From 25th – 26th April, 2014 there was held the first annual international festival V4 - Festival of Science 2014 in Trnava. It provided an opportunity to introduce science and innovations through entertainment, games, and solving various practical, research and technical tasks. This unique event gave space for formation of cooperation by students, public and researchers from the Slovak Republic and abroad.
The Festival of Science 2014, with the subtitle A Festival of Science, Innovation and Intercultural Cooperation, started on Friday April 25th 2014 at the Faculty of Materials Science and Technologies STU. On the Friday programme representatives of the European Commission, foreign institutes, ministries, universities, research centers and industrial companies presented. For example, Lívia Vašáková, (Economic Advisor of the Permanent Representation of the Slovak Republic in Brussels), Prof. Imrich Chlamtac (the Director of the European Alliance for Innovations), Prof. DrSc. Neven Vrček PhD. (Vice-dean at the University of Zagreb, Varaždin, Chrotia), Prof. George Teodorescu, PhD. (International Institute for Integral Innovations, Köln, Germany), Amir Raveh and Assaf Mendelson (EXelerator Programme Managers), Prof. Ing. Milan Dado, PhD. (the Dean of the Faculty of Electrotechnology TU Žilina), Assoc. Prof. Mgr. Dagmar Cagáňová, PhD. (the Deputy Director for International Relations and Foreign Projects at UPIM, MTF STU), and Assoc. Prof. Ing. Jana Šujanová, CSc. (the Deputy Director for Science and Research at UPIM MTF STU) all presented. Panel discussions were focused especially on topics dealing with science, innovations and international projects of Horizont 2020.
On Saturday April 26th, 2014 the festival moved directly into the town streets on the Trinity Square in Trnava, where various recitations, singing and dancing performances, research experiments, creative workshops, innovations and interactive games were held. Visitors could find there 25 stands with many interesting activities. There were the stands hosted by the Institute of Industrial Engineering and Management, the Faculty of Materials Science and Technology STU in Trnava with the themes “MTF Transfers to Green” and “Think Simple and Creative - be No. 1.” Students and teachers, along with the public, could make useful objects from waste and they could do various simple games which were introduced under the concept “Standardization of the Workplace: Learning by a Game.” Everybody who was in the mood, everyone who had skillful hands, and kids and adults could participate. Presentations were made by different elementary schools (ZŠ BESST: English – Slovak bilingual school, ZŠ of Kornela Mahra, ZŠ Maxima Gorkého, ZŠ Ivana Krasku, ZŠ Vančurova), secondary schools (Grammar School Jána Hollého) and universities (MTF STU Institute of Applied Informatics and Automation, Institute of Production Technologies, Faculty of Nature Sciences - UCM,), as well as the municipal industrial and technological park, BASF Slovensko spol. s r.o., P-MAT, n.o. PIKOFYZ, STADA PHARMA Slovakia, s.r.o., Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa and Centre of leisure time by ZŠ and MŠ Angely Merici in Trnava.
There were entertaining activities with researchers and students along with cultural and sport events. A part of the cultural programme, included the HECTOR fencing team which performed a mercenary display of the Red Berets. Fans of singing and dancing enjoyed a performance by kids from elementary and secondary schools, as well as the dancing group STREETBEATS, Dog Dancing, Domini Natyu (fluting) and a theatre performance “Odyssey of the Mind.”
The Festival of Science 2014 was prepared as part of the project No. 21310155 with the title "Festival of Science as a platform for strengthening cooperation between universities of V4 countries". The project was made with the grant Vyšehrad Fund.
A thank you is deserved for important material and organizational contributions from representatives of the town of Trnava, the Faculty of Materials Science and Technology STU, specifically the Division of Knowledge Management, the Division of Maintenance and Economic Activities, the Division of Communication and Information Systems and our sponsors: the Vyšehrad Fund, TA3, IDC Holding, Town Television Trnava, MC2, Agency HECTOR, Vivaeduca, EAI – European Alliance for Innovations, BUS Partner, PC Revue, Climbers, and the daily newspaper Trnava dnes.
A special thanks to the members of the project team V4, the organization commission V4, the PhD students of the Institute of Industrial Engineering and Management, volunteers, as well as all who participated to the success of the Festival of Science, which received positive feedback from domestic and foreign participants.
Link on Photo Gallery: http://foto.mtf.stuba.sk/?id_folder=311
Link on Photo Gallery of the Festival of Science, Town Television in Trnava: http://www.mtt.sk/up/trnavsky-magazin/Trnavsky-magazin-29-04-2014
Translation: Jana Green
