As experienced props, the YAG scientists from the RUG and UMCG ensure that the curious public can get right on top of science. Many people seem interested at Noorderzon: a bite-sized piece of science of 15 minutes of science in a sometimes very sparkling form of education.
See with your eyes closed
Like with researcher Sanne Brederoo, who immediately asks the audience to close their eyes. What do they see when they think of a landscape with a mountain and a lake? Sanne explains and shows what happens in the brain when they imagine it. Sometimes we also see or hear things that seem to come from outside ourselves: hallucinations. The audience is fascinated by the research that Sanne is involved in every day.
Hear something
The public is learning today that hallucinations are common, even in people who do not have a psychiatric illness. The people in the tent recognize it. Many have heard, seen, or felt something that seemed like it was really there. That someone called their name, for example. While no one seemed to be doing that. They have plenty of questions about that and Sanne answers them all. Wiser and with ‘How incredibly interesting and fun this is’, the audience then returns to the festival site.
Basic flash science
Well, you might think that these subjects are ideally suited for a flash reading. But any scientific research is, because Maaike de Vries’ fundamental research on DNA, COPD and your biological age also generates an attentive audience and enough questions. Okay, the lectures about Inge Holtman’s innovative brain research and that of Kars van der Weijden into imaging of the small blood vessels are really tough with a lot of scientific terms. But it’s nice that you, as a researcher, are in the middle of the audience and get feedback for free. Because, as one of those visitors says: ‘I want to be able to tell you where I’ve been when I get home.’
2023-08-28 08:13:46
#Science #Noorderzon #eagerly #consumed
