Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ReConNeCt (Research, Connections, Networks and Culture)

Teaser

This was the ninth edition of Researchers\' night project in Serbia. It was organized on 28th September 2018 and it covered Province of Vojvodina, a multiethnic and multicultural area with approximately 30% of the total population of Serbia (2.2 out of 7.5 mil people)...

Summary

This was the ninth edition of Researchers\' night project in Serbia. It was organized on 28th September 2018 and it covered Province of Vojvodina, a multiethnic and multicultural area with approximately 30% of the total population of Serbia (2.2 out of 7.5 mil people). Geographical focal points were three main cities of Vojvodina: Novi Sad (400.000), Subotica (140.000), Zrenjanin (80.000). However, this year we continued collaboration with three cities. For the third time Pancevo (75.000), and Sabac (75.000), and for the first time Indjija (30.000) participated in the project and organised activities during the night.
In well organized and logically connected sequence, the project focused on showing and scrutinizing the faces of researchers – introducing the researchers in their connections - junior and senior, females and males, international and local, in natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, medicine and arts, at work and in leisure in science existing in 2018. Common theme mirrored in the same organisational structure and topics. Host cities and Provincial government systematically support the project in all its phases so it developed a truly regional character with high impact across all important segments of public.
The objectives of the project were to:
To break and demystify the persistent and repeated stereotypes about researchers;
• To bring out the actual researchers in Serbia, engage them publically and increase their recognition in Serbian society – locally, but globally as well;
• To promote research carried out in Serbia and researchers as role models;
• To unveil the motives behind becoming a researcher;
• To entice the young to embark on scientific careers;
• To raise public awareness of the researchers\' contribution to progress and development;
• To raise public awareness about climate changes and global warming;
• To highlight the importance of the EU’s manifold support to researchers and scientific research work in Serbia;
• 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 describing the objectives of the EU RN project are: local connections, global connections, attractive, innovative, futuristic, understanding, connecting, facilitating. At the same time these keywords perfectly describe the researchers and science.
To achieve these objectives in a way that would be equally acceptable and understandable to each and every visitor, regardless of their age and education, program offered a balanced combination of science-linked activities (demonstrations, simulations, hands-on experiments) and festive ones (games, sport, quizzes, competitions and music). Activities during the Night included scientific demonstrations realized 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.

Work performed

\"Awareness Campaign

Main target of the awareness campaign
o Public at large regardless of age and scientific background;
o Specific targets: students and alumni, researchers and teaching staff, school teachers, teenagers, kids and elementary school pupils, funders, policy makers, local industrials, parents, adults…

Communication tools
Off line
o Publication of articles, announcements, advertising in written media (newspapers, magazines);
o Airing of promotional spots, interviews, programmes on TV and radio stations;
o Researchers\' night newsletter also open to contributions from individuals;
o Featuring 10 reserch groups, working on hot topics from different fields, and use of their image on the various promotional materials planned;
o Involvement of those research groups in all the awareness activities implying contact with the targeted audience;
o Pre-events:
o 6 half day trainings for researchers involved;
o 5 flash mobs filmed a week prior to the Night (city centres, unexpected start, attracting mass attention);
o Several conventional public promotions;
o Setting up of the project’s visual identity;
o School visits;
o Launch of the competition “Best research group”;
o Appearances in TV and printed media (including RTV Vojvodina, public broadcast service);
o Mailing of RN newsletter to University’s employees, students and other partners;



Activities during the night

Connecting with Scientists –meet and chat with 10 researchers
Connecting Science hands-on experiments and demonstrations
Science and Play –connect with researchers through joint activities
Search and Connect –Interactive science quizzes
Science: Connecting Lives –Several lectures were given in schools during the awareness campaign.
Science and Culture This segment had the theme of cultural heritage specific for Serbia and in particular for Vojvodina region, as a part of celebrating 2018 as the European Year of Cultural Heritage.
Connecting Kids and Science Presentation of the next generations of scientists
Euro Connection - The EU corners had hosted the information desk, interactive quizzes and games for visitors

Overview of the results
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 \"\"Research groups\"\" (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 quizzes;
o Coffe with scientists, speed dating with researchers;
o Concerts 3;
o European Corners (8);
o Active involvement of over 304 researchers, including both students and full professors;
7 Researchers having benefitted from Marie Curie schemes;
14 Researchers having benefitted from another EU support;
o Over 38.000 visitors having taken part in the activities offered, distributed as follows:
Novi Sad 20.500
Subotica 9.500
Zrenjanin 5.000
Indjija 1.500
Kikinda 500
Kanjiza 500
Sabac 600
Pancevo 500.\"

Final results

Developed concept offered more interaction between the researchers and visitors and better public participation in the event. Coffe with scientists, interactive science quizzes, Scientific Idol and other social activities with researchers (sport, gaming and painting) were organised in order to offer more space and time for interaction with visitors, more time to friend to each other. While discovering the fascinating aspects of their jobs, the visitors had the unique opportunity to learn about their hopes, dreams, hobbies, concerns, and perceive them as “ordinary people”. In addition, the activities of the Night will gave the young an opportunity to take part in something that is beyond everyday routine and to operate and play with sophisticated equipment under the supervision of expert-adults.
Researchers’ community from the whole region was invited to apply with experiments and demonstrations and take part themselves. Researchers were additionally motivated to design some new experiments in order to refresh ideas and intensify interacting with visitors. With 304 researchers participating in Researchers’ Night 2018, ranging from MSc students to full professors, we are extremely satisfied. In addition, 15 researchers were actively involved in the awareness campaign.

Website & more info

More info: http://www.nocistrazivaca.rs.