Report
Teaser, summary, work performed and final results
Periodic Reporting for period 1 - COOLandHOT (COolest Of Labs Hottest Of Theories)
Teaser
The seventh edition of Researchers\' night project in Serbia was organized on 30th September 2016 and covered Province of Vojvodina, a multi-ethnic and multicultural area with approximately 30% of the total population of Serbia (2.2 out of 7.5 mil people)Theme: low temperature...
Summary
The seventh edition of Researchers\' night project in Serbia was organized on 30th September 2016 and covered Province of Vojvodina, a multi-ethnic and multicultural area with approximately 30% of the total population of Serbia (2.2 out of 7.5 mil people)
Theme: low temperature science, with a special emphasis on educating and raising awareness about the climate changes, ice ages and global warming which fits perfectly within the “cool & hot†themed Researchers Night 2016/17
Main focus was on the cool topics in science existing in 2016
Objectives:
o To break and demystify the persistent and repeated stereotypes about researchers
o To bring out the actual researchers in Serbia, engage them publically and increase their recognition in Serbian society, both locally and globally
o To promote research carried out in Serbia and researchers as role models
o To unveil the motives behind becoming a researcher
o To entice the young to embark on scientific careers
o To raise public awareness of the researchers\' contribution to progress and development
o To raise public awareness about climate changes and global warming
o To highlight the importance of the EU’s manifold support to researchers and scientific research work in Serbia
o To improve networking with other national/international projects involved in science popularization, through mutual support of events and exchange of ideas, experiences and people.
Keywords:
o Cool, hot, attractive, futuristic, understanding, connecting, helping. At the same time these keywords perfectly describe the researchers and science.
Offer of seventh Researchers Night in Serbia was balanced combination of science-linked activities (demonstrations, simulations, hands-on experiments) and festive ones (games, sport, quizzes, competitions and music), including scientific demonstrations by researchers, hands-on experiments, workshops for children, competitive, sport and music activities, as well as informal discourse on topical issues accompanied by a variety of cultural expressions.
Main idea of the event was to promote science mixed with arts, theatre, sports, and local businesses, but framed around the specific scientific topics, implying a change in the presentation concept, from many small and unconnected stands to just a few sectors, while also enabling researchers from different fields and institutions to mingle and unite as well as visitors to have more holistic understanding of specific scientific phenomena.
Work performed
\"Awareness Campaign
Overview of the results
o Conception, realization and display of promotional material (over 100.000 items);
o Public advertising (billboards) and advertisement on public transport (busses, bus stops in city centre) 10 billboards, 20 advertisements on bus stops, 10 inside of city buses, advertising in Shopping centre BIG Novi Sad;
o Organization of a national press conference;
o Airing of news, announcements, ads and reports about the Serbian funded projects and COOL&HOT project specifically on radio and TV stations, amongst which 47 radio news and announcements and 42 TV + radio shows, news and reports;
o Over 20.000 sessions and 10.000 unique visitors, average time 3 minutes, 4 pages opened
o Revamping, constant updating and maintenance of social network profiles (Facebook)
o Over 6.000 likes on Facebook;
o Links with popular and institutional websites
o Organization of a round table discussion about a cool topics related to science
o Organization of over 50 visits to primary and secondary schools
o Organization of pre-events (Science Truck Tour)
o Over 800.000 people made aware of the Researchers\' night and its objectives.
Activities during the Night
Organisation of the activities as planned in the Annex I part B to the Grant agreement, amongst which:
o Exhibition stands;
o Hands-on experiments;
o Demos;
o Lectures:
o Science shows, amongst which shows by both scientists and non scientists musicians, painters, actors) and on stage experiments;
o Competition \"\"Cool scientist\"\" (researchers and science professionals);
o Storytelling about lives of cool scientists along with the presentation of current science results;
o Social activities with scientists (singing competition, sport, gaming, painting…);
o Interactive science quiz
o Ice cream with scientists, speed dating with researchers;
o Concerts 4;
o European Corners (8);
o Active involvement of over 214 researchers, including both students and full professors;
o 5 having benefitted from Marie Curie schemes;
o 21 having benefitted from another EU support (FP 7/HORIZON 2020);
Over 30.000 visitors having taken part in the activities offered, distributed as follows:
o Novi Sad: 22.000;
o Subotica: 3.000;
o Zrenjanin: 2.500;
o Pancevo: 300
o Sabac: 200;
o Indjija 2.000;
\"
Final results
\"Collection and processing of 1.514 feedbacks (questionnaires and face to face interviews);
o Realisation of face to face interviews;
Main conclusions:
o Typology of visitors: strong mobilisation of young people, mostly from the host city;
o Overall positive feedback on the event itself (activities, interest, contacts with researchers, concrete organisation, scheduling, venues and locations);
o Increased understanding of the job researcher and its societal positive impact (85 % of young people, 70 % responders), consideration that researchers are interesting and have a complicated job;
o Relatively scarce knowledge about follow up of science careers, beyond the research field (only teaching, medicine and \"\"innovation\"\" quoted) as well as about the societal impact of research (only 30 % responders able to list 3 aspects of such impact);
o Tackling of persisting stereotypes about researchers although they still keep perceived as older and male (63 % and 37 %);
o Improved results compared to previous editions of the event regarding gender, age and interest of the job;
o Increased interest for science careers amongst young people;
o Most successful activities: hands-on experiments, social activities with researchers, ice cream with researchers;
o General will expressed to take part in future similar events (over 85 % of young responders);
o Positive feedback regarding the impact of the event on public perception of researchers (82% positive responders);
o 20% of the young people interviewed would consider research as a possible orientation (an increase compared to RN 2015);
o Overall very enthusiastic feedback resulting from the answers to the on-site questionnaires
Clearly the Researchers\'Night will not as such have a measurable socio-economic impact. They nevertheless can have a certain influence about the relationships between research institutions, universities etc. operating in the area and having cooperated for the project, likely to go on after it and generate further synergies and positive impact for the territory concerned.
Since the University of Novi Sad is well known on industry-research collaboration- over 130 spin-off companies established- there is always a great interest expressed from companies to participate in the events it organizes and consequently be offered an opportunity to show their projects and involvement.\"
Website & more info
More info: http://www.nocistrazivaca.rs.