SONICOM at Imperial Lates: Senses

On 5 December, SONICOM participated in the Imperial Lates: Senses evening. SONICOM isn’t a stranger to the Lates series, having taken part in a few earlier iterations. However, given that the theme of this particular event focused on the senses, it was an unmissable opportunity to be involved.

On the night, SONICOM was positioned alongside friends from BEARS (Both Ears training package) another project involving SONICOM PI, Prof. Lorenzo Picinali. This provided a great opportunity to show how the research from the SONICOM project underpins real-world implications showcased in BEARS as they aim to maximise hearing in young people with bilateral cochlear implants.

The SONICOM team ready to welcome visitors to the stall

Dr Katarina Poole led SONICOM’s efforts for the evening, coordinating various hands-on activities and demonstrations designed to immerse attendees in the science of sound, perception, and immersive audio technologies. Visitors also had the opportunity to book their space on a tour of the Turret Lab (though tours did fill up very quickly!) to experience the thunder dome where many SONICOM experiments take place.

The event was a great success with over 600 participants throughout the night with 93% of visitors describing the event as a fun way to spend an evening and 96% saying they would attend another Lates event!

The Imperial Lates: Senses evening was SONICOM’s final public engagement activity for 2024, rounding out a year filled with impactful outreach initiatives, stay tuned for even more ambitious and engaging activities planned for 2025!

Members of the SONICOM team showcasing the research with visitors

Visitors had the opportunity to experience a range of SONICOM experiments for themselves