Press release

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General Public Week-end on March 24 and 25 at the Liège ‘Embarcadère du Savoir’

The 12th edition of the Spring of Sciences will take place from March 19 to 25 throughout the whole of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. The pathways towards a future in which sustainable energy will be a reality for everyone will feed the activities accessible to schools and the general public. The theme is tied to the ‘2012, International Year of Sustainable Energy for All,’ proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations.

For 11 years, the Spring of Sciences has been the benchmark event in the area of awareness raising and scientific culture.

At Liège the ULg and the High Schools are once again getting active to offer you a very diversified programme.

The epicentre of the activities is situated at the Embarcadère du Savoir, (Pier of Knowledge), the Zoology Institute on quai Van Beneden. Over 5,500 pupils and their teachers, from nursery school to the final year of secondary education, will follow one after the other during the whole week (from Monday March 19 to Friday 23) and will take part in 50 workshops organised at Liège but also elsewhere in Liège. Because whilst the interactive exhibition at the Embarcadère du Savoir is the main attraction of the Liège-Luxemburg Spring of Sciences, it needs to be highlighted that the Liège organisers are also offering workshops and activities at Verviers (in the context of the Universal Water and Climate Week), at La Reid as well as on the two ULg campuses at Arlon and at Gembloux. In addition, several activities requiring specific laboratories will take place at the Sart Tilman campus, for example in the context of ‘Ingénieurs en herbe’.
 
The Spring of Sciences remains true to its original principles: putting the sciences within the grasp of the youngest, allowing them to get informed and to concretely experiment, supported by specialists and researchers in the different scientific fields.
 
The 2012 theme will enable a critical look at energies, be they fossil or renewable, traditional or innovative, already available to us or still to come. Why biofuels? How does a wind turbine function? How to track heat loss through a thermal camera? The differences between solar and photovoltaic panels? How can we reduce our ecological footprint? How are water resources managed in our region? What journey is taken from the extraction of oil from the bowels of the Earth up to delivering petrol to the pumps? The threats to biodiversity? Will superconductive materials revolutionise the way energy is stored and distributed? Etc.  The workshop programme is, once again, particularly rich and diversified.

Week-end 24-25 March: opening up for families and the general public

The interactive exhibition at the Liège Embarcadère du Savoir (Pier of Knowledge) is accessible to the general public on Saturday March 24 and Sunday March 25, 2012, from 14.00 to 18.00 (visits free, without reservation). A privileged occasion to meet researchers and teachers, as a family or amongst friends, in a relaxed atmosphere.
 
 
The Spring of Sciences at Liège-Luxemburg  www.ulg.ac.be/sciences
The Spring of Sciences in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation www.printempsdessciences.be

More info?

• Martine Vanherck, Réjouisciences, Diffusion des sciences – Université de Liège, Tel 04 366 96 96 – sciences@ulg.ac.be – www.ulg.ac.be/sciences
• A description of the activities on the 2012 Liège-Luxembourg Spring of Sciences Programme