Around a thousand young scientists from more than 60 countries will present their projects to the public this week. It will be part of the 15th “Expo-Sciences International” (ESI), a free event at Tour & Taxis in Brussels. The Physics Nobel Prize winner, François Englert, will give a conference there on Tuesday. The ESI 2015 is an initiative by Young Scientists of Belgium and the Canadian association “International Movement for Leisure Activities in Science and Technology” (MILSET). The international event will include science projects by young people aged 15 to 25, who have won prizes in their home country.
“We will be focusing on research by experience, and not just the theories”, explains Sebastian Kopp, a member of the organisation committee. There are a few projects that stand out, such a Mexican motor that runs on urine and a German train that uses solar energy. “If Europe wants to keep its place in the world, the research budgets need to be increased to 3% of its GDP. That would mean 700,000 extra researchers. We need to make science more attractive”, says Philippe Busquin, the honorary president of the ESI and former European Commissioner.
The young scientists will visit the Natural Science Museum in Brussels on Wednesday. They will also visit the culture capital Mons on Friday. The exhibition will be open to the public on Tuesday, Wednesday afternoon and Thursday.
(Source: Belga)
