Science Communication Bus

Six young, Irish Science Ambassadors will travel across Europe this summer on a specially commissioned science communications bus. The bus will visit a number of European cities to promote Dublin City of Science 2012. This will include a five day visit to Turin, the 2010 European City of Science, to coincide with the city’s science celebrations which take place from 2nd – 7th July.

Chosen for their gift and passion for science communication, the Science Ambassadors will visit a number of centres of scientific interest in each city and will report on their experiences using social media tools such as Twitter, blogging and YouTube. Their aim will be to convey to other young people the excitement of science and the international opportunities it opens up, as they report on their experiences, first hand. The bus will be a fully equipped media centre with a satellite broadband connection to enable them to upload material in near real-time.

Organised by Discover Science and Engineering in partnership with Fáilte Ireland, Dublin City Council and the Office of the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government, the Bus will depart from the Mansion House in Dublin on the 16th June and arrive in Turin on the 1st July. Along the way it will have stop-offs in Liverpool, Brussels and Amsterdam. After Turin, the Bus will continue on its odyssey with stop-offs in Barcelona and Toulouse en route back to Dublin.

The Bus will promote Dublin City of Science 2012 along the route and during the stay in Turin and also highlight the fact that Ireland is now a world-class destination for International Conferences.

The bus is a two-storey “double-decker” bus and will be an eye-catching sight on the roads of Europe. It has undergone a major mechanical overhaul to ensure that it is suitable and safe for travel over long distances on European motorways.

It has been totally refitted internally to make it suitable for such a trip. The internal layout incorporates a computer work area and a space for small meetings and conducting interviews. It also has its own electrical generator and important concessions to passenger comfort such as a kitchen unit and a toilet.

Externally, the bus has been carefully branded to support the goals outlined above.

When the Bus is stationary at promotional events in city centres a branded awning will extend from the side of the bus to shelter a fenced off exhibition area with tables, chairs and a wide-screen TV for the playing of promotional DVDs.