27. 9. 2013
- 177 000 visitors
- 1 000 scientists and researchers
- 22 000 pupils and students
- 2 145 000 people addressed by media campaign
- BRATISLAVA
- Stará tržnica - 60 000 visitors
- Avion SP - 33 000 visitors
- ŽILINA – Aupark Shopping Center
- 36 000 visitors
- BANSKA BYSTRICA - Europa SC
- 22 800 visitors
- KOŠICE - Atrium Optima
- 21 200 visitors
- TATRANSKÁ LOMNICA - Astronomical Institute SAS
- 100 visitors
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Another successful, already the seventh volume of the FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE Researchers' Night 2013 was held in five Slovak cities - Bratislava, Banská Bystrica, Žilina, Košice and Tatranská Lomnica.
The event featured more than 1,000 researchers from all scientific disciplines and was attended by nearly 177,000 visitors.
This unique event is organized by SOVVA (the Slovak Organisation for Research and Development Activities), SAV (the Slovak Academy of Sciences,) EurActiv.sk and CVTI (Slovak National Centre of Scientific and Technical Information).
Festival of science educates but especially inspires
The festival is held regularly on the last Friday of September across Europe and it is obviously the largest event aimed at popularizing science in Slovakia.
The main aim is above all to introduce and popularize science and research among the general public. The exhibition presents the most interesting research results in Slovakia as well as Slovak scientists, who are also successful abroad because of their research. As we can see, the particular interest of the public, which this event raises, confirms the belief that Slovakia does cutting-edge research, in many cases comparable to the rest of the world.
Wonders of science were happening across the country
This year, the dominant theme was the affirmation – “Science is a miracle”. The visitors had the opportunity to find out what scientific miracles are behind the things and situations of everyday life and to experience how much diligence and patience it needs to discover these miracles.
Bratislava
The first visit of humanoid robot ASIMO in Slovakia gained tremendous attention and crowds of people filled the Old Market Hall in Bratislava during its show. The humanoid robot ASIMO is in fact the celebrity but not only in the robotic world, but also beyond. Asimo attends huge technological exhibitions, science museums and its exceptional ability to run was performed also at Disneyland. Asimo was created by Honda Motor Co., Ltd., a world leader in advanced robotics, with the goal to develop an advanced robot - a helper in everyday life.
One of the most attractive moments in Bratislava's Old Market hall was the interactive lecture on the theme of development of robotics - "Of robots and humans" by the top expert in the field of artificial intelligence in Slovakia, Professor Sinčák from the Technical University in Košice. But there was also the discussion about “Internet Economy: An opportunity for Slovakia? “, or also the concerts of Hex and Peter Lipa featuring Vec.
The second largest festival venue in Bratislava was Avion Shopping Centre, where a huge number of schools were followed in the afternoon by an enthusiastic crowd of families with children and young people. There were a total of 33,000 visitors, nearly 70 interactive science exhibits and scientific stalls. You could see the lego robots, mobile robots, safe car, but also issues such as antibodies and the fight against cancer or "health on the plate".
Žilina
Despite the fact that the event in Žilina is one of the smaller ones, the interest of the visitors proves its enormous potential. Presentations devoted to topics, such as the wireless transmission of electricity, which can be seen by means of a thermovision camera, showing how a student electro mobile or flight simulator works. The University of Žilina, which is the main partner of the event in this city, contributed presentations of its research to the festival. In addition, the Jessenius Faculty of Medecine of the Comenius University offered very attractive presentations on the subject of medical studies.
Banská Bystrica
You could find around 31 scientific stalls in Europa Shopping mall with presentations such as the robots in action, a model of a volcano, fun 3D printing, painting with electricity and many more.
The visitors also had the possibility to familiarise themselves with the issues of healthy forests in Slovakia, mineralogy at the service of cultural heritage or for example the ethics of advertising. There were also the discussions with experts and lovers of robotics from the University of Matej Bel, Institute of Informatics and World Champion in global competition RoboCup or the lectures about the volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis, the toys in the historical and cultural context, the physics and music, and the bizarre characteristics of animals. The Vartovka observatory joined the festival with interesting accompanying program such as the tour through the observatory with a geographic identification of the surrounding mountains, observing the night sky, discussion on space weather and an astronomical puzzle.
Košice
Visitors of the festival in Atrium Optima shopping mall could see how the brain processes impulses, how it is possible to use artificial intelligence in the online environment, and explore to the world of radars, magnetic nanoparticles and emotional robots, but also diagnose their physical fitness. There was also a presentation of a vehicle with hydrogen fuel cell and a car made by students called Icar. The accompanying events were held in the leisure centre DOMINO, the Slovak Technical Museum and the Science and Technology Centre for Children and Youth in parallel.
Tatranská Lomnica
The Astronomical Institute of SAS near Tatranská Lomnica attracted nearly 100 visitors and not only by the programme offered a guided tour of the Institute and its pavilions, or night sky observation but also by popular multimedia lectures focusing on the Sun, asteroids and comets.
- Photo galleries of various events can be viewed on Facebook festival Sciences Researchers' Night:
