LiGHTS Nights (Lincoln – Get Hold of Tech and Science) is a one-day celebration of how science and technology impacts on our daily lives. With a lively and thought-provoking free programme of events in venues across Lincoln, the day aims to inspire and excite visitors with the wonders of innovation and exploration.

LiGHTS is part of the European Researchers’ Night, which is a Europe-wide initiative that takes place on the last Friday night of September every year. It was launched in 2005 in 20 cities, across 15 countries and has grown fast since then, attracting over 1 million people every year. This mega event offers visitors in cities all over Europe a unique opportunity to meet researchers and take part in science activities aiming to showcase both the fascination of research as a career and its significant societal impact. LiGHTS is Lincoln’s first event contribution to this event, hosted by the University of Lincoln Friday 30th September.

co_LAB facilitated a public workshop as part of the event, providing an opportunity for attendees to engage directly with our research in a variety of ways. The workshop featured demonstrations of the latest Virtual and Augmented Reality technology, alongside the exhibition of innovative concepts created in previous co_LAB workshops.

Participants of the workshop had the chance to immerse themselves in virtual 3D environments through a variety of games and interactive demonstrations of the latest VR headsets (including HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR). The workshop aimed to highlight the creative potential of Virtual and Augmented Reality, with participants encouraged to contribute to our emerging practice-based research in this exciting area. We also invited previous co_LAB participants to join us as co-facilitators of the workshop, providing an opportunity to reflect on their experiences, discuss their concepts with the general public, and to act as student ambassadors for co_LAB.