Travelling exhibition – science goes out of labs

On Tuesday, 4th July the opening ceremony of travelling exhibition “Beyond the Lab: the DIY Science Revolution” took place in the IES’s owned Cēsis castle manor. On display are stories about 7 ordinary people who have moved science from its natural habitat – laboratory to their homes.

Armed with low-cost sensors, smartphone applications and the ability to share data online, these "do-it-yourself" (DIY) science pioneers challenge our perceptions of what really is a scientist and how science look like in the future.

The exhibition was brought to Cēsis, Latvia by the Vidzeme center for innovation and entrepreneurship ZINOO and with the help of the Institute for Environmental Solutions (IES). Inese Suija – Markova, the managing director of IES expressed her pleasure to see so many young people at the opening ceremony. She pointed out: “If previously we believed that scientific discoveries were possible only in really fancy laboratories, then now science is coming out of labs. Any of us who have intrinsic curiosity, the desire to discover, can become a citizen scientist.”

I.Suija – Markova said that she hopes to see these bright, young people in the research field. “In the future, we will face many challenges – growth of the world population, food deficit, etc., all of which require extraordinary and complex solutions. Anyone can contribute and play a meaningful role in building a better and safer environment around us.” she mentioned in her speech.

The exhibition in Latvia will be open from 4 July to 31 August in the Cēsis Castle Manor (Pils sq. 15, Cēsis). Workdays: 12:00 – 17:00; holidays: 10:00 – 18:00. Entrance is free of charge.

The travelling exhibition is a part of the SPARKS project which is supported by Horizon 2020, the EU Framework for Research and Innovation. It has a network of partners with 33 organizations across the Europe. SPARKS aims to show Europeans that they can get involved in science and that various stakeholders share the responsibility for scientific research and innovation.

More about  SPARKS