{"id":3462,"date":"2026-04-03T09:32:53","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T09:32:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/?p=3462"},"modified":"2026-04-03T09:32:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T09:32:53","slug":"at-brussels-eu-science-fair-children-sketch-new-inventions-and-eavesdrop-on-bacteria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/3462\/at-brussels-eu-science-fair-children-sketch-new-inventions-and-eavesdrop-on-bacteria\/","title":{"rendered":"At Brussels\u2019 EU science fair, children sketch new inventions and eavesdrop on bacteria"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the EU\u2019s Science is Wonderful! fair in Brussels, top researchers used superheroes, soap bubbles and dance music to wow children \u2013 and encourage tomorrow\u2019s scientists.<\/p>\n

By Tom Cassauwers<\/p>\n

A lecture hall explodes with sound as the electronic dance hit I Like to Move It<\/em> by Reel 2 Real blasts through the speakers. A class of 11-year-olds in fluorescent vests bounce through their own version of jumping jacks, urged on by some of Europe\u2019s leading researchers at the front of the room.<\/p>\n

The task is to help an out-of-shape superhero, Mr Fit, get back in shape after letting himself go. He does this by exercising, eating healthily and getting enough rest, which the academics demonstrate to their enthusiastic audience through a series of games.<\/p>\n

Mr Fit is a researcher from the University of Granada in Spain, hoisted into a superhero costume for the occasion \u2013 the annual EU-funded event Science is Wonderful!<\/p>\n

\u201cWe study children\u2019s habits and analyse how these can impact their health later in life,\u201d said Cristina Cadenas-Sanchez, a professor at the University of Granada and leader of the team of academics. \u201cWe take measurements in schools, for example, and track these children as they grow up.\u201d<\/p>\n

They were now presenting their PreCaFit research during the science fair in Brussels, where children aged between 7 and 18 got to meet world-class scientists and learn what they do.<\/p>\n

More than 150 researchers, spread across 43 booths, talked about everything from earthquake-resistant housing, to monkeys, mathematics and malaria.<\/p>\n

Most of the research showcased at the fair was led by Marie Sk\u0142odowska\u2011Curie fellows, who are part of the EU\u2019s doctoral and postdoctoral research training programme, with a few booths run by European Research Council grantees.<\/p>\n

At the fair, that meant interactive stands, plenty of enthusiasm and, occasionally, researchers putting on a superhero costume. For many, it was a labour of love, driven by a desire to share their passion for science with today\u2019s young people.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis event builds a bridge to the future generation of researchers,\u201d said Sybille Luhmann, project manager for the 11th edition of the event. \u201cIt deconstructs the myth that science is an ivory tower. From social to exact sciences, science can push us and improve our daily lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bacterial vibrations<\/strong><\/p>\n

In another room, a class of younger children huddled around a table as a strange, robot-like noise erupted from a machine.<\/p>\n

This was the booth run by Alberto Mart\u00edn\u2011P\u00e9rez and Liga Jasulaneca of the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands, who work on PROPHOTOM, an EU\u2011funded project developing ultra\u2011sensitive vibration\u2011based sensors for tiny organisms such as bacteria.<\/p>\n

Here, the challenge was to turn that invisible world into something children could see and hear.<\/p>\n

\u201cI start by asking what sounds animals make, such as cows, chickens or dogs,\u201d said Mart\u00edn-P\u00e9rez. \u201cThe children love screaming those sounds. Then I ask them what sound bacteria make. Then they get silent. In our research, we detect the sound of bacteria.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSound and movement are closely related,\u201d Mart\u00edn-P\u00e9rez said. \u201cA guitar string vibrates and makes a sound. Obviously, we cannot hear the vibrations of bacteria. But our group has built technology that can detect it.\u201d<\/p>\n

They explain this to the children by first making sounds on various strings, then moving on to a frequency generator \u2013 a machine that vibrates a plate at a specific frequency and makes noise as it does so. Finally, they show the children their technology and the strange humming sound created by bacterial vibrations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s intense, explaining all of this,\u201d said Jasulaneca. \u201cSometimes we are working with two interpreters at the same time. But it\u2019s so powerful when the children get it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dengue in Europe<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not far away, mosquitoes, kissing bugs and sandflies took centre stage. That \u201cbug booth\u201d was run by Raquel Martins Lana, helped by Andria Nicodemou from the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, and Tatiana Docile of the Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ). Martins Lana is working on REGIME, an EU-funded project on climate\u2011sensitive infectious diseases.<\/p>\n

Her research team studies insect\u2011borne diseases such as malaria, dengue and leishmaniasis, and develops computer and statistical models to track their spread.<\/p>\n

Martins Lana is doing her secondment, or research stay, at the Climate and Health Observatory, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation – Fiocruz in Rio de Janeiro.<\/p>\n

The diseases they study are spreading beyond tropical regions. \u201cBecause of climate change, diseases like dengue are pushing up into Southern and Eastern Europe,\u201d said Martins Lana.<\/p>\n

The researchers teach the children about these diseases through games, showing how they spread and how they can be prevented \u2013 from using mosquito nets and repellents to using vaccines when available and removing stagnant water.<\/p>\n

\u201cChildren take this information home,\u201d said Martins Lana. \u201cThey then start to teach their families and become the best helpers we can ask for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soapy maths<\/strong><\/p>\n

Roberta Marziani, a mathematician at the University of Siena in Italy, used soap bubbles at her booth to explain complex mathematics while illustrating her TopSing project, which explores how surfaces bend, stretch and form minimal shapes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI study Plateau\u2019s problem,\u201d said Marziani. \u201cHere you look for a minimal surface spanning a given contour in a space.\u201d In simple terms, it is about finding the smallest possible surface that stretches across a given boundary.<\/p>\n

As abstract as this sounds, there is a simple way to present it \u2013 soap bubbles. If you put a metal frame into soapy water, the soap bubble that forms will occupy the minimal possible surface.<\/p>\n

That can help us design more efficient electronics, where wires are as short as possible. Architects use similar calculations to work out how best to design roof structures.<\/p>\n

\u201cChildren are very impressed by this,\u201d said Marziani. \u201cBut they also just like to play with the bubbles,\u201d she laughed.<\/p>\n

Marziani hopes this may draw children towards mathematics. \u201cTest scores for maths are decreasing across Europe and student interest is getting lower,\u201d she said. \u201cI love mathematics, so it\u2019s great to make it more appealing to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Natural connection<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the middle of the bustle, artist Valentine De Cort had set up her corner. Crowds of children gathered around her to see what she was doing on her computer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI ask the children two questions: why do you like science, and what would you like to invent?\u201d she said. \u201cI then make live illustrations of their inventions.\u201d<\/p>\n

The wall behind her was covered in her drawings, from the sensible to the utterly outlandish. One was a machine that converts water into soda, another featured an owl that can see everything, removing the need for police.<\/p>\n

One boy wanted to invent a device that could make people bigger. A girl wanted a machine that could drown out the sound of her mother asking her to clean her room.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just great to hear how inventive they are,\u201d said De Cort. \u201cSometimes it is a challenge to draw, but it always puts a smile on my face.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over three days, more than 4\u00a0200 children visited this year\u2019s edition of the fair. For Luhmann, however, the real success lay in the connections forged between scientists and children.<\/p>\n

\u201cScientists and children are two of the best audiences I ever worked with,\u201d she concluded. \u201cYou do academia because you have a burning question and you want answers. Kids are very similar. When you bring the two together, it\u2019s a natural connection.\u201d<\/p>\n

This article was originally published\u202fin\u00a0<\/em>Horizon<\/em><\/a>\u00a0the EU Research and Innovation Magazine.<\/em><\/p>\n

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