In 33 countries, 250 cities and 600 venues throughout Europe, Researchers’ Night takes place today. This is a huge increase compared to the first 33 night events arranged in 2005.
As Sweden gets ready for its 6th consecutive Researchers’ Night celebrations, some are preparing for their first.
CERN , the home of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) based in Geneva, will be taking part in the BEST project – Being a European Scientist Today. One highlight of the activities is the opportunity for students from local schools to sit side by side with scientists and operators in the LHC control rooms.
Madrid will host its first ever Researchers’ Night in style with a wide variety of events. A selection of intriguing titles includes:
* Bacteria play electric music of Handel in the pond
* Pyrotechnics and chemistry: light, fire, colour and smoke
* Geocaching: A treasure hunt with GPS
* Scientific Coffee: Machines against humans. Myth or reality?
Further North, St Andrew’s University is set to host Scotland’s first Researchers’ Night. Entitled “Scotland and the wider world”, this event has a very historical feel to it.
Of particular interest to Swedes is a session exploring the Scotland, Scandinavia and Northern Europe biographical database 1580 – 1707, where people will be offered the opportunity to do their own research.
Children are invited to MUSA (Museum of the University of St Andrews), where a storyteller will tell the tale of a Scottish laird and the adventures he had in the wider world, as well as some folk tales a Scot abroad may have been told in medieval Europe. There will also be a chance to meet ”Baltic Bond”, a spy from the past, and find out more about his interesting and dangerous job.
For more about these and other events, visit the European Commission’s website here.
Esther Crooks
