European Researchers’ Night was held again at the University of Jyväskylä on Friday, 29 September 2023. The event offered new science experiences, practical research experiments and discussions with enthusiastic scientists. Again, the event featured hundreds of researchers from different fields of science.
Various activities of the event gathered almost 14,000 visitors. The record number of almost 14,500 visitors is from 2019. Among others, robots in Agora, freshwater pearl mussels and tardigrades in the Department of Biology and the functional programme of the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences attracted audience this year.
“Cooperation with the City of Light was an important factor resulting in the great number of visitors,” says Communications Manager Liisa Harjula. “Spectacular light artworks were an attraction that got more people to visit the campus,” says Communications Manager Liisa Harjula. The University celebrates its 160-year history this year. The anniversary was visible in the event, for example, in the video artwork Älynväläys at the Main Building of Seminaarinmäki. It talks about Uno Cygnaeus and the establishment of the teacher seminary in Jyväskylä.
The audience got familiar with science through workshops, lectures and laboratory visits, among others. Almost 700 pupils participated in the daytime programme for school groups. Popular workshops such as the CSI crime scene investigation were booked full quickly.
“The variety and extent of programme in the Researchers’ Night was exceptional, and the event succeeded to intrigue both children and parents,” Harjula says.
European Researchers’ Night is a science event that makes research and the work of scientists familiar to audiences all over Europe. It has been organised since 2005.
This year’s locations in Finland were Jyväskylä, Tampere, Hämeenlinna, Helsinki, Sodankylä and Oulu.
Further information:
Communications Manager Liisa Harjula, University of Jyväskylä, liisa.harjula@jyu.fi / +358 40 805 4403