Research at the University of Aberdeen into potentially deadly fungi is being showcased at the UK's leading exhibit of world-class research.
Aberdeen Fungal Group, one of the largest centres of excellence in medical mycology were selected to take part in the 2016 Royal Society Science Summer Exhibition, held in London this week.
The group’s Killer Fungus exhibit is based on the research being carried out through their £5.1m Wellcome Trust Strategic Award, in collaboration with 12 other UK institutions.
Professor Neil Gow, Head of the Aberdeen Fungal Group, said: “The Killer Fungus exhibit will help explain the massive role fungi plays in our planet’s ecosystem. Although often our friends, as the source of many essential foods and pharmaceutical products, fungi are also one of the world’s most important causes of life-threatening human infections.
"It's a great honour to be asked to exhibit at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition and it's a great opportunity for us to bring this area of study to life for visitors and highlight the leading position of Aberdeen in understanding fungi and developing interventions for fungal infection.”
The Royal Society event is part of a larger programme of public engagement being championed by the research team and supported by the University’s Public Engagement with Research team, and includes an exhibition at Aberdeen Science Centre which opened in May this year. This is also associated with the substantial public outreach funded by the University’s Wellcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support Fund.
The Royal Society is the independent scientific academy of the UK, dedicated to promoting excellence in science. Its annual Summer Science Exhibition is a week-long festival showcasing cutting edge science from across the UK, drawing over 12,000 visitors that include school pupils, industry and policy makers. The researchers from the University of Aberdeen will join teams from 22 other shortlisted UK universities and science institutions and will engage the audience with hands-on activities, talks and other events.
Keep up to date with the exhibition via @killerfungus16 and using the hashtag #summerscience
Details of the work of the Aberdeen Fungal Group can be seen at their Wellcome Trust Strategic Award website:http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mmfi/ and at the Wellcome Institutional Strategic Support Fund website: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/issf/.
The 2016 Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition can be visited at https://royalsociety.org/science-events-and-lectures/summer-science-exhibition/.