Opening night is next Friday. For the second year in a row, Zurich will be hosting the “Research Night”, a public science exhibition with all the frills.

Science shows, flying robots and dancing water drops: on Friday September 26, 2007 research will spring to life all over Europe as scientists in Zurich and over 30 other European cities invite you to a night of research.

This is the second time that Switzerland has participated in the scientific event. Around 150 researchers from ETH Zurich, the University of Zurich, the EMPA and the IBM research laboratory in Rüschlikon will be showcasing their daily work at Bellevue, Zürichhorn Casino and on ferries on Lake Zurich. The Zürcher Kantonalbank will also be involved with the project “ETH Zurich on Tour”.

Flying robots

The night of research gets underway at 5 p.m. while it is still daylight and goes on until midnight. The journey into the world of research begins at Bellevue, where you can visit a themed exhibition and watch as researchers use vivid examples to demonstrate and explain their daily work.

There will be a second exhibition tent and lake stage at Zürichhorn Casino complete with a multifaceted program with various science shows. These include a chemistry show, a demonstration with flying robots and video broadcasts from the European sister cities Kouvala (Finland), Heraklion (Crete), Mainz and Vienna. Comedy, science lounges and food stands at all three sites round off the program.

Ferry trip with Nobel Prize winner

Between Zürichhorn Casino and Bellevue (theatre stage), two ferries will be running free of charge at twenty-minute intervals. The boats will be hosted by researchers, including Nobel Prize winner Prof. Richard Ernst, who will present their work during the journey, talk to the passengers and generally add a bit of zest to the exhibitions.

One of the main exhibition themes is “Health & Technology”, the highlights being the neuro-anatomical training module “Braintrain” and the “Pocket Doctor”. Many of the projects are interactive and aimed at encouraging people to have a try at research. For instance, there will be dancing water drops, magic sand and expanding ice crystals.

Everyone is welcome to Research Night, be they science enthusiasts or simply curious. The events are free and there will also be plenty for children and young people to enjoy.

Third time in Europe

The European Researchers' Night is a project organized under the European Union’s 7^th Framework Program for Research and Technological Development and this is the third time that the EU has funded the initiative from its research budget. Zurich’s second Research Night is organized by ETH Zurich’s Corporate Communications and Euresearch Zürich.