Brussels, 16/09/2005 (Agence Europe) - The European Researchers' Night will be held on 23 September. The event, which is part of the Researchers in the Limelight, Provisional Media Programme 2005, will take place simultaneously in several towns throughout the EU. Over 30 national, regional and local organisers (companies, universities, research bodies, public authorities) will host the scientific activities and demonstrations in a relaxed and festive mood. The European Researchers' Night, with its demonstrations, its games, interactive entertainment and scientific experiments, aims to demonstrate the fascinating life of a science career and to show that research workers are important for our society. Whatever qualifications one has, we can all gain information on the work of researchers and on researchers themselves.
Brussels will be the main location for the event, with four major sites foreseen in the town. Demonstrations will take place at four different places between 18h00 and 1 a.m. The public may: - attend a demonstration of Asimo, an advanced humanoid robot built by a team of European research-workers, and carry out hands-on demonstrations in the Halles Saint-Géry in the heart of the city; - explore the mysteries of the Southern Sky at the Brussels planetarium; - pierce the secrets of nature at the Institute of Natural Sciences; - and carry out three scientific tests prepared by the ULB Infoscience team. A shuttle service is provided between the four sites.
Other activities are also to be carried out in Europe: - a “Night of the Stars” in the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary and Slovenia; - an inquiry into the theme of “a crime at the science museum” in Portugal; - a “science café” in Cophenhagen; - “research comes together” in Camerino, Italy; and - an experiment marathon in Hungary. (For more information: http: //europa.eu.int/comm/research/researchersineurope/events/upevents/list_events_en.cfm.