Klosterneuburg celebrated its tenth research festival

Around 2000 visitors turned up at the tenth Open Campus of the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria) last Sunday. After the opening speech by Lower Austrian Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner and welcoming words by IST Austria President Tom Henzinger, scientific topics could be explored at various research stations, ranging from evolutionary biology to brain research and cells to mathematical models. As part of the opening ceremony, the winners of the school competition were also honored.

The guided tours of the laboratories and facilities met with great interest: with about 500 people taking a look behind the scenes, all guided tours were completely booked. Young visitors had a lot of fun: around 500 children took out a researcher’s passport and collected stamps at the research stations on campus. 270 kids took part in the “sweet tooth quiz” and received a scoop of ice cream after they had found the right answers. The family lecture of biophysicist Johann Danzl was also well attended. He demonstrated how new approaches in light microscopy enable investigating the smallest details in cells.

A digital scavenger hunt was offered this year for the first time. Teams of up to three people solved tricky puzzles. The three winning teams won a helicopter flight, an indoor skydiving tour and a VR racing challenge.