Final Report Summary - WONDERS (Welcome to Observations, News and Demonstrations of European Research and Science)
The project WONDERS was the first European science festival with the 'Carousel of science', and exchange between national, regional and local science festivals, with science cafes, with internet pledges to show concern for the climate change, with web discussions and with launch and finals events, where the best of the best science communication events were elected.
The 'Carousel of science' was an exchange of science presentations from one to the next science festival throughout the year 2006. The total of all exchanges travelled 31 860 kilometres, which is nearly 80 % of the circumference of the earth. The 'Carousel of science' started with one pilot Carousel in the middle of March 2006, when about 20 presenters from the area around Freiburg, Germany, came to Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the middle of England to present their special science communication. They built a mini factory, where volunteers from the audience could manufacture their own blue light. Modern CSI techniques were demonstrated in a session called 'How a hair of a cat and how insects can solve crimes' and the third session extracted the DNA from the public and put them into a necklace to wear around the neck. At the same time, a special science cafe was organised in Manchester by the local Association of British Science Writers. Many exiting themes were discussed like: What is the mechanism for viruses to infect across species, e.g. bird flu? Is it safe to eat chicken? Why do women live longer than men? Or since every individuals DNA is unique, what does it mean when scientists talk about decoding the DNA of an entire species? The next event was the Science Festival in Madrid, mid-April, where Slovenian scientist, students and presenters brought three different issues with them into the big fair hall called Parque Ferial Juan Carlos I: Is the sea still breathing? Chemistry of a book and having fun with experiments. The National Institute of Biology, the University of Ljubljana and the Josef Stefan Institute guaranteed for the scientific quality of these presentations. Even the Slovenian ambassador came to the opening of WONDERS in Madrid and gave a special reception. The Luxemburg Museum for Natural History hosted in April a group of Danish physics presenters, which have formed a special association: the EuroPhysicsFun. Typically for the Danes, they brought a LEGO robot game to the Luxemburgian contest for robots, where robots are tuned very sophistically to hit a target or each other.
The 'Unexpected in physics' was brought from the Dutch delegation to Göteborg in Sweden. About 20 different experiments showed that physics is everywhere and surprising. Even high-tech and the future were guest: hydrogen, fuel of the future with the practice of busses in Amsterdam, which already use hydrogen to drive alongside but to try also to avoid falling into the 'grachten' of Amsterdam. In the heat of the summer, even the great event of European Science Open Forum (ESOF) at Munich, Germany, couldn't do without WONDERS in July. A special delegation from the Louis Pasteur University in Strasbourg, France, showed how to follow white stoks during their flight from Europe deep into Africa. But, also the dead things fascinated in minerals and meteorites. At the same time, a huge bus full of elaborate experiments came all the way from the middle of Belgium, from Mechelen, where one of the most advanced science centre lies: Technopolis.
When the WONDERS project was designed, the project management team decided that a mass participation activity would complement the 'Carousel of science' and add to the publicity opportunities. By taking part in an activity which spanned Europe, more attention could be drawn to the events in the different countries, and to the totality of the project. The British Association for the Advancement of Science, a member of EUSCEA, has considerable experience in this area and so took up the challenge of making a mass participation activity designed for the United Kingdom National Science Week work in all of the participating organisations of WONDERS.
The 'Carousel of science' was an exchange of science presentations from one to the next science festival throughout the year 2006. The total of all exchanges travelled 31 860 kilometres, which is nearly 80 % of the circumference of the earth. The 'Carousel of science' started with one pilot Carousel in the middle of March 2006, when about 20 presenters from the area around Freiburg, Germany, came to Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the middle of England to present their special science communication. They built a mini factory, where volunteers from the audience could manufacture their own blue light. Modern CSI techniques were demonstrated in a session called 'How a hair of a cat and how insects can solve crimes' and the third session extracted the DNA from the public and put them into a necklace to wear around the neck. At the same time, a special science cafe was organised in Manchester by the local Association of British Science Writers. Many exiting themes were discussed like: What is the mechanism for viruses to infect across species, e.g. bird flu? Is it safe to eat chicken? Why do women live longer than men? Or since every individuals DNA is unique, what does it mean when scientists talk about decoding the DNA of an entire species? The next event was the Science Festival in Madrid, mid-April, where Slovenian scientist, students and presenters brought three different issues with them into the big fair hall called Parque Ferial Juan Carlos I: Is the sea still breathing? Chemistry of a book and having fun with experiments. The National Institute of Biology, the University of Ljubljana and the Josef Stefan Institute guaranteed for the scientific quality of these presentations. Even the Slovenian ambassador came to the opening of WONDERS in Madrid and gave a special reception. The Luxemburg Museum for Natural History hosted in April a group of Danish physics presenters, which have formed a special association: the EuroPhysicsFun. Typically for the Danes, they brought a LEGO robot game to the Luxemburgian contest for robots, where robots are tuned very sophistically to hit a target or each other.
The 'Unexpected in physics' was brought from the Dutch delegation to Göteborg in Sweden. About 20 different experiments showed that physics is everywhere and surprising. Even high-tech and the future were guest: hydrogen, fuel of the future with the practice of busses in Amsterdam, which already use hydrogen to drive alongside but to try also to avoid falling into the 'grachten' of Amsterdam. In the heat of the summer, even the great event of European Science Open Forum (ESOF) at Munich, Germany, couldn't do without WONDERS in July. A special delegation from the Louis Pasteur University in Strasbourg, France, showed how to follow white stoks during their flight from Europe deep into Africa. But, also the dead things fascinated in minerals and meteorites. At the same time, a huge bus full of elaborate experiments came all the way from the middle of Belgium, from Mechelen, where one of the most advanced science centre lies: Technopolis.
When the WONDERS project was designed, the project management team decided that a mass participation activity would complement the 'Carousel of science' and add to the publicity opportunities. By taking part in an activity which spanned Europe, more attention could be drawn to the events in the different countries, and to the totality of the project. The British Association for the Advancement of Science, a member of EUSCEA, has considerable experience in this area and so took up the challenge of making a mass participation activity designed for the United Kingdom National Science Week work in all of the participating organisations of WONDERS.
