How do molecules, cells and entire organisms communicate with one another? That was the central theme of this year’s Researchers’ Night, held on Friday, 25 September, at the Czech Academy of Sciences research campus in Prague-Krč. Nearly 600 visitors came to explore science that evening. At IPHYS, we also prepared a varied programme for children and adults alike.
At the IPHYS exhibits, visitors got a close-up look at how we study the human body. Microscopes, pipettes and other hands-on activities proved especially popular, giving children the chance to step into a scientist’s shoes for a little while.
One of the most popular stations invited children to build their own model cell. By putting its parts together, they discovered through play what a cell contains. Memory Park was another hit, giving visitors of all ages a chance to test their memory, spatial thinking and sense of direction.
This year’s communication theme ran through the Discover Your Body’s Secret Language! mission. Children completed challenges at different stations and collected stamps on a science card. Those who completed at least four challenges received a small prize.
The programme also featured eight talks by scientists from the participating institutes. In How a Parasite Became a Cellular Powerhouse: The Story of the Mitochondrion, Tomáš Mráček presented research from the IPHYS Laboratory of Bioenergetics. Kamil Vlček from the Laboratory of Neurophysiology of Memory discussed the latest findings on how we perceive the visual world in his talk, How the Brain Processes Visual Information: Two Visual Pathways and Their Communication. Recordings of both talks are freely available on the IPHYS YouTube channel.
And what did visitors think of the evening? Their feedback was almost all smiley faces. The only sad face came from a young visitor who was disappointed that Researchers’ Night was coming to an end.
Thank you to all our visitors, scientists, students, volunteers and organisers who helped make this year’s Science Night possible. What a wonderful evening!
