Quantum to Lowlands: festival goers teach scientists about science communication
Last weekend, Centre for Quantum and Society researchers Julia Cramer and Vincent Koeman, from the research group 'Quantum and Society' at Leiden University took their quantum research to Lowlands Science.
Through interactions with their pop-up exhibition about quantum, that is travelling across the country, they introduced visitors to the world of quantum, to find out whether festival-goers view the world of the smallest particles differently after visiting the expo.
The exhibition at Lowlands ‘teaches visitors about all quantum. It consists of information panels but there are also things for festivalgoers to do’, said Koeman in an interview for Leiden University website.
Festival-goers took part in the double-slit experiment and helped the researchers by filling out questionnaires. In this way, they contribute to a better understanding of how communication around quantum mechanics and technology can be improved.
‘We ask about the impact of quantum on society, for example: whether they think quantum will help the world or are concerned about what it will mean in the future. As researchers, we agree that quantum mechanics will have a tremendous impact, now and in the future. Once people become more interested and want to know more about a certain technology, acceptance for it increases, making its introduction easier’
Vincent's research project as part of the Quantum and Society Group delves into 'evidence-based outreach on quantum mechanics and technology', seeking to identify the most effective communication strategies based on past, evaluated outreach efforts in emerging technologies. His work aims at providing others with clear guidelines in the field of science communication on quantum mechanics and technology, to most effectively organize outreach.
Lowlands Science is the science program of Lowlands, one of the largest and best-known festivals in the Netherlands. From August 16 -18, 2024, researchers collected data at a festival with 65,000 visitors in the Lowlands Science Lab. There, festival visitors voluntarily became part of experiments to advance science. Scientists collected data and festival visitors were introduced to scientific research in an accessible way.
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