This year it will be possible to attend lectures at the Zwarte Cross Festival, which will take place from 20 - 22 July in Lichtenvoorde. Prof. Dave Blank, scientific director of the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology of the University of Twente, has put together a programme for the speakers. Festival visitors will be welcomed to the 'Universitent' and treated to eight lectures on a range of subjects such as nanotechnology, philosophy and experimental physics. Six of the eight sessions will be given by scientists from the University of Twente.
The festival has already featured lectures in recent years, but they only represented a small part of the programme. This year will be the sixteenth festival and the Feestfabriek, organizer of the festival, has decided to give the university a larger role. There will be a tent at the festival devoted entirely to ‘science’ - the ‘Universitent’. Organizers hope that the Universitent will help bridge the gap between science and society. The Universitent will be the festival’s 24th stage.
According to Professor Blank, who created the programme and presented it during previous Zwarte Cross Festivals, this is an excellent platform through which to try to capture the interest of a wide audience. ‘At these festivals, you can reach a great many people with a broad range of interests.’ In easy-to-understand language, the scientists will explain why they love their field so much, talk about scientific breakthroughs and explain what science can do for everyday life and the future. Music will be provided by the Lichtenvoorde band, Playin’ L-Street.
Speakers
As well as Professor Blank, lectures will be given by the Spinoza prize winner Prof. Theo Rasing (of Radboud University Nijmegen), Prof. Irene van Staveren (of Erasmus University Rotterdam), Prof. Alexander Brinkman (of University of Twente), Dr Mark Huijben (of University of Twente), Prof. Guus Rijnders (of University of Twente), Prof. Peter Paul Verbeek (of University of Twente and TU Delft), Prof. Hans Hilgenkamp (of University of Twente and Leiden University) and Prof. Wilfred van der Wiel (of University of Twente).
Zwarte Cross Festival
The Zwarte Cross Festival will take place from 20 to 22 July in Lichtenvoorde. Last year there were over 152,500 visitors. The festival features music, motocross, stunts, comedy, theatre and visual entertainment. Tickets are available through www.zwartecross.nl (while stocks last). You can also find more information about the festival on the website.
Note to the press
For further details please contact the Feestfabriek: +31 (0)575 468080
For more information on the ‘Universitent’ programme, please contact the UT’s Science Information Officer Joost Bruysters (+31 (0)53 489 2773).
