Scientastic shows strong public interest in the sciences

Everything you ever wanted to know about energy! Scientastic, EPFL's new science festival, focused on the theme of energy in this, its inaugural year. The event was held on Saturday, 21 November and attracted more than 6000 visitors. They streamed to the school’s Ecublens campus starting at 9:30am, where they were met by 250 EPFL staff members and students. The visitors made the rounds of the festival, checking out the laboratories, taking part in the workshops and attending the conferences, while children joined in a treasure hunt, collecting the various parts of a solar gadget that they could assemble and take home. Visitors quenched their thirst for knowledge at the “How it works" space, where an interactive exhibition staffed by scientists meant that everyone found answers to all their questions.

“It was a real success, and we are obviously very pleased,” said Farnaz Moser, the head of EPFL’s Science Outreach Department, which organized the festival. In addition to the public’s curiosity about EPFL in general, “the large turnout also reflects people’s strong interest in the sciences,” she said. “Energy is an issue that affects all of society but has particular importance for the younger generation. It is encouraging to see that young people really want to understand the issues and challenges that await them.”

Scientastic follows in the footsteps of the Robotics Festival, an event that regularly drew large crowds to EPFL. Like its forebear, Scientastic organizes edifying activities for the public – young and old alike – but covers a broader range of topics and interests. The end goal remains the same: to inform the wider public of social issues that scientific research may be able to help solve, as well as to encourage a career in the sciences. “Our country’s brain power is still our number one resource, and we need to cultivate it,” said Ms. Moser.

Planning for the 2016 Scientastic has already begun. See you next fall!