Researchers’ Night launches this week. TIME is in focus.

20 SEPTEMBER 2021

Zlín, 20 September 2021 This week, on Friday, 24 September 2021, an established popular and very popular event takes place in Zlín: Researchers’ Night,   this time intertwined with TIME as the theme. This festival of science, which is traditionally held in Zlín under the auspices of Tomas Bata University, can be accessed free of charge. The University invites the visitors to its premises of the Laboratory Centre of the Faculty of Technology and the Centre of Polymer Systems, where a programme full of presentations, workshops and experiments will be available. This year, for the first time, the programme will also be extended to the chateau in Zlín.

“I have been looking forward to this year’s event for two years because of last year’s pandemic control measures. Perhaps even more so, because this year we will visit a new venue located at the chateau in Zlín. As for the agenda, I would like to mention the workshops through which the visitors can experience science for themselves, including the opportunity to taste insects or see how polymers change over time. Apart from that, we are preparing popular experiments, games and competitions,” says Michal Rouchal, the coordinator of the Researchers’ Night in Zlín.

Behind the door of the Faculty of Technology’s Laboratory Centre, visitors can try out various experiments and virtual reality, play games, watch films from the Audiovisual Production Workshop of the Faculty of Multimedia Communications or practice their English with the Faculty of Humanitarian Studies. The marathon of presentations entitled Science Café will also be held this year, in which scientists from Tomas Bata University will introduce the public to the world of topics such as microbes, chemistry or beer, while the Zlín Chateau will say hello to games from the Faculty of Management and Economics, the Eurocentrum in Zlín will have quizzes and competitions for great prizes, and, last but not least, Experimentarium in Otrokovice will present enthusiastic young scientists in action. A series of short 10-minute presentations on science will be given in the local large hall. Finally, an art laboratory will be opened in the form of DIPLOMKY – an exhibition presenting diploma theses by graduates from the Faculty of Multimedia Communications.
In Zlín, you can also visit the Centre of Polymer Systems that will have guided tours on offer (starting at 4, 5 and 6 p.m.) as well as a programme for visitors wishing to take a look inside the building that is usually not open to the public. Now, however, those interested will be able to see both the laboratories and the technology hall. For example, guests will be able to see demonstrations of how biodegradable polymers break down, simulations of tyre tread abrasion in heavy terrain on a rubber test bed, or methods of producing and testing nanofibres used to make face masks.
The Zlín Observatory will also open its door, offering presentations on time in astronomy from 6 to 10 p.m.

“We are very happy that the event will finally take place. However, we are still mindful of the coronavirus situation and therefore, in accordance with current regulations, all visitors will be required to provide proof of infection-free status, whether it is a certificate of completed vaccination, a test completed at a certified facility, an illness already suffered, or, where applicable, an self-test right at the site.  A respirator or a face mask will be required indoors; we also ask everybody to respect spacing,” adds Dr Rouchal.

For sites outside Zlín, the Faculty of Logistics and Crisis Management in Uherské Hradiště will also have a programme available. From 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., visitors can enjoy chemistry experiments, virtual reality, a planetarium, an aerial simulator, police and firefighter demonstrations and, of course, lots of entertainment, games and competitions in which visitors can participate.

Although the presentational form of the Researchers’ Night will be in full swing, some parts of last year’s online programme proved successful, too, so those interested can enjoy a bit of science from the comfort of their own home as well.  One of them is the online game entitled Nevím, dál (I don’t know – Please go on), thanks to which the players can test their brains and knowledge of terminology from some of the disciplines taught at the University. The game will be available not only at the Researchers’ Night, but also at any time in the comfort of your own home at www.nevimdal.cz.

Podcasts are the second item from the online agenda. In three episodes of the “scientist night” series, they go through the topics of cryptocurrency, the infinite shelf life of food, and the versatility of shoes. You can listen to them on your favourite streaming platforms on the channel entitled Noc vědců (Researchers’ Night).

Overall, the Researchers’ Night will be a busy event in Zlín. The full programme can be found at www.nocvedcu.cz and it is best to experience it for yourself on Friday, 24 9 2021 from 4 to 10 p.m.