Science returns to the City this month

Science in the City returns to Valletta on 26 September, with the aim of engaging with science in a relevant and dynamic way.

Science in the City Project Manager Edward Duca, announcing the programme with Prof Alex Felice, V18 Foundation Chairman Jason Micallef, RIDT CEO Wilfred Kenely.
Science in the City Project Manager Edward Duca, announcing the programme with Prof Alex Felice, V18 Foundation Chairman Jason Micallef, RIDT CEO Wilfred Kenely.

The science and art festival will take place on 26 September from 6pm onwards until midnight. The main part of the activities will be spread along Republic Street – from City Entrance to St. George’s Square – and at other centrally located venues. It is funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions of the Horizon 2020 Program of the EU, and a number of corporate sponsors.

The festival programme, organised by the University of Malta, the Research Trust of the University of Malta (RIDT) and the Malta Chamber of Scientists together with a consortium of consultants, beneficiaries and participants, was presented to the media at Valletta Campus.

“A wide range of formats are being organised – both indoor and outdoor activities, from exhibitions and art installations, to shows, theatre, debates, hands-on experiments, and interactive activities that encourage creative science communication and opportunities for fun and learning,” said Prof. Alex Felice, Project Coordinator. “Through a collective effort, we want to give exposure to research activities, the researchers and how their work is affecting our lives.”

“RIDT has been actively involved in the Science in the City since the first edition three years ago,” said Wilfred Kenely, RIDT’s CEO.

“The festival shows a collaborative effort between researchers and performers who together present outstanding work making it a memorable night which is fun, interactive and free. Science in the City highlights local and international research, and shows why private individuals and corporations need to further invest in research and development in Malta.”

Highlights from the festival programme

The new formats planned this year include an exceptional theatrical piece played by The Royal Shakespeare Company veteran Tim Hardy in The Trials of Galileo, and presented by Icarus Theatre Collective. After a successful tour of the US, a sold out run at the Brighton Fringe Festival and Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, and just recently at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Trials of Galileo will be performed at The Palace Courtyard with the support of the British Council (Malta).

Another item of interest in the same place is a 2014 theatrical piece entitled L’Uomo che pesò il mondo by Nuove Cosmogonie Teatro. This is part of a new series of acts themed on il fisico in teatro that unite accurate historical and scientific research to a more playful theatrical language.

Planes and mazes will be coming to Palace Square. Lufthansa Technik will be showing various parts of an aircraft, together with a model aircraft. Enter Amaze2 and experience the particle accelerator at CERN, X-Ray Crystallography, making your own music with plants, the weather and much more. The installation has been designed by Logix Creative and Daaa Haus for Science in the City, Valletta 2018 Foundation and Notte Bianca.

Along Republic Street, STEM unplugged with the participation of all science-related student organisations at University are bringing health checks, experiments and activities. Creative Island street performers, supported by Malta Arts Fund, will hold a travelling medicine show, staging vintage style entertainment. A treasure hunt will kick off from St James Cavalier, encouraging participants to search for famous scientists.

Another exciting event that will pique the interest of festival goers will be at Casino Maltese, with science fiction and Mars exploration talks at the EU Corner organised by the University of Malta library. Highlights from this year’s Café Sci will come to 282 Coffee Garden with topics from research on aspirin to kitchen science.

Debates on controversial topics on the cutting edge of science will be held at the Palazzo Ferreira, while the National Museum of Archaeology will run an interactive area and a series of short talks on how science and technology are vital to learn about our past.

The full programme and venue details can be downloaded next week from www.scienceinthecity.org.mt