It was already crowded from 17:00. Many families came to see BESSY.
© M. Setzpfandt/HZB
The Long Night of Science at HZB: Huge interest and lots of fun
The principle can be explained very well on the large model of BESSY II in the foyer.
© M. Setzpfandt/HZB
Why is vacuum important for our research? And what happens to a chocolate kiss ?
© M. Setzpfandt/HZB
In the school laboratory, the children could make their own spectrometers in order to analyse light from different sources.
© M. Setzpfandt/HZB
On their VIP tour of research at the Adlershof campus, the group of girls also met Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffey.
© HZB
The solar cooker was an eye-catcher, potatoes cooked here until the evening. Berlin's mayor Franziska Giffey also made a brief stop here.
© K. Jäger/HZB
The energy bike is always very popular. After all, it is not at all easy to generate enough electrical energy to power a lamp with muscle power.
© M. Setzpfandt/HZB
Children used a salad spinner to apply bright colours to a paper plate. The process in the lab is similar: scientists use spin coating to produce thin perovskite layers onto a substrate.
© M. Setzpfandt/HZB
There was also always an interested audience for the short lectures on different aspects of solar energy and its use.
© M. Setzpfandt/HZB
Around midnight, the Long Night of Science came to an end. The next LNDW is scheduled to take place on 17 June 2023.
© M. Setzpfandt/HZB
A cheerful mood prevailed last Saturday, 2 July 2022: After two years of online format due to the Corona pandemic, the event could finally take place on site again. This time, HZB opened its doors at the Adlershof site and invited people to take tours of BESSY II and visit the Energy Street. Almost 2700 people came to HZB and had a good time until midnight.
"From HZB, 250 employees offered to help with this event, not only from the Adlershof site, but as well from the Wannsee campus. That was really great" says Jennifer Bierbaum from the communications team, who organises HZB activities at the Long Night of Science.
Long queues in front of the storage ring
At times, a queue formed in front of the entrance to BESSY II. A total of 1146 people took the opportunity to take a tour of the electron storage ring and see what scientists are researching at BESSY II. Numerous experiments provided a wow effect followed by an "Eureka" moment, from chocolate kisses in a vacuum to experiments with liquid nitrogen.
A special highlight later in the evening was a public debate, organised in cooperation with the Streitkultur-Berlin association: The speakers discussed the future of cities in the climate crisis - green roofs for cooling or rather PV for power generation. It was very funny, said one participant at the end.
Very vivacious: The Energy Road
In front of the Energy Road, a huge solar cooker attracted attention: the concave mirror focused the solar energy, which was still sufficient to cook a good three kilos of potatoes in the late afternoon. In addition, the low-tech device served as an introduction to conversations about solar energy and how it can be used - with friendly advice on more information in the Energy Street itself.
These offers were partly new, also because Carolin Rehermann from Eva Unger's team had motivated her colleagues to become even more inventive in terms of science communication.
A total of 1521 people strolled through the area, pedalled on the energy bike, picked up different types of solar cells, discussed the use of solar cells on facades with architects or crafted a DIY-solar cell. Children could apply bright colours to a surface with a salad spinner - and learn by the way how lab scientists do the "spin coating" with perovskite layers. At the end, another "coating station" attracted a long line of hungry science addicts: a creperie where three tireless postdocs baked fine crepes, coated with different layers and toppings. Here, too, long queues formed.
In addition, there were many conversations and talks on the most diverse professional levels about solar energy, the phasing out of fossil resources, technology transfer and what research on photovoltaics will bring in the future. Not until after midnight did everyone pack up. It was nice to feel so much interest in research, many said.
Outlook to 2023
According to the LNDW22 organising team, a total of 20,000 tickets were sold. The next Long Night of Science is planned for 17 June 2023.