Bring your family and friends to SciFest

At SciFest, visitors can experiment, play games and solve problems together with researchers.

Naturally, without the fantastic work of research teams, there would be no SciFest. SLU is involved in more than 18 activities, each of which often involving several people.

Anna Lundmark, SLU’s representative in the project group says, ‘I am delighted that there is so much interest in contributing to SciFest. It provides an excellent opportunity for sharing your research with schools and the public. The SciFest days may be long, but these encounters with the curious visitors also provide a serious energy boost’.

SciFest is a collaboration between SLU and Uppsala University. There is a broad range of topics, with everything from programming Lego robots, making rune bracelets, testing your fears in a VR world to encounters with live bees. Where else would all of this be possible under one roof?

Some SLU SciFest activities have been running for years, these include the crisps game, which involves visitors having to figure out which plants are the best for growing to make crisps. They then need to tend to their crop to guarantee the best yield. During the game, they encounter both ladybirds and pollinators.

Anna Lundmark continues, ‘We also have some new activities that I’m really excited about. One of which is about fish and aquaculture, and another looks at how infections spread between humans and animals.’.

Last year, SciFest tried out a new concept where students and scientists went on stage together. 

Anna Lundmark concludes, ‘It was really successful, so we’re doing it again this year We’ve invited pupils from Rosendalsgymnasiet, Katedralsskolan, Uppsala musikklasser and Centralskolan in Märsta. Their task is to introduce the researcher and make sure that young audience have their questions answered’.

Two SLU researchers will be participating in the initiative, Sigrid Agenäs, Professor of Ruminant Management, and Åsa Berggren, Professor of Ecology