Doors Open Day 2024

On 28 September 2024, we opened our doors to the public for our very first Doors Open Day.

In partnership with the Usher Building, the Institute for Regeneration and Repair hosted an open doors event for the public to visit our South building and engage with activities from across the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine.

Over the course of the day, volunteers from across the Institute and wider College invited visitors of all ages to participate in interactive science and research engagement.

The event was coordinated as part of 'Doors Open Day', Scotland's largest free festival that invites the public into fascinating Scottish spaces every September.

It was a fantastic opportunity to showcase the IRR's research, facilities and public and patient involvement (PPI). 

Children playing circuit buzzer game at Doors Open Day event

Francesca Hearn-Yeates, a PhD student from the Centre for Reproductive Health hosted her Wandering Womb exhibit - a walk-in uterus that invites visitors to share their experiences of menstrual bleeding. From the IRR Flow Cytometry team, guests used marble runs to understand the facility and the u-Care team brought their sci-art exhibit, laser game and UV art activity to share how UV is being used in medical therapies.

Our IRR South building hosted scientists from across CMVM, including teams from Edinburgh Neuroscience and the Roslin Institute. Visitors were given the chance to step into Zebrafish research with a Virtual Reality experience and get hands-on with microscopes and the human brain. A highlight for many was being able to chat with the real-life scientists about their current projects, with many visitors particularly interested in Roslin's oyster research into native species conservation.

  • Three women of mixed ages reading informative posters on the uterus in front of a large red tent.
  • A boy and woman sit down in a hall with VR headsets and a poster behind titled FishEye Reality
  • Two children and their mother looking down at a table laser game
  • Primary age boy looking at camera infront of a table with a microscope and numerous oysters

At the Usher Building, interactive workshops included a science magic show and a 'tattoo my research' station which offered members of the public the opportunity to show off their new knowledge with henna and temporary tattoos.

Alongside table-top activities, lab tours ran throughout the day, giving members of the public the rare opportunity to visit science facilities usually limited to researcher access only.

Visitors shared their feedback throughout the day and thoroughly enjoyed "learning about how research is important to health and the public", "seeing the facilities and understanding more about the work done here" and the "interactive, child-friendly displays".

It was a successful first year and we welcomed around 300 members of the public to the IRR and Usher Building. We eagerly await to see what science will be exhibited at Doors Open Day 2025!

A small group of people wearing lab coats in an IRR lab

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