On September 21, 2013 the KPI held the first event in the framework of unusual research project "Scientific Fun - Scientific picnics in Ukraine ." The volunteers from KPI students and post-graduates Scientific Society actively participated in the organization and conducting of the event.
The project goal was to promote science in simple and at the same time unusual for our
public way: anyone , regardless of age , status or place of study may personally conduct an experiment in a makeshift laboratory in the open air , create a small miracle and make sure that science can be accessible and interesting.
Even the rainy weather did not prevent professionals from Copernicus Science Centre (Warsaw), along with well-prepared Ukrainian volunteers - students of NTUU "KPI" and other universities of Ukraine – from clear demonstration and explanation to those who were interested of various laws of physics, chemistry and biology. The peculiarity of Scientific picnics is that the visitors have the possibility not only to learn about the unusual properties of substances that are used in daily life and watch the laboratory experiments, but they also can make such experiments by themselves. In such way the organizers want to demonstrate that science "lives" not only in formulas and schemes, but in everything that surrounds us. And also to teach parents and teachers to conduct interesting educational programs for children, using scrap materials.
Chemical experiments from Kiev universities , workshops for children, explosive show, demonstration of robot control using brain waves, robot android, active fun team games for kids, educational quizzes, prizes and gifts - all of that could be seen and got at the first Science Picnic at the KPI.
Project Coordinator in Kiev Ksenia Semenova shared her impressions: "It was nice to feel the support of KPI staff and volunteers of students and post-graduates Scientific Society. After all, what we do is important for the whole Ukraine: we grow a new generation of young engineers and scientists ... it’s good to see that intellectual leisure activities are not less popular than pure entertainment . Ukraine has got a lot of scientific and entertaining show-programs. Science Picnic has a really unique format . It’s not just an exhibition - everything here can be tried, played with or competed for . That’s because, after all, children are children . The school age is the time when the kids’ understanding of the world and of their place in it is formed. And who knows, maybe some of these kids will become outstanding inventors or Nobel laureates."