Dr Sarah-Jane Judge, one of the staff members who took part, describes how the event supported her work. Doors Open Day is Scotland’s largest free festival, which sees hundreds of fascinating buildings across Scotland open to the public for free. As part of the University of Edinburgh’s Doors Open Day events The Usher Building, which is our new home, and the Institute for Regeneration and Repair opened their doors for a joint BioQuarter event in September.As well as getting a good look at the beautiful new building, the local community had plenty of activities to choose from. With science magic shows, art exhibitions and eye scans, there was something for everyone – including the chance to be tattooed by Usher researchers! Tattoo My Science vistior gets temporary tattoos - photo credit Kitty Flynn. Tattoo My ResearchDoors Open Day was the perfect opportunity to launch my new public engagement activity ‘Tattoo my Research’. It builds on the long running success of ‘Tattoo my Science,’ an initiative started by the University’s Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology, back in 2017 which lets members of the public choose from a range of a tattoo designs, both henna and transfer, based on cutting edge research from the University, with the tattoo artists being the researchers themselves! Researchers from the Wellcome Centre were on hand to help Usher Institute researchers deliver the new designs linked to research ranging from contraceptives to childhood chest infections. Whilst being tattooed, there was the opportunity for discussion about the chosen image and research more generally. Feedback from the visitors was extremely positive with most choosing multiple designs that they can then go home and explain to their family and friends. Sarah-Jane Judge Sarah-Jane is currently undertaking an eight-month Science and Engagement Fellowship with the Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society. Her research interest is in the impact of research adjacent activities, such as public engagement activities, on the research culture of an institution. Interdisciplinary collaborations, such as Tattoo my Research at Doors Open Day, will form part of her research, as she looks into how these activities provide opportunities for networking, socialising, and novel idea generation. Sarah-Jane Judge profile – Wellcome Centre For Cell Biology More InformationBioQuarter Doors Open Day - Institute of Regeneration and RepairDoors Open Days (external website) Publication date 20 Nov, 2024