The Night of Scientists 2024 in the Pilsen Region will be guided by the University of West Bohemia

Have you ever seen how a broken pelvic bone is fixed, felt the blade of a steam turbine, or sat in an electric racing formula? Visitors to the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen on 27 September will experience all this and much more. Come to the campus in Bory between 5 and 10 pm.

The main theme of this year's pan-European event, which aims to show young children and adults the diversity of science, is Transformation. The theme refers to the centenary of the death of the writer Franz Kafka and his famous short story of the same name, but the apt scientific symbolism also relates to the date of 27 September. "It is said that on 27 September 1905, Albert Einstein sent a paper to the journal Annalen der Physik with the formula E = mc², which literally transformed the world of science at that time," says Dana Kardová, a member of the national team coordinating the Night of Scientists 2024. And among others in Pilsen, Klatovy, Stříbro and Rokycany.

On the campus of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, those interested in science will find four sites - the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Applied Sciences and the University Library. In these buildings, between 5 and 10 p.m. on Friday, 50 displays of scientists from UWB and their partners will appear, who are engaged in technical and social science research.

The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering will show how a machine can become a space explorer and what else robots can do in the service of aerospace. Economists will explain that human decision-making is never consistent over time and how little it takes to change one's mind. Experts from the Faculty of Law will tell visitors about cyberbullying and internet safety. This year, for the first time, all faculties of UWB - including the Faculty of Philosophy or the Faculty of Education - will show their research and projects.

There will also be time to visit special laboratories. The Faculty of Electrical Engineering will let the public into its acoustic chamber for sound testing on Friday evening. Smart windows, self-cleaning and antibacterial surfaces, and how technology can help in medicine, for example in broken pelvic bones or cancer, will be demonstrated by scientists at the Faculty of Applied Sciences. At the stands of the Faculty of Health Care Studies, visitors will be able to try out, for example, the In Body device, which gives a picture of the composition and changes of the human body.

Thanks to the partner institutions of UWB, which will also take part in the Night of Scientists at the Borey campus, the public can enjoy the transformations performed by the Techmania Science Center or robotic helpers from the Robotics Center. Doosan Škoda Power will show a real steam turbine blade and Eurocentrum Plzeň will present the changes in European science after 20 years of the Czech Republic's EU membership. The complete programme, including all venues and other exhibitions, can be found at www.nocvedcu.cz.