katie Marshall, Gervase McGivern, Shannon McDonnell, Ileana Micu, Tim Curtis, Colin Adrain, Carmel Mc Vicar, Peter Barabas, Nadia Shohid, Georgia Miles, Roisin Morelli, Janani Thiyagarajan, Michael Perkins, Debi Mitchell, Rosemary Robinson,  John Conlon Alex Herman, Evangeline Johnston, Tara Cullen, Kate Carlin, Ashleigh McMullan, Valeria De Filippis, Coby Cheetham, John Conlon, Zeinab Abdelrahman, Priscilla Jeyaraj, Katie Quinn, Chris Wooster, Ruth Montgomery, Ewa Aksenczuk, Liam Coyle, Hong Guo Parke, Daniel Kennedy, Alison Carroll, Holly Drummond, Clare Mills

And all general volunteers who came on the day to support their teams!

Special thanks to those who helped with setting up and clearing the atrium, to our first aiders (Rosemary Robinson, John Conlon and Peter Barabas) and to the reception team (Michael Perkins and Debi Mitchell).

Organizers:

Eleni Beli

David Simpson

Karis Little