Photo Shutterstock The international festival is held in 26 countries simultaneously, from Monday, May 22, until Wednesday, May 24. It is the third time that the Pint of Science has been organised in Wageningen. The last edition here took place in 2020. The festival will be held at two local pubs: PROOST! and Onder de Linden.
Alejandra Gallo (28) is a PhD-student in the Plant Breeding and Biosystematics Group. She volunteers to help organise the festival in Wageningen. ‘The concept is simple’, she says. ‘Pint of Science aims to bring science to local people in a fun, simple and playful way. Instead of just giving a presentation, scientists use games or organize activities like a pub quiz to teach the visitors about science.’
At the Wageningen festival, there will be six events. Participants can learn about microbes by playing Microbe Cards Games in Onder de Linden. People can learn how to manipulate insects in that same pub during the Insect Brain Surgeons event. In PROOST!, festival visitors are asked to solve a murder mystery to figure out what killed a plant. Check out the full programme here.
London
The idea for the festival originated in London, says Gallo. ‘Researchers wanted to build a bridge between science and local people. Almost everybody there loves going to a pub and having fun, so that’s how they got the idea for the festival.’ The first edition of Pint of Science took place in 2013 in three cities in the United Kingdom. The following year, the festival was held in twenty cities in six different countries and by 2019, the Pint of Science was organised in almost 400 cities in 24 countries.
The festival aims to reach people that are not usually involved with science. ‘But Wageningen is a small city, and many inhabitants work or study at the university’, says Gallo. ‘So here, the festival is also for them. I think it is a fun way to discover new ways to communicate about science.’
A ticket for the Pint of Science festival costs five euros. For that money, you can participate, and you get a free drink at the bar.
