Science Festival in the 2020s
Arkadiusz Gorzawski Doctor of Physical Sciences; ambassador of the Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE; particle accelerator physicist; software engineer in the European Organisation for Nuclear Research
The idea behind science festivals was to communicate science and share it with adults and children, students and pensioners, experts and laymen. To transfer it in an accessible and interesting way – so as to arouse their curiosity, answer questions, show the science capacities and overcome any barriers in exploring it. Shortly speaking, festivals are for all those who are interested. Congress centres are ideal locations for organising such type of events – on the one hand, they are spacious, whereas on the other hand, they are still closed spaces. In the times of coronavirus pandemic we found out that this second aspect is also a source of risk. In such circumstances, online platforms have come to our aid. The Internet is a space where so much already happens that organisation of a science festival does not appear to be anything difficult, especially that access to knowledge has never been easier. The Internet reaches further than we can imagine. It is used by billions of people on a daily basis, which significantly increases the number of recipients. But in the long run, is it possible to keep the above-mentioned range of audience in the virtual space? In the place which already has everything, will the offer of such a festival be as attractive as in the real world?
4th Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE
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Science Communication in the New Reality. How to organise science festivals after the coronavirus pandemic?
