The hidden secrets in nature and mathematics attracted crowds of young and old visitors to both campuses of the MU Faculty of Science as part of the Night of Scientists. On Friday, October 6 2023, more than 5,000 children, parents and senior citizens took advantage of this popular annual event and filled both our campuses, at Kotlářská and at the Bohunice University Campus from 6 p.m. to midnight.
The theme of this year’s popularisation event was ‘The Secret’ and dozens of enthusiastic naturalists from the ranks of scientists, teachers and students prepared almost 60 stations or lectures where they presented the “secrets” of their fields. In a fun way, visitors could get to know firsthand the mystery, and especially the beauty and diversity, of various fields and topics, whether it be plants, animals, microorganisms, molecules, cells, proteins, chemical substances or our environment. They could also touch rocks, minerals, maps and artifacts from Antarctica, learn about physical phenomena, find out what plasma is for and find out what is hidden in space.
Photo: Irina Matusevič
Almost 1,500 interested visitors found their way to the Kotlářská Campus and Botanic Gardens, where, amongst other things, they could try panning for gold or visit the new exhibition of “paleontological” drawings, perhaps penetrate the secrets of plasma or discover what was hidden in the sands, visit a mathematical theatre or discover the meaning of life through astrophysics. The Bohunice University Campus attracted 3,750 applicants. Here, both little and large researchers could enjoy a display of experiments by our chemists that revealed the secrets of how enzymes function and explored the secrets of colours. The RECETOX Centre provided a glimpse into the world of the ‘Brno Living Laboratory’. This year, in addition to the range of ‘secrets’ offered by the official campus faculties, a number of contributions were also provided by other university institutions.
Photo: Irina Matusevič
As part of this year’s Night of Scientists, the university also hosted the Český VŠEVĚD 2023 competition. Hydrobiologist Petr Pařil from the Institute of Botany and Zoology SCI MUNI is also in the running for this title. On the Night of Scientists website, you can find his short competition video on the topic of ‘The Secrets of a drying stream’, which everyone should support with their vote. Voting takes place on the website and will last until October 15. The competition final will be hosted by the University of Ostrava City Campus on December 6.
Foto: Irina Matusevič
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