The City of Brno will be presenting Micro&Macro, an exhibition of Brno’s prowess in electron microscopy and space technologies, at the World Expo in Dubai in March next year. But until then, a modified version of the exhibition will tour South Moravia, giving everyone a chance to see it. Credit: Brno Observatory.
Brno, Oct 12 (BD) – Last week, the City of Brno and the South Moravian Region presented the “Micro&Macro” exhibition, a showcase of Brno’s achievements in the fields of space technology, electron microscopy, and nanotechnology. The exhibition will be presented at the World Expo in Dubai from March 16th-31st, 2022, but until that time, a modified version of the exhibition will be touring various locations in South Moravia, along with an educational show, Věda a technika jede! (“Go Science and Technology!”), created by Brno-based popular science organisations.
The exhibition was designed by homegrown Brno talent from architects Chybik + Kristof and multimedia architects Visualove. It uses media-server-controlled projections in a hollow block to show two unknown and beautiful worlds, the micro and the macro. The experience is enhanced by a combination of LED strips and the use of thermofoil and mirror coating, materials strongly associated with space technology and electron microscopy. Until October 17th it will be installed at the Vida! science center, before continuing to Židlochovice.
“Science and technology from our region have had an impact not just around the world, but also beyond the stratosphere. As well as the Expo in Dubai, we would also like to bring this to South Moravia, with a playful and non-traditional approach not only to space technologies and electron microscopy, but also science and technology in general,” said Lukáš Richter, the director of VIDA! science center.
At some stops, the exhibit will be joined by the entertaining and educational show, Věda a technika jede!, a road show featuring a rich program designed by experts from Vida!, the Brno Observatory, the FabLab Experience mobile workshops, and other well-known Brno organisations dedicated to the popularization of science and technology. More information about this show can be found at the group’s website.
Brno has long been a major player in the field of electron microscopy, a field essential for everything from the production of microchips to the analysis of evidence. In 1951, scientists developed the first Czechoslovak commercially available electron microscope, Tesla BS 241, at the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Electrical Engineering at Brno University of Technology, and in 1958 they won a gold medal at the World Expo in Brussels for the Tesla BS 242 tabletop. The region has remained strong in this field, to the extent that nowadays a third of the total global production of all electron microscopes is produced in Brno, and nowhere else in the world is there such a concentration of companies and scientific institutes working in this field.
“Dubai offers us a great opportunity to show the whole world what makes our region unique,” said Jiri Hlavenka (Pirati), a councillor for the South Moravian Region. “The production of a third of electron microscopes globally is certainly that, and just as exceptional is the grouping of companies in space research. Establishing Brno on a global scale will help us solve one of the biggest problems we face, which is the lack of excellent talent and brains that are in demand here. We have to show that we have something to offer them: that they will enter a top professional environment, a culturally rich city and a beautiful region where people live well.”
