Paolo Viscardi is a Zoology Curator at the National Museum of Ireland and a trustee of the Natural Sciences Collections Association. His background is in biomechanics and he is particularly interested in bones. He is a keen science communicator and has worked as consultant and script editor on several TV documentaries. Paolo, now based in Dublin, is co-founder of PubSci.

In Dismantling the Dead Zoo, Paolo will talk about decanting the scientifically important natural history collections in Dublin's delightfully named Dead Zoo during the coronavirus pandemic to allow building renovations to take place.

Safely moving large, historic museum specimens, such as whales, requires an understanding of biomechanics, engineering and even chemistry. It also requires a head for heights, a strong back, and very careful planning - especially in a 164 year old building where floor loading is the 'elephant in the room'. And, in this case, there are actual elephants in the room.

Please register today. Like all our events, this talk is free to attend, but you will need to register for a *free ticket (see below). We have included the option to donate a small amount when you register to help cover hosting fees etc. You will receive a confirmation email when you register, and the viewing link will be sent out on the day of the talk.

Viewing the event: Virtual PubSci is hosted live on Zoom. We will also stream it live on our YouTube channel where it will remain available for at least 28 days.

We aim to make our events accessible to all. You don't need to install Zoom to watch the talk as it can be viewed in a browser as well as on YouTube. Audience questions will be curated via Zoom after the talk, and can be submitted in Zoom chat.

To reduce the risk of 'Zoombombing', we email the Zoom link on the day of the event to everybody who has registered by 6.30pm. Please look out for this email from Eventbrite.

Please don't hesitate, sign up today!

*There are 55 free tickets available without making a voluntary donation. Once those are assigned, registration is only available with donation, which can be as little as £1, or as much as you wish, to keep the PubSci online lamps burning (after Eventbrite fees).

All registrations after 5pm on Wednesday are by donation only. You will receive the Zoom link in your confirmation email. Unfortunately we cannot provide tech support but we will respond to registered attendees who haven't received the link.