First Leiden Science Family Day: glitter gel, virtual reality and ice-cold clouds
The first Leiden Science Family Day on Saturday 6 October was a great success. During the ‘Weekend of Science’ more than 700 visitors, including 350 children, visited the Faculty of Science. With a program full of experiments, lectures, guided tours and demonstrations, visitors were given a glimpse behind the scenes of the faculty.
Young and old
Family of employees, (former) students, children... Curious faces of young and old filled the atrium of the new Gorlaeus building. On the Experiment square, the youngest visitors for example made glitter gel, coloured flowers and built molecules. Also the Junior Science Lab was the domain of children: dressed in a white lab coat, they went to work in a real laboratory. During brief lectures on the most diverse subjects, researchers told about their work. And through workshops, visitors could also imagine themselves a researcher. Using the VR glasses of the Center for Environmental Sciences they even traveled to various research areas.
Freezing Physics
Cold clouds, floating people and balloons that blew up by themselves. On the first floor students of the Freezing Physics show gave an exciting demonstration with liquid nitrogen. The plants of the Hortus behaved a lot more quietly. But looks can be deceiving: the small plant that stood safely under the dome is also known as the most painful plant in the world! During the day, the public could also take a look at places that normally remain closed. With several guided tours they got a look behind the scenes at, for example, the Fine Mechanical Department and the brand new, state of the art Measure hall.
