The 14th Science Picnic, organised by Polish Radio and the Copernicus Science Centre, bursts into life on Saturday.

The Science Picnic is Europe’s biggest outdoor science fair, and includes talks and shows by renowned scientists from across the globe in a park in Poland’s capital, Warsaw.

Fascinating experiments, as well as archeology workshops and other science displays, are billed for the Picnic, designed to get as many people involved in a wide range of disciplines.

This year’s slogan is the “Great Microworld”, named on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the publication of Richard Feyman’s “There is Plenty of Room at the Bottom,” a treatise which saw the birth of nanotechnology.

Around 250 institutions from across Poland take part in the fair, as well as scientific establishments from across the world, including most European countries as well as the USA and Egypt. Over 1,000 academics from across the world also attend the Science Picnic.

This year’s event takes place in the Rydz-Smigly Park in Warsaw’s Powisle district, which will host a 40,000 m.sq. area for the Science Picnic. Visitors can stroll down Cosmic Alley, Atom Street, or the Experiment Zone, as well as many other pavilions from other disciplines.

The Science Picnic’s aim is to get people to know and understand science in an exciting and original way. The event has also got the attention fo the European Union, with the Commission awarding it the title of best project in the “Science and Society” programme in 2005.

The Science Picnic initiative was also picked up by the Copernicus Science Centre, which has since become a co-organiser in the popularisation of scientific subjects. (jb)

Related link: http://www.pikniknaukowy.pl (English version!)

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