Behind the scenes: Science Weekend
Science Weekend (Weekend van de Wetenschap) is a national event in the first weekend of October, in which knowledge institutions offer a peek behind the scenes in the world of science and technology. The activities are free and aimed mainly at families with children.
Each year we look for activities that allow visitors to experience science, for instance by taking part in an experiment, through an interactive lecture, or by doing their own research. We had to come up with an alternative format for the past two editions due to COVID-19 measures. So in 2020 we developed Operatie Breinbreker, an interactive science show at the TivoliVredenburg venue. This worked so well that we have continued to organise the show separately from Science Weekend. In 2021 we had a format where visitors took part in a surprise programme involving three activities. This proved too chaotic in practice, although it had some benefits. We created a route for visitors, allowing them to discover a range of scientific disciplines. There also was more time and space for dialogue between visitors and scientists. We’re currently looking at ways to repeat this kind of elements in the next edition.
My role in the organisation of Science Weekend takes place behind the scenes. I’m proud of being a small part of the whole in this way. Arranging for speakers, joining in brainstorms about the programme and publicity for it, a thousand and one preparations on the day itself, the implementation, clearing things afterwards, sorting things out. It’s always very gratifying to see the many inquisitive visitors, young and old, the fun they’re having, and your colleagues bringing off a successful day with the activities they’ve contributed.
I think it’s important to explain the core of our research in non-academic language, so a broad public knows about all of the things it is possible to research. For example, many people are surprised to learn that you can study language in babies. I really enjoyed involving the public in a language experiment and being able to show the results right away (and comparing these with the results of a ‘real’ experiment). The diagram didn’t look quite as ‘pretty’, but this was an opportunity to point out the importance of involving enough test subjects in your study.
