LISTEN WITH READSPEAKER
Science is a scream: 300 cities in 33 countries celebrate
Researchers' Night (27 September)
Researchers can do some pretty amazing things.
Watch them levitate a mini-train and keep it in motion in
Athens.
Is your singing out of tune?
No problem, Düsseldorf researchers have created a virtual
device that can turn you into an opera star to rival Placido Domingo.
In Zagreb, find out if Stanley Kubrick's Space Odyssey is more
than just science fiction.Or try your hand at solving a murder mystery in Porto.
Researchers in Santander will demonstrate how physics helps
surfers catch the biggest waves.
Visitors in Perugia will meet a portrait-making Lego robot
named Le(g)onardo.
Science is a scream – and the public in Poznan will be out to
prove it by trying to break a sound record with the loudest collective shriek.
These are just some of the unmissable events taking place in
33 EU and neighbouring countries as part of Researchers' Night (27 September).
From Ireland to Israel, researchers will be sharing their
passion for science with the public in 300 cities.
Last year, Researchers' Night attracted more than one million
visitors, including 600 000 children.
The aim is to discover science in a fun way and promote
research as a career.
The public will be able to take part in experiments and
interactive science shows, as well as trying out equipment in research
laboratories that are normally restricted.
"Children are naturally curious and creative, and Researchers'
Night is a great way of showing them that science is cool.
Who knows, perhaps it might also inspire some girls and boys
to become brilliant scientists of the future," said Androulla Vassiliou,
European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth.
Researchers' Night is supported by the EU's Marie Curie
Actions.
Take a look at the city highlights in the annex below or find
an event close to you here.
Background
Researchers' Night takes place every year across Europe on the
fourth Friday of September.
There are events in 25 EU Member States (all except Austria,
Denmark and Luxembourg), as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Faroe Islands,
the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, Israel, Montenegro, Serbia
and Turkey.
The event has grown from 92 participating cities in 2006 to
over 300 cities this year.
Researchers' Night receives € 4 million a year in support
(total cost is €7.5 million) from the EU's Marie Curie Actions, which promote
international research careers.
The event aims to highlight the important role research plays
in our daily lives and science as a career.
Encouraging more young men and woman to choose a career in
research and science is crucial for Europe's future growth, which is
increasingly dependent on innovation in products and services.
The events featured during Researchers' Night are selected
through a competitive process following a call for proposals.
The total budget for the Marie Curie Actions in 2007-2013 is
€4.7 billion.
They are almost entirely managed by the European Commission's
Research Executive Agency.
The programme will be renamed the Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Actions (MSCA) under Horizon 2020, the new EU programme for research and
innovation.
Researchers' Night will continue to receive support under the
new programme.
The European Parliament and Member States recently agreed the
MSCA will account for 8% of the overall Horizon 2020 budget.
This decision is due to be formally adopted in the coming
weeks.