{"id":14874,"date":"2018-11-27T13:25:18","date_gmt":"2018-11-27T12:25:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.embl.de\/?p=14874"},"modified":"2024-03-22T11:31:00","modified_gmt":"2024-03-22T10:31:00","slug":"ern2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/events\/ern2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Night of research, culture and treats"},"content":{"rendered":"

European Researchers\u2019 Night is Europe\u2019s biggest science festival. This year, Heidelberg and Mannheim participated for the first time. EMBL\u2019s European Learning Laboratory for the Life Sciences (ELLS) was responsible for organising Heidelberg and Mannheim\u2019s participation in the festival, and secured funding from the European Commission for both 2018 and 2019. On 28 September, ten research institutes in and around Heidelberg were invited to take part in the \u2018Nacht der Forschung Heidelberg | Mannheim\u2019 (Night of Research Heidelberg | Mannheim), together offering more than 130 activities. Over 9300 curious visitors came along to experience the beauty of science. The 1300 visitors at EMBL had the opportunity to visit the labs and talk to scientists, who presented their work in various ways, including in pictures, through dance, and on stage. We asked the EMBL Teens<\/a> reporters to cover the event up close.<\/p>\n

Friends of EMBL is the network for everyone interested in life sciences, and in supporting EMBL\u2019s research and mission. Friends of EMBL are invited to engage in a closer relationship with the Laboratory and its researchers through a dedicated website, a quarterly newsletter and a series of special events, among them the EMBL Science Movie Night<\/a>. Friends of EMBL donations have supported, among others, the EMBL PhD Programme<\/a> and EMBL Activities for Schools (ELLS<\/a>). For more information visit <\/div><\/span>www.embl.org\/friends <\/span><\/a>or write to Barbara Solich at <\/span>friends@embl.de<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\"Teens
The EMBL Teens reporters, Patricia (left) and Maria-Theresa (right), discovered the European Researchers’ Night.
IMAGE: Patrick M\u00fcller \/ EMBL<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Patricia Heintze (left) is 18 years old and joined the EMBL Teens two years ago. She began studying biology in Heidelberg this year. She enjoys the many possibilities that Heidelberg offers to visit research institutes, but she only gets a behind-the-scenes look when she\u2019s with the EMBL Teens.<\/p>\n

Maria-Theresa Licka (right) is 15 years old and joined the EMBL Teens just a few months ago. She\u2019s interested in biology and enjoys the direct interactions with scientists that are possible at European Researchers\u2019 Night.<\/p>\n

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Do it yourself: fluorescence microscope<\/h2>\n

Equipped with a load of curiosity and a programme filled with activities, and with the whole night still ahead of us, we enter EMBL\u2019s Advanced Training Centre (ATC). Our first activity is already quite demanding: we have to build our own fluorescence microscope. After a short introduction, we get hands-on experience. Because we\u2019re working with valuable and sensitive components, we have to wear gloves so that we don\u2019t leave fingerprints. With the help of the friendly EMBL staff, we\u2019re able to build our own microscope. We test it with different cell types. By the end of the project, we\u2019ve taken a cell snapshot, built our own working microscope and understood how it works. A great success!<\/p>\n