Researchers' Night

Once a year, Lappeenranta University of Technology has a ”Researchers’ Night”, an open day for the public. The programme starts around 6 p.m. and ends at 1 a.m. the following morning. There are various demonstrations and lectures, and the night ends with a concert.

The boys and I, accompanied by Tiina, went to this year’s event.

The fun started with blowing giant soap bubbles. Henry managed to make one about 1½m long. Meanwhile, Thomas was making clouds of smaller soap bubbles using a badminton racquet.

Making giant soap bubbles (Thomas in black, Henry in stripes).

The secret recipe:

120ml water
24ml washing-up liquid
12ml glycerol (available from a chemist’s)
1.6g sugar

Mix all the ingredients carefully, making sure that the mixture does not foam. Let the mixture stand overnight at room temperature.

And you have an excellent mixture of soap bubbles!

Then it was off to the Department of Chemical Technology, where Henry made plastic jewellery out of milk, and both boys built a rainbow in a small glass, made a super bouncy ball, and got to see crystals being formed under a microscope.

Below three photos of young researchers hard at work in the chemistry lab.

Henry building his rainbow.

Researcher Henry kitted up for action.

Researcher Thomas kitted up for action.

From the Department of Chemistry it was over to the Department of Energy Technology, to grill some marshmallows in an industrial furnace, and then to the Department of Information Technology to be greeted by a talking robot and to watch a robot using machine vision to stack wooden blocks.

Some of the exchange students had stands and we dropped by to say hello to my Nepali students, below a photo of Thomas with Bishal. Thomas was very pleased to be given a small Nepalese flag.

Thomas, Bishal, a Nepalese flag and a Nepalese hat.

After watching some examples of computer animated films, it was, unfortunately, time for the little boys to go home and to bed.

And we hadn’t even managed to test quite how loud we can shout, nor use the rally simulator, nor seen the robot welding station, nor … nor…

Maybe next year!