2015 actions

Cambridge Science Festival, 14th March

The Cambridge Science Festival is an annual 10-day celebration of science, technology, engineering, art and math organizing multicultural events around Cambridge.
Our ESR in Cambridge took part in the Chemistry Open Day, and helped organize scientific yet fun activities for kids such as setting up a lemon battery or displaying the growth of Zn dendrites.

High School Students at the University of Oulu, 31st March 2015

About 50 high school students from Oulu International Baccalaureate visited the University of Oulu physics group. The NMR group PI gave a 20-minute presentation focusing primarily on the pNMR project. Afterwards, the students discovered the group’s NMR laboratory, where the equipment as well as the experimental projects were described to them.

2015 OULU - March high school visit 2

Oulu Science Days, 1st September 2015

Four 8th and 9th grade classes from upper secondary schools of the Oulu region attended the presentation ‘Kvanttimekaniikasta materiaalitutkimukseen’ (‘from quantum mechanics to materials research’) given by Oulu University’s NMR Research Group.

2015 OULU - September secondary school visit 2 2015 OULU - September secondary school visit 3

Science fair in Kungsträdgården, Stockholm, 5th September 2015

Stockholm University’s physics department, together with other physics organizations in the Stockholm area, organised a science fair in Kungsträdgården (The King’s Garden), central Stockholm, open to the general public. The event had activities targeted at everybody, and about all physics fields.
Children of any age could experience drilling holes in ice with warm water as in the preparations of the array of neutron detection at the south pole for example.
Advanced instrumentation in particle physics and medical physics was presented in an accessible manner adapted to the audience.

Over a hundred researchers participated, and in the tents dedicated to chemical physics, the Stockholm partner presented its work within the pNMR network, and showed how nuclear spins can be probed to image biological material in medical applications.
They also explained in simple terms how theoretical computer simulations can be used to study paramagnetic relaxation of Gadilinium complexes in aqueous solution, and the relation to molecular dynamics and fluctuations in the electronic structure.

Meeting in person very curious laymen was deemed a valuable outreach project for spreading the fascination for physics.

2015 SU - science fair 2 2015 SU - science fair 1

Science Party in Lyon, 9th-10th October 2015

The Lyon partner took part in the annual national ‘Science Party’ of the Ministry of Education, aiming at opening the doors of science labs all around the country, by organising 2 days of small workshops and visits in its premises.
Participants were led on a learning path with stands and hands-on experiments (magnetic train, levitating magnet…), observing and visualising magnetic fields, understanding their use in generating an electric current, to finally discover an NMR model, and how it worked. Based on the principles discovered, the explanation cycle ended by visiting the spectrometer hall, with presentations of the different instruments and the kind of research they allow. Activities were opened to everyone above 14 years old, and led by the lab’s Marie Curie fellows and PhD students.

On 9th October, 85 pupils in their last high school year (majoring in science) had the opportunity to see in reality what NMR is, as this is part of their curriculum. On 10th October, 80 people from the general public attended (through 1hr sessions). Very interested and precise questions were asked, and feedback from participants (general public as well as lab staff) was very positive.

Leiden University Faculty of Science ‘Junior Science Lab’, all year long

Every year the PI of our Dutsch node gives 5 lectures to 11-12 years old school children about chemistry topics, as part of its faculty’s all-year round outreach action towards pupils, called ‘Junior Science Lab’.
More information : http://www.juniorsciencelab.nl/