Will robots steal our jobs? Why washing hands with soap keeps us COVID free? How to recognise ”good” science without understanding ”bad” science? How much digitalisation does the pig need? These and many other questions were answered by researchers during European Researchers’ Night.
A mind-blowing science show from Umeå, exciting geological adventures with Minecraft from Uppsala, a rare chance to peek into an Olympic test centre for winter sports from Östersund, were just a few of hundreds of creative digital activities held during 23-29 November all over Sweden as part of ForskarFredag, the Swedish branch of European Researchers’ Night.
The days are getting darker, temperatures are dropping and it’s raining almost every day. The majority of us think that November is the gloomiest month of the year here in Sweden…additionally COVID-19 continues to restrict our freedoms this year. There’s simply nothing exciting to look forward to this month other than Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales… But don’t despair, there is hope for reprieve from our boredom!
In 2019 and early 2020, school pupils, teachers, scout groups, astronomers and interested members of the public in Sweden, Spain, the UK and Ireland went out to count stars in the night sky. The objective was to help researchers to test a new method for measuring light pollution. Researchers have analysed the results and these have now been published.
In the Researchers’ Grand Prix contest, researchers in Sweden compete to present their research in as understandable, captivating and inspiring a way possible in just four minutes. An expert jury together with the audience decide the winner.
Can more information result in less food being wasted? Researchers will be investigating this together with pupils and teachers across the whole of Sweden in the Food Waste Experiment. To assist them, they will be using an artificial intelligence app and the world’s largest food sustainability database. Läs mer
European Researchers’ Night 2020 has been postponed until 27-28 November. Activities will be run in around 30 cities across Sweden as well as digitally.
Research has shown that light pollution causes problems for both wildlife and humans. In the Star-Spotting Experiment we also want to learn more about what we can do to reduce light pollution and use light in an optimal way. At Jönköping University in Sweden researchers are working with these questions. Myriam Aries is a Professor in Lighting Science, and we asked her to answer a few of our questions.
The Star-Spotting Experiment, VA’s 2019 citizen science project to investigate light pollution, was shortlisted for the 2019 Falling Walls Science Engagement of the Year competition. Project manager, Lena Söderström was invited to Berlin in November to present the project in the final of the competition at the Falling Walls Conference. Here we talk to her about the experience.
This year’s European Researchers’ Night, known as ForskarFredag in Sweden, took place in 30 cities across the country. Participants engaged in the Swedish events included 17,122 visitors, and 550 researchers and PhD students.
This weekend, thousands of researchers across Europe will be inspiring the public by showcasing the fascinating world of science at this year’s European Researchers’ Night. Läs mer
The Swedish Researchers’ Grand Prix (Forskar Grand Prix) is running a free webinar for researchers interested in learning how to explain their research in quick and simple way.
This year’s Swedish Researchers’ Night mass experiment – the Star-Spotting Experiment – is to be run in Ireland, Spain, the UK and Sweden this coming autumn and winter.
Now, N.Ö.R.D. is open for contributions! N.Ö.R.D. is a digital competition for those who want to join the Researchers’ Grand Prix, but have no competition close by. Simply submit a video with your presentation and compete for a place in the final!
The Star-Spotting Experiment, this year’s citizen science project in connection with the European Researchers’ Night events in Sweden, is now well underway. Members of the public across Sweden are helping scientists to measure light pollution by counting stars in the sky and recording the data in a specially-designed app. Here we catch up with Lena Söderström, Project Manager at VA (Public & Science), who is coordinating the Star-Spotting Experiment, to find out how the project is progressing.
Street lamps, illuminated signs and buildings – lights at night improve safety and make cities more attractive, but have also been shown to have negative effects for humans and animals. The more light there is, the fewer stars you can see in the night sky. In this year’s mass experiment, more than 11,000 pupils, families and other members of the public will help scientists measure light pollution by counting stars in the sky.
Researchers in 29 Swedish cities shared their passion for research and science at this year’s European Researchers’ Night celebrations. The annual Europe-wide science festival, in 2018 held on 28 & 29 September, featured activities in over 370 cities in Europe.
If one day of ForskarFredag is not enough for you, this year, for the first time, the event will be extended to Saturday. Three different activities will take place in Stockholm on 29 September: FysikFest, Biomedicum Open House and Day of Astronomy.
ForskarFredag, a part of European Researchers’ Night, for the first time will be extended to Saturday. On 29 September, three separate events will take place in Stockholm. One of them will take place at Biomedicum, Karolinska Institutet’s new research laboratory. It is opening its doors on Saturday 29th at 11:00 for everyone interested.
Every year since 2006, during the last Friday of September, ForskarFredag has been organised throughout Sweden. It has become an annual tradition that is growing bigger. Last year, almost 15,000 visitors participated in the event. This year, to meet the high demand and bring research even closer to the public, ForskarFredag in Stockholm will be extended to Saturday as well.