The resolution revolution captivates CosmoCaixa visitors

From 11th to 14th of April, a group of researchers from the SBU has participated in the outreach event organised by the Parc Cientific and Caixabank Foundation, called “Fira Recerca en Directe“, which took place in the science museum Cosmocaixa. The SBU had one stand in which researchers explained how to obtain 3D protein structures using cryo-electron microscopy. Participants had the opportunity to see the grids used to put the sample into the microscope, to simulate the particle picking process and to discover how the reconstruction of 3D representations from 2D images works.

During the first three days, students from different secondary education institutions came to discover how researchers tackle the challenge of determining protein structures. On Saturday, the event was open to all general public attending the museum, and both grown-ups and kids, as well as many future undergraduate students came to ask about our research and to experiment with us.

The aim of “Fira Recerca en Directe” is to bring close the research to general public and to foster scientific vocations among young people. The event joint 11 research groups from Catalonia move their laboratories to the Cosmocaixa and showed how researchers daily work is.