NCCR SPIN participated again in the Berlin Science Week!
For the second time, NCCR SPIN participated to the Berlin Science week. This year, the international science outreach fair took place from 1st to 10th November, as always with hundreds of events and exhibits! Scientists from all over the world introduced their research topics and their social impact during the 10-day fair to thousands of visitors. Again this year, the festival was centered around two main locations: the Campus and the Forum. Once again, NCCR SPIN chose to participate to both programs.
The team was formed in August 2024. Managing director Marilena Longbardi and Outreach officer Marie Le Dantec were joined by Pierre Fromholz (Unibas), Bence Hetényi, (IBM Research Zürich), Clément Javerzac-Galy (FHNW) and Aldo Tarascio (Unibas) to prepare and design the Berlin Science Week exhibits. Pierre Chevalier Kwon (Unibas) and Financial Officer Daniel Spingies reinforced the team onsite.
This team built on the foundations set by last year’s work. The booth made for the Campus program, which takes place at the Museum für Naturkunde, was expanded this year with a few additional interactive modules such as a quantum rock/paper/cissors! Under the motto “Common ground”, our young researchers spent two full days exchanging with the audience about quantum computing, surrounded by dinosaurs skelettons. Hundreds of enthusiastic and curious humans showed up at the booth, asking their most burning questions!
The Forum program took place at the Holzmakt25, a creative urban quarter in the heart of Berlin. There, the festival program was focused on art and science, and a few tiny galleries made their home in the middle of the cretive space. Our Berlin Science Week team presented an artwork called “QuantumLand inc.”. This 3D installation was entirely realized by this year’s young researchers’team. It discusses scientific processes, from hypotheses and ideas to experiments, passing through simulations, transforming into piles of data that may or may not result in useful material. The young researchers incorporated the idea of a factory which processes, at times, nonsensical elements, so the visitors can be pulled into a fantastic mechanical machinery and interact with its elements.
Marilena Longobardi was part of the thought-provoking session “Dancing with Quantum and Embodying Different Worldviews”, hosted by the team at Institut für praktische Emergenz. Her very successfully attended workshop explored the principles of quantum mechanics like entanglement, superposition, and observer-observed relationships through body movement: the public was invited to explore these principles by being part of an onsite dance orchestrated by choreographer Julek Kreutzer.
This year’s Berlin Science Week edition received tons of visitors over the the ten days. The Campus saw about 8500 visitors during the two opened days, and 8500 passed by the Forum. This year’s edition was again very successful, as the young researchers interacted with hundreds of interested people from different backgrounds and ages! NCCR SPIN would like to thank the team of young researchers for their dedicated work!
