Science in the City Malta 2016

The human brain has 100 billion neurones with 100 trillion connections, probably the most complex organ in the Universe. There are huge research projects in Europe and America that are either trying to make a map of all these connection or recreate our brain on computers. These discoveries will change our world. To celebrate Science in the City has gathered psychiatric nurses, artists, doctors, neurosurgeons, performers, neuroscientists, cognitive scientists and a troupe of creatives, students, and researchers to bring a jam packed festival spanning from the 28 Sep till the 2 Oct.

Our Big Night is on the 30 Sep as part of European Researchers’ Night when we transform Valletta with interactive exhibitions, artworks, music, theatre, talks and live experiments. The main festival area will span from City Gate along Republic Street to St George’s Square including venues in between.

St. George’s Square will be transformed into a Brain Square featuring art installations, music and theatre, an exhibition, and a brain show hosted by Dorian Cassar with a series of talks by world leading neuroscientists and neurosurgeons.

Andrew Schembri and Toni Gialanzé will lead Brainrave – a system that controls music and visuals with the brain. Mount Carmel Hospital will be showcasing the evolution of psychiatry exhibition and an art exhibition will be put up by the Richmond Foundation. While the Malta Association of Psychiatric Nurses invites the public to meet them for a chat.

Raphael Vella will be exhibiting Cortex, an art installation inspired by neuroscience and scientific comparative studies of different mammalian brains. Paul Curmi dance company is preparing a Maltese traditional dance with movements reflecting the disruption caused by Alzheimer’s disease.

City Gate entrance will also be bursting with spectacular science fair, talks, exhibitions and meet the researchers, including an area dedicated to health and rare diseases (National Alliance for Rare Diseases Support Malta, Malta Biobank, Ministry of Health) and the mobile dental clinic run by the Malta Association of Dental Students and RIDT. A display of four anthropomorphic sculptures displaying the evolution of the nervous system will be set up by Liliana Fleri Soler. Moveo Dance Company will present “Trust Me”, a moving piece performed blinded on an elevated platform. Other participants at City Gate include MCAST and IASSO labs, Coca-Cola, Wasteserv and Brain Game, and an interactive brain area.

Spazju Kreattiv St James Cavalier will be hosting science-fun activities for children and young teens. These include puppet shows in the cinema room at 6pm till 9pm coupled to Kids Dig Science, science and arts workshops in Studio A. At the Cinema, CineXjenza will present a film on Alzheimer’s disease at 9.00pm, followed by a discussion with Prof. Charles Scerri. Malta Café Scientifique will bring their best science talks at the Music Room from 7.00pm to 11.00pm. Teatru Anon will be performing “I’m Still Here”, one woman’s battle with a life threatening condition. The performance will be held at the Theatre Room at 6.30pm, and repeated at 8.00pm and 9.30pm. Entrance tickets are at €5 each and can be booked from St James Cavalier Booking Office.

Pjazza Teatru Rjal will host an experimental performance of Funk Initiative’s debut album, Cartographers, inspired by insights into the human mind by prominent neurologists, psychoanalysts, poets and artists from 7.30pm. Meet Gianluca Bezzina, Paul Torpiano, Shaun Abdilla, Christopher Tate, Luke Grech, Fabian Bonello, Daniel Buttigieg in between shows at Meet the Researchers at City Gate

In a beautiful area between Spazju Kreattiv, Pjazza Teatru Rjal and Parliament, there will be a space to see how brain food can be fair (Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust, il-Ħanut l-Arka), Lichen It (Fingerprints), Shark Bite (Sharklab-Malta), an Insect exhibition (Entomological Society of Malta), Science fiction exhibition (Creative Writers’ Alliance Malta), and even take home your own plant (Nature Trust Malta)—plus an NSTF Interactive Exhibition and MCST science busking area..

Republic Street will be taken over by buskers: young scientists from commerce, psychology, medicine, ICT, engineering, pharmacy and health science students. Over 20 stands will be full of brain scans, experiments, health checks and a pico-satelitte. While outside the Law Courts, the Science Stage will feature money, forces and explosions (S-Cubed, ASCS, UESA, IEEE, ICTSA, MMSA, MHSA, MPSA, BetaPsi [plus the DTEAM educators and Kamra tal-Ispiżjara ta’ Malta]).

Another art installation, interactive games and experiments will be set up at Pjazza Regina, and at the National Library a series of science debates focusing on the facts of IVF; Euthanasia, Organ donation; overcoming mental illness will be led by student organisations GħSL and INSITE from 7.00pm

The Science in the City festival—European Researchers’ Night is supported by the European Commission’s Research and Innovation Framework Programme Horizon 2020 (H2020, 2014–2020) by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions. The event is organised by the University of Malta, Malta Chamber of Scientists and the Research Trust of the University of Malta, in partnership with Jugs Malta, Studio 7, MEUSAC, MCST, Valletta Local Council, Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology, PBS, Notte Bianca, Spazju Kreativ, and General Soft Drinks with Coca Cola. The festival has been recognised by EFFE International Jury to receive the EFFE Label 2015-2016.

All the events will be uploaded shortly on Facebook or can already be accessed here: http://scienceinthecity.org.mt