The atrium of the National Museum of Natural History and Science (MUHNAC) is full of people, tables and posters, voices echoing against the walls, floor and ceiling, talking about science. It’s not a ‘normal’ day, also because it’s not even ‘day’ anymore – this year’s edition of the European Researchers’ Night (ERN) started in the late afternoon of September 29, and Técnico researchers had the opportunity to conduct more than thirty outreach activities.

The ERN takes place every year, on the last Friday of September, simultaneously in hundreds of European cities. Funded by the European Commission, the initiative aims to bring researchers closer to the public through science outreach activities.

In Lisbon, this year, the ERN took place simultaneously in three sites – MUHNAC, Pavilion of Knowledge Champalimaud Foundation. In addition to the science projects exhibition, the event also included talks and music, dance and stand-up comedy performances.

At MUHNAC, the activities extended beyond the museum’s main building to include part of the Príncipe Real Garden. By this time of the year, the trees in the garden have already borne fruit. With the heat that day, this space was full of pungent smells, golden tones from the late afternoon sun and the sounds of voices and traffic on a Friday during rush hour. The visitors were very curious to talk to the researchers and watch their demonstrations, far from the controlled, stimulus-free environment of a research laboratory.

Back in the cool interior of MUHNAC’S building, Roberta, a Técnico PhD student, is attending the ERN for the first time, but she has already conducted several outreach activities. She is happy with the experience, and says “it’s good to have this contact with the public to understand their idea of our research”. In this respect, she says she feels that the public “has some preconceived ideas [about the research topics presented there] because of what they see in the media”.

We met Mariana, also a Técnico PhD student, in a different corridor and in the middle of an activity. Like Roberta, it’s her first time at the ERN and she says “it’s been very interesting because, throughout the event, the audience has been very diverse. Whereas at other events, sometimes, the audience is more homogeneous – with a more specific age group, for example – here we can adapt the speech to those who show up.”

Both PhD students agree that taking part in these activities is an asset to their research work. Mariana says that “it’s good to get out of the bubble [of research work] and try to showcase our work to people”, since “this way we can see how our research work will be received by the community and the social impact it could have”. Roberta adds that there are benefits for the work itself, as “we can get in touch with some of the problems that people face in their day-to-day lives and, from there, get inspired”.

At the Champalimaud Foundation, the activity was also divided into various spaces. António, a postdoctoral researcher, came out of the warehouse where he had his exhibition stand for a short break.

He has participated in several outreach events besides the ERN, including the Técnico Open Day, and shared that participating in such events “is enriching”, as “we show parts of our research work to children and young people”. According to the researcher, giving a big picture of his research work is much more challenging than talking about more specific and in-depth aspects.

António left a recommendation for his fellow researchers – “I think they should take part in these activities. Our research projects are a way of contributing to society and these events show our work. With this, we pass on good messages”.

The list of research units affiliated with Técnico that participated in this year’s edition of the ERN in Lisbon were:

• Centre for Nuclear Sciences and Technologies (C2TN)
• Center of Physics and Engineering of Advanced Materials (CeFEMA)
• Centre for Management Studies of Instituto Superior Técnico (CEGIST)
• Centro de Recursos Naturais e Ambiente (CERENA)
• Civil Engineering Research and Innovation for Sustainability (CERIS)
• Center for Innovation in Territory, Urbanism, and Architecture (CiTUA)
• Centro de Química Estrutural (CQE)
• Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences (IBB)
• Institute for Plasmas and Nuclear Fusion (IPFN)
• Institute for Systems and Robotics (ISR)
• Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores – Microsistemas e Nanotecnologias (INESC MN)
• Instituto de Telecomunicações (IT)
• Interactive Technologies Institute (ITI)
• Mechanical Engineering Institute (idMEC)
• Water Testing Laboratory (LAIST)