CATRIN participated in the Week of the Academy of Sciences
About a hundred high school students did not miss this opportunity to make excursions into CATRIN’s laboratories and attend a lecture in the Fort Science as part of the third year of the festival of popularization of science ‘Week of the Academy of Sciences’.
In an interactive program called Exploring a World of Small Dimensions but Big Possibilities, researchers introduced students to CATRIN’s materials research in particular. They explained the advantages of nanomaterials and nanotechnologies as well as the possibilities of their real-world applications. The visitors were then invited to made their own simple experiments.
Traditional attendees of this event are students from Střední škola polygrafická Olomouc. “I want to bring science closer to my students so that they know what directions it is currently taking. We may not be a school focused on natural sciences, but it still may be possible that the information obtained here can kindle students’ interest towards these disciplines. Knowing the current trends and advancements in science, moreover, done in our home town, is, in my opinion, part of general knowledge,” said Petra Skopalová, a teacher of the school.
Students of the same school also went to the Fort Science for a lecture called Cannabis, Threat or Challenge delivered by the leader of the Phytochemistry research group at CATRIN, Petr Tarkowski. The talk was about the possibilities of using this crop in medicine, cosmetics, industry and agriculture, but also about the achievements of Olomouc science in research into cannabis and its effects.
The Week of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic is the largest scientific festival in the Czech Republic, which includes lectures, exhibitions, workplace events, documentaries, workshops, scientific cafes and many other activities organized across the country and across scientific disciplines. It is a continuous follow-up to the successful Week of Science and Technology of the CAS. The festival is intended for students of secondary schools, for whom lectures and excursions are prepared in the morning, as well as for the general public, who is addressed in the afternoon and evening’s programme.
