Periodic Reporting for period 2 - exploREsearch (Explore Research from East to West in Austria)
Reporting period: 2023-02-01 to 2023-12-31
The main objectives of the European Researchers' Night (ERN) project exploREsearch are:
• to enhance public knowledge and understanding of science and research with different on site and online activities;
• to bring research directly to the school children and motivate and inspire them to pursue research careers by connecting them with outstanding scientists and innovations;
• to increase awareness of citizens, in particular young people, in the field of climate change and sustainable development and show how researchers but also the public can cope with related challenges by focusing on this topic in pre-events and event activities;
• to bring public and science closer together and encourage citizens to participate in the scientific processes using Citizen Science as a pillar and by promoting Citizen Science and relevant projects;
• to become closer and more involved with art, but also show diversity of research in this area by organizing different pre-events as well as dedicated event stations and activities;
• to increase public awareness of the diversity of scientific research and enable a greater visibility for research centers and innovative projects;
• to enhance the recognition of researchers and their role in society by explaining the benefits of research to the public and how it influences daily life;
• to increase the understanding of the European Union among the general public by showing the benefits of the EU and presenting and promoting different EU projects as well as EU Green Deal and the Horizon Europe Missions during the event but also in the frame of pre-event activities.
• to enhance public knowledge and understanding of science and research with different on site and online activities;
• to bring research directly to the school children and motivate and inspire them to pursue research careers by connecting them with outstanding scientists and innovations;
• to increase awareness of citizens, in particular young people, in the field of climate change and sustainable development and show how researchers but also the public can cope with related challenges by focusing on this topic in pre-events and event activities;
• to bring public and science closer together and encourage citizens to participate in the scientific processes using Citizen Science as a pillar and by promoting Citizen Science and relevant projects;
• to become closer and more involved with art, but also show diversity of research in this area by organizing different pre-events as well as dedicated event stations and activities;
• to increase public awareness of the diversity of scientific research and enable a greater visibility for research centers and innovative projects;
• to enhance the recognition of researchers and their role in society by explaining the benefits of research to the public and how it influences daily life;
• to increase the understanding of the European Union among the general public by showing the benefits of the EU and presenting and promoting different EU projects as well as EU Green Deal and the Horizon Europe Missions during the event but also in the frame of pre-event activities.
The ERN activities were organized in three major cities: Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck.
From 09:00 to 13:00
• 23 school workshops conducted several times
From 15:00 to 24:00
• 88 science booths,
• 5 EU Corner stations,
• 1 Science Rally,
• 3 concerts,
• 1 pub quiz and
• 1 science show.
The event was attended by over a total of approx. 4,000 visitors. Broken down by location and time, the figures are as follows:
• Salzburg morning and afternoon: 450 pupils/visitors
• Innsbruck workshops for schools in the morning: 200 pupils
• Vienna workshops for schools in the morning: 350 pupils
• Vienna afternoon program: 3,000 visitors
The created program involved 314 researchers (159 female and 155 male) with complementary experience from:
• 20 Universities,
• 3 non-university research institutes,
• 1 high school,
• 6 government initiatives and organizations as well as
• 5 companies and
• 14 non-government organizations.
Focus on Climate change, Citizen Science and Art:
• Climate change and sustainable development were omnipresent as relevant topics during our pre-event and school activities. In this context, 16 stations at the ERN event on September 29. 2023 focused on climate change and sustainability. In addition, there were many other scientific booths that partially addressed these topics.
• Citizen Science was promoted at two pre-events: Citizen Science Pub Quiz and Citizen Science Training. In addition, 22 stations at the ERN focused on Citizen Science projects and presented their research.
• We demonstrated the diversity of research in the arts at three pre-events: Applied Festival, Public Lectures and Public Colloquium. Furthermore, 15 stations at the ERN focused on the arts and presented their research.
From 09:00 to 13:00
• 23 school workshops conducted several times
From 15:00 to 24:00
• 88 science booths,
• 5 EU Corner stations,
• 1 Science Rally,
• 3 concerts,
• 1 pub quiz and
• 1 science show.
The event was attended by over a total of approx. 4,000 visitors. Broken down by location and time, the figures are as follows:
• Salzburg morning and afternoon: 450 pupils/visitors
• Innsbruck workshops for schools in the morning: 200 pupils
• Vienna workshops for schools in the morning: 350 pupils
• Vienna afternoon program: 3,000 visitors
The created program involved 314 researchers (159 female and 155 male) with complementary experience from:
• 20 Universities,
• 3 non-university research institutes,
• 1 high school,
• 6 government initiatives and organizations as well as
• 5 companies and
• 14 non-government organizations.
Focus on Climate change, Citizen Science and Art:
• Climate change and sustainable development were omnipresent as relevant topics during our pre-event and school activities. In this context, 16 stations at the ERN event on September 29. 2023 focused on climate change and sustainability. In addition, there were many other scientific booths that partially addressed these topics.
• Citizen Science was promoted at two pre-events: Citizen Science Pub Quiz and Citizen Science Training. In addition, 22 stations at the ERN focused on Citizen Science projects and presented their research.
• We demonstrated the diversity of research in the arts at three pre-events: Applied Festival, Public Lectures and Public Colloquium. Furthermore, 15 stations at the ERN focused on the arts and presented their research.
Main conclusions of the impact assessment:
Visitors:
• Parents, many of whom accompanied children ages 6 to 12, gave overwhelmingly positive feedback about the event as they observed the joy and excitement of children engaging in new learning experiences.
• Parents appreciated the wide variety of activities available and the impact it had on fostering curiosity and sparking interest in science and research. They particularly highlighted their children's enthusiastic engagement in hands-on activities and exploration of various topics, including math, computer science, physics, biology, and space.
• Parents also appreciated the diverse range of activities offered, noting their children's excitement during the Science Rally and the science show presented by Werner Gruber.
• Children shared their excitement and fascination with the different experiments they participated in, expressing a desire to return in the future.
• Overall, the European Researchers' Night received high praise from parents, with more than 55% rating it a perfect score of 5 out of 5 stars and an additional 20% giving it 4 stars, indicating that the event exceeded expectations and left a lasting impression.
Teachers:
• Teachers appreciated the well-organized and engaging activities for their students, from asking questions and seeking answers to hands-on learning and experimentation.
• Teachers noted that the workshops successfully captured the curiosity and excitement of the students and left a lasting impression on them. Specific highlights mentioned were the wind tunnel activity, which made a significant impression on the pupils.
• Overall, the teachers expressed their gratitude to the ERN team for creating a stimulating and educational environment that left both students and teachers enthusiastic and eager to participate in the future.
Researchers:
• Researchers gave positive feedback on aspects of the event such as the variety of scientific activities offered and the diversity of the audience. They also complimented the involvement of energetic young people and their enjoyment of participating in experiments, as well as the positive influence of the Science Rally on children.
• Researchers praised the event for its high attendance, excellent location and smooth organization. They responded that they mainly presented research results and new developments when asked to rate the purposes for which they were able to use the event.
• 44% of researchers indicated that the event fully met their expectations, giving it a perfect score of five out of five, while another 50% felt that the event largely met their expectations. The usefulness of the event to their institution was rated as follows: 31.3% strongly agreed, giving five out of five stars, 25% gave four out of five stars, and finally 37.5% gave three out of five stars.
Visitors:
• Parents, many of whom accompanied children ages 6 to 12, gave overwhelmingly positive feedback about the event as they observed the joy and excitement of children engaging in new learning experiences.
• Parents appreciated the wide variety of activities available and the impact it had on fostering curiosity and sparking interest in science and research. They particularly highlighted their children's enthusiastic engagement in hands-on activities and exploration of various topics, including math, computer science, physics, biology, and space.
• Parents also appreciated the diverse range of activities offered, noting their children's excitement during the Science Rally and the science show presented by Werner Gruber.
• Children shared their excitement and fascination with the different experiments they participated in, expressing a desire to return in the future.
• Overall, the European Researchers' Night received high praise from parents, with more than 55% rating it a perfect score of 5 out of 5 stars and an additional 20% giving it 4 stars, indicating that the event exceeded expectations and left a lasting impression.
Teachers:
• Teachers appreciated the well-organized and engaging activities for their students, from asking questions and seeking answers to hands-on learning and experimentation.
• Teachers noted that the workshops successfully captured the curiosity and excitement of the students and left a lasting impression on them. Specific highlights mentioned were the wind tunnel activity, which made a significant impression on the pupils.
• Overall, the teachers expressed their gratitude to the ERN team for creating a stimulating and educational environment that left both students and teachers enthusiastic and eager to participate in the future.
Researchers:
• Researchers gave positive feedback on aspects of the event such as the variety of scientific activities offered and the diversity of the audience. They also complimented the involvement of energetic young people and their enjoyment of participating in experiments, as well as the positive influence of the Science Rally on children.
• Researchers praised the event for its high attendance, excellent location and smooth organization. They responded that they mainly presented research results and new developments when asked to rate the purposes for which they were able to use the event.
• 44% of researchers indicated that the event fully met their expectations, giving it a perfect score of five out of five, while another 50% felt that the event largely met their expectations. The usefulness of the event to their institution was rated as follows: 31.3% strongly agreed, giving five out of five stars, 25% gave four out of five stars, and finally 37.5% gave three out of five stars.