GREEN NIGHT

Project Information

GREEN NIGHT

Grant agreement ID: 101036089

DOI

10.3030/101036089

Project closed

EC signature date 3 May 2021

Start date 1 May 2021

End date 30 April 2022

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 137 375,00

EU contribution

€ 137 375,00

Coordinated by

YASAR UNIVERSITESI
Türkiye

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - GREEN NIGHT (GREEN NIGHT)

Reporting period: 2021-05-01 to 2022-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Taking its name from the European Green Deal, GREEN NIGHT stands on the main pillars and policy areas of the strategy with a general outlook on how science can support the aims and targets set out for Europe’s near future. The current global climate emergency urges an immediate and large-scale response from the countries. For the first time, climate change and environmental issues are seen to have migrated to the center of global policymaking.

As a result, GREEN NIGHT highlights the importance of raising awareness of the general public, especially young people, on the necessity of the green transformation for the future of our planet. GREEN NIGHT acknowledges that it is essential to protect and restore natural ecosystems for sustainability. In doing so, GREEN NIGHT focuses on the main action areas of energy, food, waste, and transportation, and demonstrates the leading role that sciences have in how to achieve this transformation.

GREEN NIGHT project brings together four of the ten higher education institutions in Izmir, Turkey as well as the provincial directorate of national education. The consortium represents the scientific research ecosystem and educational management in Izmir. The HEIs cooperate in local, national, and international research projects, joint social responsibility campaigns, and activities all of which create strong institutional linkages between HEI partners. IZMEM, being the highest local public body responsible for the coordination of educational activities at preprimary, primary, and secondary levels in Izmir, brings the public educational expertise into the project.

The night activities were carried out on September 24, 2021, on four campuses around the city, each with its general theme selected from the main topics. Scientists and researchers from a wide range of disciplines organized workshops, seminars, demonstrations, hands-on experiments, games, competitions, shows, and simulations. The project also created synergies with other MSCA-funded researchers from all over Turkey. more than 200 volunteer students (visitors' guidance, display of information, assistance to management team) were involved in the NIGHT events. A total of 177 activities (including repeated sessions) were offered to the target groups with the involvement of 258 researchers from 4 academic partner organizations and from other universities around Turkey. Over 20.000 people directly got in contact with the researchers and took part in the activities and around 1.000.000 people were made aware of the GREEN NIGHT European Researchers Night via coordinated dissemination activities of the partner organizations.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Overview of the results -WP1
• Design, production, and display of promotional material: posters of various formats, flyers, and programs, displayed in NIGHT activities locations.
• Publication of articles, interviews, and announcements in numerous newspapers at national and local levels
• Sending of official invitation letters to different public and private destinataries
• Public and private schools in Izmir, by Izmir Provincial Directorate of National Education: announcement of the event, and both the drawing competition among primary and middle school students
• Constant updating and maintenance of the project website https://greennight.yasar.edu.tr/
• 26000 hits on the project website
• Constant updating and maintenance of social network profiles
• YouTube Account, updated with new videos about the NIGHT https://www.youtube.com/user/YasarEuCenter
• Publication of online news through project partner institutions’ web pages and social media accounts, notably
o Yasar University (YU)
o Ege University (EGE)
o Izmir Institute of Technology (IYTE)
o İzmir Kâtip Çelebi University (IKCU)
o İzmir İl Milli Eğitim Müdürlüğü (IZMEM)
• About 1000000 people were made aware of the European Researchers' Night and its objectives.
Overview of the results-WP2
• Offer of the activities as planned in the Annex I Part B to the Grant Agreement, namely:
o Collection and selection of researchers' proposals for activities
o Hands-on experiments
o Demonstrations, simulations
o Science shows
o Talks & chats with researchers
o Competitions, games, quizzes
o EU corners
• 177 events held in 4locations, in cooperation with 4 partners and associated organizations on 24 September 2021
• 258 researchers were involved in the activities, of whom: 13 had benefitted from an MSCA scheme, 17 had benefitted from another EU support (FP7-HORIZON2020, Erasmus+)
• Active involvement of 200+ volunteer students (visitors' guidance, display of information, assistance to management team)
• About 20000 visitors have taken part in the activities offered.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Overview of the results - WP3
Collection, analysis, and processing of 1847 feedbacks (surveys; hard copy and online)
Main conclusions
• Typology of visitors: 55%female and 44% male, 45.86% aged 13-15, %22.25 aged 10-12, 20.03% aged 16-18.
• Reasons for visiting the Green Night: “Learning new things”, “It’s a lot of fun”
• Overall positive feedback about the event (activities, interest,contacts with researchers, venues and locations, scheduling,concrete organization)
• Most successful activities: online event (4.36 rating), exhibitions (4.31 rating) general overview of all activities (4.21 rating out of 5)
• Attitudes towards science/scientists: participation in the event had a positive impact on participants attitudes towards science and scientists
• General intention expressed to take part in similar future events

Students participating in science stands

Students participating in science stands

Students participating in outdoor science events

Participants visiting science stands

Students participating in hands-on experiments

Students participating in hands-on experiments

Students receiving their awards for the painting contest at the ceremony