Youth and science

Exciting and impressive

On 10-12 October, the 20th "Science 0+" festival was held in Moscow. This major event was organized to popularize science in society. This year's festival topic was "Your Quantum Universe". It coincides with the UN's declaration of 2025 as the "Year of Quantum Science and Technology".

The "Science 0+" festival was first held in 2006 at the initiative of Rector of Lomonosov Moscow State University V.A.Sadovnichy. Since then, the event has only gained momentum, obtaining more participants and more successful promotional skills. Today, the festival's reach extends beyond the capital. From September to December, it will be held in various formats in all regions of Russia. International participants also join the event, including China, Cuba, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. In late June and early July of this year, the festival was held for the first time in Brazil. In early September, it was held in Belarus.

This year, the central venues in Moscow included the Moscow State University Fundamental Library, the Shuvalov Building of Moscow State University, the National Centre "Russia", the Russian Academy of Sciences, Zaryadye Park and the Palace of Pioneers on Sparrow Hills. A rich programme was held there: open lectures by scientists, science shows, discussions about the future of humanity, master classes, science documentaries, interactive exhibitions, quests and competitions.

The sites offered the opportunity to experience the atmosphere of scientific work. Participants could see and touch research objects, auxiliary instruments and equipment. For example, they could try manipulating small objects in a special box with giant gloves, just like chemists working with fragile toxic elements. They could also hold ammonite fossils and touch live insects nearby: Madagascar cockroaches and stick insects. Participants could learn about the use of electroencephalograms and artificial intelligence for accent correction when learning Russian. Participants could also visit a historical exhibit depicting a typical Soviet nuclear physicist's office from the late 1940s to early 1960s. Among the instruments and household items, a miniature of a critical mass measurement system was on display.

Over 100 scientific and educational organizations, including JINR, participated in the festival. The Institute's topical exhibitions were held on 11-12 October at three venues: Zaryadye Park, the Moscow State University Fundamental Library and the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI. Over the two days, JINR's booths were visited by over 8,000 people.

Head of the Social Communications Group at the UC JINR Anastasia Sushchevich spoke about participating in "Science 0+", "We've been representing JINR regularly since 2017. Our cooperation with the public is intended to engage children and attract young people to science. We talk about the processes taking place at our Institute, the scientific fields and specialties available. It so happens that the main participants at Zaryadye Park are families with school- and preschool-aged children. And the MSU Library has the largest number of students in the physics and mathematics fields - our target audience. We talk about the programmes offered at the UC, distribute brochures and invite people to internships and practical training. Adults also show interest in science and in our Institute and many of them make decisions about their children's education."

JINR brought several exhibits to Zaryadye Park. A stand featuring microelectronics from the Laboratory of High Energy Physics was also on display. A radiobiology stand presented a discussion of the effects of radiation on living organisms. A miniature of the IBR-2 reactor was used to highlight key topics - the use of mollusks and moss to estimate the degree of environmental pollution in air and water. An information kiosk was also on display, showcasing key materials about the Institute's work. A "Wilson Chamber" exhibit demonstrated a retrospective technique for detecting decaying particles. A Tesla coil and experiments with nitrogen were particularly popular. VBLHEP researcher Dmitry Dryablov demonstrated the various properties of the material when interacting with nitrogen and created an "explosion" from combining nitrogen with hot water. Dmitry also proved himself to be an excellent speaker; people came to watch his "physics trick" but then couldn't tear themselves away from his talk about fundamental and applied research in Dubna.

Several miniatures of world-class projects were on display at the Moscow State University Fundamental Library: NICA, the DC-280 cyclotron, the Medical Technical Complex and the Baiklal-GVD. A spherical module of the neutrino telescope and a cloud chamber were also on display. A booth on astrobiology that studies life in the universe by searching for extraterrestrial microorganisms in meteorite fragments was also on display.

An information kiosk and a miniature of the IBR-2 reactor were on display at the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI.

The visitors highly appreciated the personal presence of the researchers, the opportunity to engage in dialogue, to ask any questions and to receive answers. No booth went unnoticed; each had its own audience.

Reviews from the visitors to the Zaryadye Park festival

Natasha, 26:

"I came to the festival with my large family: brothers, sisters, mother and two children. It was very interesting for both children and adults. At the JINR booth, we heard about the Tesla coil and nitrogen. I participated in all the experiments. The so-called explosion was a surprise. The sound it made and how high the steam rose. I'm a teacher and my parents are doctors; my dad is a PhD. We've been going to this festival for many years and always enjoy it. This time, when my mom suggested going, I happily agreed."

Oleg, Elena and their son Yaroslav, an elementary school student:

"Our child's homeroom teacher told us about this festival. We had some free time, so we decided to attend for educational purposes. Our child is interested in geology. In general, everything here is interesting. Today was the first time we learned about JINR and learned about its activities. We listened to a story about biomonitoring and we remembered the incredible show with nitrogen."

Anna, 38:

"We came to the festival and immediately visited the United Institute area. I'd heard about it before, that it was located in Dubna. And now, we were able to learn about the amazing processes that take place there. The children were intrigued by the Tesla coil and the electricity experiment. Then we were very interested in hearing about particle accelerators, what they're used for, where they're used and what discoveries can be made. It was a very inspiring story. I'm not a scientist, but I'm a very inquisitive person. As a family, we also try to engage the children in different fields of science and see which ones spark their interest."

Dmitry, 43:

"The JINR booths are impossible to miss because they're the first ones you see when you enter the festival. The second thing is that I'm interested in everything, so I couldn't pass them by. The greatest value is the opportunity to talk to scientists in person. To learn firsthand what they're working on and what they're up to. And I'm grateful that JINR goes out to the people and promotes popular science. It brings people closer to science.

I'm not directly involved in science but my work involves serving science. The company where I work supplies chemical compounds for various research projects, primarily, in the pharmaceutical field. I knew about JINR, of course. It's a cutting-edge field for our country. And nuclear physicists are the "heroes of our time". I enjoyed talking to the researchers at the Wilson cloud chamber booth that talked about thorium and alpha decay visualization. I came to the festival with my nine-year-old son so he could get interested in a variety of things. He loves biology the most, so he was attracted to the radiobiology stand with a miniature of mouse anatomy."

Kristina, 35:

"We were at the festival for the first time; we heard about it from our homeroom teacher. My daughter is in first grade at a gifted school and she's quite inquisitive, so she wanted to go. We heard about radiation, Dubna and the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research. I loved the way the researcher with the nitrogen experiments and the Tesla coil explained physics and the collider. He was very engaged; you could tell he was passionate about his work. I think he lost his voice because he's so popular these days. Afterwards, we became interested in what else the Institute had to offer on the topic and they showed us the rest of the booths. I was impressed by the presentation on biomonitoring. So many potential applications! I'd like to see this presentation become more visual in the future. I'd like to introduce children to this topic more deeply, as they, due to their age, have a hard time absorbing information by ear, without visualization."

Reviews from the visitors to the Moscow State University Fundamental Library

Irina, 39:

"We go to the science festival every year. Our whole family reads, we're interested and we love all branches of knowledge. It's a shame that this event only happens once a year and for only two days. We need more. It's impossible to see everything and there are so many interesting sites here. I want to spend more time on everything. My son was intrigued by the JINR stand with its cloud chamber this morning and stood there for half an hour, watching.

After the master class and other viewings, we specifically returned to inquire about the Baikal research miniature and what a neutrino telescope looks like. It's very difficult for a child to comprehend something that can't be seen. So, it's important to at least see it in the miniature. We liked the sphere - the telescope element but we weren't able to learn how it operates. We have some general information but we'd like to go into more detail. I see that many people are interested in this topic. And this is where the target audience gathers that want to understand how neutrinos are observed.

I'm an elementary school teacher and have a wide range of interests. My husband used to be a nuclear physicist, so I'm also involved in this topic. And parents always take their children to places they find interesting."

Danila, 24:

"Exciting and impressive. I'm a programmer and have just finished my master's degree. I came to the festival for educational purposes, to learn something new. My girlfriend studies nuclear physics for medical purposes. At the JINR booths, we learned about the current practices in this field. It was also interesting to learn about neutrino research; it sounds promising. I've heard something about Dubna and JINR before but I consider this my first real introduction because learning from the staff themselves is much better than from some online source."

Vladimir, 17:

"The laboratory miniatures caught my attention. I went over to examine them, finding them very interesting and well-designed. Afterwards, I was captivated by the curator's talk about the collider and nuclear physics. Physics and chemistry are close to my heart, as I study metallurgy and generally enjoy the natural sciences. We had a long conversation and I deepened my knowledge. For example, I didn't know that iron is so stable that it doesn't decay. I even thought to myself, 'Wow!' I'd never known anything about the Joint Institute before but today, for me, it's practically a scientific discovery."

Semen, 18:

"I'm a humanist, studying to be a librarian and I came here just to hang out with my friends. I've always been somewhat intimidated by serious science but today, I realized I shouldn't be. It's actually very interesting. After having talked with the curators at the JINR booths, I realized that even the most obscure story can be explained in an accessible way. Today, I learned about the existence of an international nuclear institute that's very active and well-run. I debunked my myths about the Large Hadron Collider. And I realized that I have incredibly smart friends that understand these topics right away."

Maria KARPOVA, photo by the author
and Lyubov KRYLOVA