Researcher’s mad world of science and fun

UQ Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology researcher Dr Drew Titmarsh is taking science to the masses, but making sure it is fun as well as informative.

Dr Titmarsh has been invited to a Mad Scientist Tea Party at The Edge, the State Library’s Digital Culture Centre, on June 23 as part of a program called Bioscience: Other Nature.

The program aims to bring scientists, science aficionados and newcomers together to discuss everything from micro-organisms and DNA to art and ethics.

As part of the Science Fair, Dr Titmarsh will be reserved a place at a table set with tea and given a chance to share his journey to scientific discovery.

He is a recent AIBN PhD graduate and now a postdoctoral research fellow in the laboratory of Professor Justin Cooper-White, with a project focusing on a technology to aid stem cell medical therapies, pre-clinical drug screening and basic biological research.

The project, funded with a UniQuest Pathfinder Grant, involves working with commercial partners and leading laboratories on microbioreactor array technology that Dr Titmarsh developed in his PhD studies.

The multidisciplinary project combines microfluidic design and fabrication; pluripotent stem cell culture and differentiation; and modeling.

Dr Titmarsh said the Mad Scientist Tea Party was a perfect way to educate people about the cutting-edge research at facilities such as AIBN.

“What we do at AIBN will hopefully have a major impact in the field of medicine in years to come,” he said.

“It could improve the health of people around the world.

“Yet many people are not aware of our research and the transformational impact stem cells are poised to have during our lifetime.

“I enjoy turning people on to the possibilities of that future and dispelling common misconceptions. The best way to do that is through an interactive program where the scientist is accessible and easy to understand.”

Dr Titmarsh will be speaking at the Mad Scientist Tea Party from 6pm on June 23. Visit http://edgeqld.org.au/programs/bioscience/

Media: Erik de Wit T: 61 7 3346 3962, M: 0427 281 466 E: e.dewit@uq.edu.au