POP SCIENCE

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - POP SCIENCE (POP SCIENCE)

Reporting period: 2014-12-01 to 2015-12-31

Our objective is to reach out to a large majority of the public who have not shown interest in science so far.
We want to make them aware of the major breakthroughs in physics, astronomy and related applications of
which they have heard from media worldwide, without understanding the profound implications on general
knowledge and their spin offs on technology, as well celebrating the protagonists of these breakthroughs:
researchers. We have chosen icons from modern culture – an innovative combination of poetry, art, theatre
and consumers' gadgets (i.e. pop culture) – as communication vehicles, and a downtown trade center
(including Geneva's FNAC) as a the venue. We will partner with a global consumer brand to support
a pervasive awareness campaign. Poems inspired by recent discoveries in physics and astronomy,
produced by famous poets and university students (selected through an international contest) from at
least 6 European countries will be presented on Researchers Night. QR codes of the winning poems will
be distributed on the night and subsequently in the subways of European capitals. The poets will have
previously attended special seminars at CERN and other scientific laboratories about the new findings
and thus be able to translate the scientific message in a concise and accessible language. Augmented
reality, robots, QR-bar codes and explanatory video games,will be the highlight of a special tech section
and a kids' corner, featuring CERN’s Marie Curie fellows, demonstrating these technologies and whom
the public will "speed-date".Data used every day by the researchers to study the deepest secrets of nature
will be transformed in visual art for interior decoration and become melodies played live by musicians and
downloadable as smart phone tunes. At the POP- science café, the menu features liquid nitrogen icecream
and a theatre show on quantum vacuum , where researchers and artists will be on stage, and talk to
the public moderated by journalists.

I. Periodic Technical report

I.1. Explanation of the work carried out by the beneficiaries and Overview of the progress

Overview of the results
Results are described below per workpackage.

Explanation of the work carried out during the reporting within the whole project in line with the Annex 1 to the Grant Agreement
Target audiences

o Public at large regardless of age and scientific background;
o Special attention to be paid on kids and young people especially those facing a career
choice;
o Secondary audiences: journalists and other influencers and intermediaries likely reaching
specific sections of the audience;

Messages conveyed

o Researchers are amongst us;
o Researchers are ordinary people with an extraordinary job;
o Science and research are everywhere, including in citizens’ daily lives and well-being;
o Almost anyone can become a researcher and research and be understood by all;
o Art and science are very close to each other and both explore the frontier of knowledge;
o Research is fun;
o The work of researchers is fundamental for progress of knowledge and mankind, as well as
useful for citizens’ daily life (research is beautiful and useful);
o Research in the infinitely small (particle physics) is very close to research in the infinitely
large (astrophysics);
o Many European organisations at both national and international levels are leaders in such
fields and provide high level training and access to research to the young European
audience;

Main communication tools to rely on

Off line

o Public advertising in the venue (intriguing posters featuring the event with attractive popular
icons, images and QR codes allowing download of programme and info kit;
o Display of promotional material to schools (gadgets and popular objects ;
o Launch of a competition for focusing the attention on the event;
o Display of downloadable apps and music with the sounds (scientific sonification) on I-Pads
and electronic screens;
o Questions and answers sessions with researchers identifiable on specific peak times;
o Publication of different press releases;
o Setting up of several media partnerships (Radio France, local and national TV stations);
o Publications In written and audio-visual press in relation with the poetry competition (launch,
results);

On line

o Revamping of project portal (featuring participants’ websites and relayed through them);
o Dedicated YouTube channel including video clips, interviews and blog;
o Revamping of social network profiles (Facebook, Twitter, Flickr)

Promotional material

o Written material (folders, brochures, programmes, posters);
o Banners, ads , websites, link to relevant EU websites and social networks;
o Mention of "This European Researchers' Night project is funded by the European
Commission under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions" on all promotional material
displayed;
o Promotional gadgets (displayed through the European corner notably), complying with the
general guidelines available at http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/communication/services/visual_identity/index.en.htm

Overview of the results
o Conception, realisation and display of promotional material: posters of various formats, flyers, poetry booklets, displayed in local schools, turist offices, cultural institutions, French universities and French-speaking Swiss universities, as well as druing pre-events during June and September;
o Special campaign in FNAC stores: display of postrs, banners, floor stickers, as well as of video clips and slides (TV screens in shops);
o Public advertising in commercial centre Balexert: newsletter, display of sldies show in cinemas, theatres, waiting areas, bars, display of flyers through centre info points;
o Invitiations sent to local journalists (Switzerland and Rhône Alpes region) through CERN mailing list;
o Airing of announcements, advertising, interviews (including a live interview from a Nobel Prize laureate), promotional spots and dedicated programmes on local radio station;
o Organisation of pre-events:
o 4 days poet internships at CERN;
o Interactive exhibition LHC Interactive Tunnel + LHC lego animations and poster exhibition at Centre commercial Balexert;
o Festival Bandes dessinees Lausanne;
o Astronaut “gouter” with Luca Parmitano for children in Balexert cinemas space;
o conference poet and Nobel for Literature Gao Xin , PHD Movie projection •
o Revamping, constant updating and maintenance of the project website, namely www.pop-science.eu ;
4
o 66.652 unique visitors in 20015, of which 11.409 in September and 163.154 page views;
o Revamping, constant updating and maintenance eof social network profiles (Twitter and Facebook);
o Over 3.700 followers/subscribers to the dedicated social networks;
o About 800.000 people having been made aware of the Researches'Night and its objectives.

ACTIVITIES DURING THE NIGHT

List of locations and venues involved

o Geneva, main shopping mall including FNAC directly involved in the actions downtown
shopping mall);
o Other locations to be determined: France, Italy, Switzerland , Denmark and Russia for the
poetry competition (see further)

Main types of activities planned

Hands-on experiments, demos, science shows, chats with researchers, competitions and games, science cafés, speed dating, kids’ corner, book fair…

Detailed programme of activities

o Main theme: human quest to understand our origins, links between the infinitely small
(physical particles) and the infinitely large of astrophysics and cosmology (Higgs field, dark
Matter, exo-planets);

o Physics in poetry and literature:

• Presentation of poems inspired by the physics of the infinitely small and the infinitely large by a selection of famous poets from 6 European countries;
• Display of video recordings of these poets’ encounters with scientists;
• Launch of a poetry competition in the literary faculties of universities in France, Italy, Switzerland, Denmark and Russia;
• Science book Fair with autographs by the authors (recent titles in popular science literature and comics presented by the authors);
Speed dating and demos with researchers: smart research for smarter citizens: machine vision, augmented reality, robots, science behind code bars and QR codes: discussions with the audience and demonstrations;
o The big Sudoku of science; science for kids: children playing with young researchers: playing
Sudoku, Cernland (interactive physics games and kids), portable planetarium, Higgs boson
simulation, LHC interactive;
o Science deco and sounds of science:
• Scientific visualisation and data sonification, data from research (LHC experiments, sun’s activity taken in real time by NASA, Planck experiment, data from expo-planets observations…) transformed in visual art for interior decoration,
• Music from data sonification played live by musicians/researchers(sonification of LHC data) and explanation of the process;
o Science café and science show with artists, scientists and artistic researchers on stage: basic or applied research, art and literature, researchers being interviewed by
journalists, accompanied by musical performances and theatre show, each show being followed by a debate with the scientists on specific subjects;
• The Sound of science: musical pieces based on data sonification;
• Science theatre “the origins show”: 15 ‘ multi arts show on quantum vacuum at the frontier of arts and science, followed by debate with artists and researchers;
• Science cafés programmes: physics, astrophysics and their technological applications useful to society;

European corners

Number:1

Location: frequented area of the shopping mall in Geneva

Activities planned:
o Presentation of EU)-funded projects and their results;
o Witnesses by MSCA fellows about the mobility in research and their own research and
career;
o Permanent presence of personnel able to answer all potential questions on EU programmes
and policies, in particular those addressing research and researchers;
o European Researchers' Night MSCA roll-up (entrance of the event) complying with the
following content and format requirements: 200 X 85 cm, and the mentions: "European
Researchers' Night", "Marie Skłodowska-Curie: an inspiration to follow";
o An image provided by the European Commission;

List of locations and venues involved and Main types of activities organized

o Offer of the activities as planned in the Grant Agreement Annex I, mainly consisting of:

• Hands-on experiments(physics: liquid nitrogen, marshmellows, ice cream);
• Book signing with science writers and poets, live webcast unveiling poems written by poets, poetry competition;
• Science café;
• T-shirt competition, Ask a researcher, photo exhibition (particle collisions, Aurora Borealis);
• Kids 'activities: science comics, on line games, paintings based on scientific visualisation, computer games…
• Theatre performances ("final science café", "the origins show"), multi art show on quantum vacuum at the frontier of art and science;
• Debate with artists and researchers…
o About 5.000 visitors having taken part in the activities offered.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT

Description of the current situation

Relying on Gallup telephone survey of approximately 1.000 young people in each of the 27 European countries in 2008 (Flash Eurobarometer 239), used a s a baseline;

Tools

o Ex ante questionnaires available through the website and displayed during the awareness
campaign (venue of the event, shopping mall);
o Poetry competition voting systems;
o Ex-post questionnaires made available to live audiences at the venues;
o Web-based surveys through project and partners’ websites;
o Several blogs and forums;
o Social media communications impact assessment;

Indicators and parameters to be applied

o Qualitative: public opinion on researchers and their job (associations with the word
“researcher”, characteristics of actual and wished researchers), interest expressed for
science and research, interest expressed for science careers, intention to attend future
similar events, changing perception towards existing stereotypes on researchers and their
job, variability of the results in the various successive impact assessment exercises
conducted in the framework of the various Researchers’ nights;
o Quantitative: number of attendees, participation in various activities offered, rating of the
event, this on the website, friends and followers through social networks, number of
promotional items displayed, media coverage, number of filled in surveys, number of focus
groups conducted…

Selection of the sample

o Method: random selection
o Absolute figures: at least 5 % of the overall attendees should provide a feedback whichever
the mean used for doing so.

Overview of the results

o Collection, analysis and processing of 156 feedbacks (questionnaires pre and post event, interviews, votes..) ;
o Main conclusions:
o Typology of visitors: 49 % male, 51 % female, aged between 25-45 I average, youngest being uner 16 and oldest between 55 and 64, 45 % with a university degree (of which 20 % I science), 13,4 % baccalauréat;
o Knowledge about the event: 33,3 % through website and media, 22 % through printed advertising, 26,44 % word of mouth (freidns, colleagues, family), 12 % newsletter at the venue (shopping mall), 8,7 % through social media and 4,3 % through their participation to a previous edition;
o Overall positive feedback about the event itself (activities, interest, contacts with researchers, venue and location, concrete organisation );
o Increased motiviation from researchers for an active invvoelment in the activities;
o Most successful activities: science at the cinema, fun with physics;
o Less successful activities: ask a researcher (FNAC store);
o Possible improvements:
 Reinforced researchers' training for getting in touch with the general public (increased pro activity);
 Use of "cultural filters" such as cinema and playful entertaining activities.

A CERN researcher demonstrating phase transition with liquid nitrogen marshmallows at the popsceince

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - POP SCIENCE (POP SCIENCE)

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