IUSS at Researchers’ Night: Science, Experiments and Activities for All Ages
Climate change and extreme events, neuroscience and biomedical technologies, stargazing, linguistics and philosophy of mind: these are some of the topics that the Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS di Pavia will bring to Researchers’ Night, taking place on Friday, 25 September in the historic courtyards of the University of Pavia.
Promoted since 2018 by the Pavia Division of the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN) and organised together with the University of Pavia, the event returns in 2026 to bring research closer to the public and encourage dialogue and interaction with those who work in research every day.
IUSS will take part with workshops, demonstrations and interactive activities for children, young people and adults. The programme will offer an opportunity to explore different fields of research, experiment with and observe phenomena and technologies, meet researchers and discover the methods, tools and applications behind their work.
Climate change and extreme weather events
How are the frequency and intensity of extreme events changing, and how can we make cities and buildings more resilient? Through games, experiments and demonstrations using small-scale models, participants will explore phenomena such as tornadoes and thunderstorm downbursts and discover the principles of atmospheric science and wind engineering. They will also have the opportunity to test themselves in risk prevention and management, exploring the decisions that need to be made before and during an emergency.
Neuroscience and biomedical technologies
A journey into the brain and health technologies through hands-on activities, games and demonstrations. From neuroscience and neuropsychology to artificial intelligence and gene therapy, as well as biosensors and wearable and epidermal technologies, visitors will be able to try out tests and tools used in research and clinical practice and discover how data, biomedical images and biological signals can help us understand the mechanisms underlying health and disease.
Philosophy, Language and Mind: How Do We Know and Communicate?
What does it really mean to know something? And what happens in our minds and brains when we understand a sentence, a metaphor or a creative expression? Activities focusing on philosophy, linguistics and the sciences of the mind will invite visitors to explore the processes through which we understand, interpret and communicate about the world.
The philosophy activities will feature questions and short interactive exercises designed to explore different ways of understanding knowledge and to challenge some of the assumptions we often take for granted. Visitors will also have the opportunity to discover IUSS research on the connections between mathematics, mind, technology and risk.
At the Neurolinguistics and Experimental Pragmatics Laboratory (NEPLab), visitors will discover how the brain understands and uses language. Through short interactive activities, they will explore syntax, metaphors and creative language and learn how techniques such as electroencephalography (EEG) can be used to investigate brain activity associated with language comprehension.
Participants will also have the opportunity to take part in a reading experiment on the language of crossword puzzles and complete a number of questionnaires, voluntarily and anonymously contributing to ongoing research. For one evening, they can become active participants in a scientific experiment and discover how we use language and what happens in the brain as we understand it.
Observing the Sky
Telescope observations will offer visitors the opportunity to explore the night sky and discover the fascinating world of astronomy. Participants will be able to observe celestial objects up close and, together with researchers, learn more about some of the phenomena that characterise our Universe.
How is the landscape around us changing, and how can we learn to read it from above? Through mini-games, quizzes and hands-on activities, the stand will take visitors on a journey from Earth to space and back again, exploring how satellite imagery can reveal changes in our environment and help us understand and protect our territory. Quizzes on environmental change, a satellite-themed memory game and a collaborative poster activity will engage participants, while younger visitors will be able to explore the world of pixels through pixel-art activities.
The event, which is completely free of charge and open to the entire community, is the result of close institutional collaboration between the organisers and the Municipality of Pavia, Municipality of Vigevano, IUSS School for Advanced Studies, CNAO, Eucentre, Order of Biologists of Lombardy, Fondazione Policlinico San Matteo, Fondazione Mondino, KOSMOS Museum, Italian Alpine Club (CAI), ISTAT and Pavia nel Cuore.
The initiative is supported by Autoguidovie Spa, Palestra Shadow and RS Components S.r.l.