The night is themed ‘all senses’, and will take visitors on an educational and sensory journey. Photo Credit: nocvedcu.cz.
Brno, Sept. 29 (BD) – On 30 September, Noc vědců (“Researchers’ Night”) will be held in the Czech Republic, involving 80 institutions in 100 venues in 62 cities.
Scientific institutes, universities, libraries, science centres, museums and observatories, under the guidance of the Ostrava National Coordinator, the Ostrava University of Science and Technology and the University of Ostrava, have prepared 1,780 programme events under the theme ‘All Senses’. Workshops, science shows, lectures, guided tours and demonstrations, screenings, discussions, experiments and meetings with scientists are scheduled for Friday night, a programme that is free of charge and designed to cater for the general public, from young to old.
Touch, hearing, smell, sight and taste: the five senses are the common thread running through the extensive programme of Noc vědců. “Are you wondering what it is like to walk, read, play or eat without seeing while doing so?” said Kamila Plisková, programme coordinator at the Moravian-Silesian Research Library in Ostrava. “Now you have the chance to have hands-on experience at our laboratory! At different stations you can train all your senses and strengthen your sensory memory. Various aids will be available to help you discover that it is possible to see with more than just sight.”
This year’s labyrinth stages focus on sight, taste, hearing, touch and smell, according to Dana Kardová from the Prague University of Science and Technology, the creator of Noc vědců. The guides will include lecturers from the Modern Chemistry Hour and members of the Theatre of (in)Voluntary Chemists. “They will explain instructive things in a simple and entertaining way,” she added.
For capacity and safety reasons, it is necessary to register in advance on the website, which also has the full programme of all 80 institutions participating this year across the Czech Republic, as well as a mobile application for Android and iOS smartphones.
Noc vědců is an event launched by the European Commission in 2005. Its mission is not only to popularise science, but also to raise awareness of scientists and their work, which often goes unseen by most people, but which accompanies us in the doctor’s office, at school and on the street. In 2018, 31 institutions from across the Czech Republic participated in the event; this year 64 organisers are involved, including 19 public universities.
