Science Picnic

The Science Picnic is Europe's largest outdoor science-popularization event [ cite web | url =http://www.polskieradio.pl/piknik/english/ |title = www.pikniknaukowy.pl/english | accessdate = | author =| authorlink = | date = | publisher = | j language = English] organized jointly by Polish Radio and the Copernicus Science Centre. It has been held every year since 1997 in Warsaw's New Town Square and Podzamcze area, each time drawing crowds of visitors. A wide range of research fields are represented at the Picnic, including the hard, natural, and social sciences plus the humanities. Research and teaching institutions from Poland and abroad reveal here behind-the-scenes aspects of their work and present science in ways accessible to visitors of various ages, using hands-on experiments and interactive exhibits.

The Science Picnic was commended by the European Commission in 2005 as one of 10 model European projects in the "Science and Society" field. The event has served as the inspiration for many other popular science initiatives, including the Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw.

History

The first Science Picnic (as Science Picnic of Polish Radio BIS) held on 14 June 1997 at the New Town. Seventeen research and teaching institutions form Warsaw took part in it. Picnic was visited by over 3000 people. In subsequent years, the number of participating institutions and visitors grew rapidly. In 2006 around 150 thousand people came to Picnic and 170 institutions form Poland and abroad participated in it, in 2008 – 217 institutions. Since 2008 Science Picnic is organized jointly by Polish Radio and the Copernicus Science Centre.

Dates of Science Picnic

*14 June 1997 – 1st Science Picnic of Polish Radio BIS
*6 June 1998 – 2nd Science Picnic of Polish Radio BIS
*22 May 1999 – 3rd Science Picnic of Polish Radio BIS
*10 June 2000 – 4th Science Picnic of Polish Radio BIS
*9 June 2001 – 5th Science Picnic of Polish Radio BIS
*8 June 2002 – 6th Science Picnic of Polish Radio BIS
*14 June 2003 – 7th Science Picnic of Polish Radio BIS
*22 May 2004 – 8th Science Picnic of Polish Radio BIS
*4 June 2005 – 9th Science Picnic of Polish Radio BIS
*3 June 2006 – 10th Science Picnic of Polish Radio BIS
*26 May 2007 – 11th Science Picnic of Polish Radio BIS
*14 June 2008 – 12th Science Picnic of Polish Radio and the Copernicus Science Centre

Organizers and initiators

*Professor Łukasz A. Turski, Center for Theoretical Physics of Polish Academy of Sciences
*Robert Firmhofer, Polish Radio (since 2006 director of the Copernicus Science Centre)
*Krystyna Kępska-Michalska, Polish Radio

Participating institutions

Each year the Science Picnic is participated in by institutions from Poland and abroad (including from Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Lithuania, Marocco, Mexico, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Sweden, USA).

External links

* [http://www.polskieradio.pl/piknik/english/ Official website]

References