Reykjavik University

09/24/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/24/2026 06:13

Zebrafish with ADHD, a race car, robots and computer-assisted pronunciation training at Researchers Night this weekend

24. September 2026

Rannís' Researchers' Night 2026 will take place on Saturday, September 26, at Laugardalshöll from 12:00 to 17:00. As usual, Reykjavik University will have an exciting range of activities on offer, with a dedicated exhibition area where members of the RU community will provide an insight into research and life at the university.

Students from RU Racing will showcase a race car they built. Dr. Joe Foley, Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering, will demonstrate how robots work. Warmerquake Optics will introduce an optical fibre technology used to predict volcanic activity, and Nýrómur will present Captini, a system for computer-assisted pronunciation training in Icelandic.

Visitors will learn how zebrafish can be used as laboratory animals to gain a better understanding of diseases and conditions such as MND, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, sleep disorders and ADHD. Adolescent mental health will also be explored, with a look at how the mental health of teenagers has changed over the past two decades.

The magic of physics will be demonstrated by exploring the playground of electrons. /sys/tur will offer programming lessons, Frostbyte will demonstrate how easy it is to hack people's homes and how to protect against such attacks, and SKEMA will showcase creative opportunities for younger generations, including activities involving LEGO and Minecraft.

Explaining complex things to people of all ages

Sigurður Ingi Erlingsson, Professor in the Department of Engineering at RU, will have a presentation booth at Science Day this year.

"Science Day provides a platform for RU to showcase the results of research projects that have been underway for a long time, as well as new projects that are just getting started. RU is a university that places a strong emphasis on research, and the university's staff are doing some very good work.

Science Day is great fun. Families come together, there are lots of children, and you try to explain complex things to curious people of all ages. I see it as the responsibility of all scientists to communicate what they are doing to the general public and to try to explain why it is important," says Sigurður Ingi.

About Researchers' Night

Researchers' Night is a celebration of science in Iceland, where visitors can explore science in an engaging and interactive way and speak directly with researchers and scientists from universities, institutions and companies within Iceland's scientific community.

Researchers' Night is intended for people of all ages. Its aim is to bring science closer to the public, introduce the people behind the science, and highlight the importance of research and scientific work in modern society.

More information about the participants from RU and the official programme for Researchers' Night 2026 can be found here.

Reykjavik University published this content on September 24, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on September 24, 2026 at 12:13 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]