What is Pint of Science exactly?
‘It’s a non-profit organisation which originally started in the UK in 2012. I lived in the UK for a bit and the initiative is quite well-known there and I loved to visit them. When I moved to Enschede, I noticed there wasn’t a local Pint of Science, while it was there in other cities in the Netherlands. So I texted the national organisation and joined forces with three UT colleagues to set up a local Enschede event.’
What’s the appeal of this kind of event?
‘It’s meant to bring researchers to the pub around the corner. So it should at least have a relaxed atmosphere, since a lot of people love to go to a bar or pub. We hope to combine that with science; that attendees are able to find out about some interesting fields of research and learn cool things. It should be understandable for everyone. We’re all used to technical talks at conferences, but this should be the opposite of that.’
What can people expect from the Enschede festival?
‘Since this is the first time we’re hosting this in Enschede, we’re starting small with two events. One is in English on 19 May, which is about volcanoes and artificial intelligence. The other one is in Dutch, on 21 May. That one is about rollercoasters and earth observation. By offering the events in both languages, we hope to cater to both an international and local audience.’
About pint of science
Pint of Science is an annual non-profit science festival, meant to communicate scientific developments to the public by having scientists giving talks in public spaces like pubs and bars. The festival takes place in May and was hosted across more than 400 cities and 25 countries last year.
This is the first time the festival takes place in Enschede. The local festival is hosted by four UT researchers: Max Winkelmann, Anne Rikhof and Anthony Thornton from the ET faculty and Amin Shakya from the ITC faculty.
Is this the right way to communicate about science, over a pint and in a relaxed atmosphere?
‘I wouldn’t say it’s the best way, but it’s a least a way. Outreach about science is important, especially if you consider developments like budget cuts and polarisation… This is a way to share to people about why they pay tax money to fund research – and what important work is being done with that money.'
Do you have any specific goals in mind with this event? Should an Enschede Pint of Science become an annual event?
‘We don’t really have any goal. We just hope that everyone who attends the events has a good time. It was important for us to start small; while I lived in Edinburgh, there were at least five Pint of Science events every day during the festival. We hope this first edition will be received positively and we’ll see where it goes from there.’
