Science Dialog

WISSENSCHAFTSFESTIVAL der Universität Bonn               7. Juli 2024: Under the motto „Wissenschaft zum Mitmachen für alle!“ the University of Bonn invited the public to the Wissenschaftsfestival 2024. Of course, AIfA was present with a stall, shared with the Transdisciplinary Research Area "TRA Matter". Besides presenting the LEGO ALMA and a banner version of the exhibit "Dem Universum auf der Spur" we also offered the opportunity to discuss and leave behind impressions and thoughts on the topic of artificial intelligence.

DIGITAL@SCHOOL CAMPUS                                       19.-20. Juni 2024: About 2000 pupils (years 3-12) attended the event, where team of four AIfA members and a school intern manned an interactive stall on machine learning and gave examples of its application in the data-intensive fields of radioastronomie and particle physics. Through the games of Mensch-Maschine and Tutti Quantum pupils could learn about machine learning and particle physics, and, finally, they could try out radioinferometry at the interactive LEGO Modell des ALMA Radioteleskops.

IDEEN EXPO HANNOVER                                                   13.-15. June 2024: Together with ESERO, our AIfA team presented several exhibits at a joint stand. Besides the always popular LEGO-ALMA and a cloud chamber, visitors could learn more about radio astronomy and particle physics through some exciting physical phenomena. The "Man, Machine!" and "Tutti Quantum" games and a button-making machine were also on display. In total, more than 430,000 visitors came to the 9-day IdeenExpo.

11.-22. March 2024: We welcomed two interns to the AIfA, who were supervised together with the Netzwerk Teilchenwelt at the Physics Institute. This gave the students the opportunity to observe the moon using the AIfA telescope, try their hand at astronomical distance measurements in the Projekt Andromeda, accompany master classes and build a simple particle physics detector.

SCHNUPPER-UNI

06. February 2024: At the 24. Schnupper-Uni, a team of AIfA researchers held three workshops for a total of 42 girls in grades 10 to 13. In addition to information on the course of study and job prospects, we got into conversations over a get-to-know-you bingo and tried out the basics of astronomy in interactive parts on the LEGO Modell des ALMA Radioteleskops and an exercise on measuring distances in space.

WISSENSCHAFTSRALLEY

27. January 2024:  At the science rally around Poppelsdorf, over 300 young people were able to discover various STEM subjects and courses of study for themselves. At the astronomy station, we presented the interactive ALMA model and the decision tree "Tracking the universe". Participants were also able to carry out a speed check on the Milky Way using observation data and explore the rules of the quantum world using a card game.

TAG DER NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN                           
12. January 2024: A group of 22 pupils and one teacher from Beethoven-Gymnasium visited the AIfA. Insights into our work were offered in a program consisting of visits to the telescope, the LEGO model of the ALMA radio telescope and the electrical workshop, as well as scientific lectures and practical exercises. The various opportunities for interaction with AIfA researchers and students, who answered the students' questions about the everyday life and work of astrophysicists in a dialog session and during the joint pizza lunch, were particularly well received. The central theme was the expansion of the universe: how do we know that the universe is expanding and how do we measure distances? Using „Project Andromeda“, which was developed at the AIfA and is available online, the pupils tried their hand at being astronomers.

Nacht der Technik

20. October 2023: The Bonn/Rhine-Sieg Night of Technology entered its third edition and the University of Bonn was represented for the first time with its own station. As one of 49 locations in the region, the University of Bonn opened its doors and showcased technical innovations with interactive experiments in robotics, geodesy/geoinformation and astronomy.

HIGHLIGHTS DER PHYSIK

25-30. September 2023:  Highlights der Physik in Kiel.  With a large hands-on exhibition including our LEGO-ALMA model, a varied program for children and young people and many interesting lectures, the "Highlights of Physics" showed how exciting and understandable science can be communicated. Almost 40,000 interested people visited the festival during the six days of the event.

BMBF OPen Day

19-20 August 2023:  We were invited to exhibit our LEGO-ALMA model at the Open Day of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Under the motto: New horizons, new opportunities - knowledge that moves us forward! a selection of initiatives and projects supported by the BMBF was presented here, among other things. Despite sweaty temperatures, more than 7000 visitors found their way to the Federal Ministry in Berlin. The AIfA was represented by Minou Greve, Leo Ringel and Philipp Ertz. 

Roadshow "Universe on Tour"

9-13 August 2023:  As part of the "Universe on Tour" roadshow, more than 4,000 visitors came to the exhibition tent on the Hofgartenwiese in Bonn, where they also enjoyed the interactive LEGO-ALMA model. In the neighboring mobile planetarium, Prof. Andrina Nicola took the audience on a "Journey into Darkness." in a public evening lecture on Aug. 12. Our MS Science exhibit was displayed as a large banner. 

Dialogue on Deck

4 August 2023:  More than 100 visitors attended the public panel discussion "Dialogue on Deck: Black Holes and the Limits of Space and Time", where experts from different disciplines discussed questions about the nature of space and time and the limits of our knowledge. The event took place on the exhibition ship MS Wissenschaft as part of the Science Year 2023 "Our Universe" and was organized by AIfA staff, enaCom and the TRAs of the University of Bonn.  (more) (video)

Exhibit on the MS-Wissenschaft

9 May to 27 September 2023: Bonn University was on board the "MS Wissenschaft". For this exhibition ship, a team from the university developed an exhibit in line with this year's theme of the Year of Science, "Our Universe". Under the motto "On the trail of the universe", visitors, especially schoolchildren, can interactively explore various research areas and methods relating to the universe.  (more)

Science festival

9 July 2023: The first science festival of the University of Bonn on the Hofgartenwiese had the motto "Science to participate for everyone!" The AIfA was represented with the LEGO-ALMA model.  (more)