Science, and Scientist in particular, are often considered to be rigid and unpopular. We imagine an elderly man calculating something in a cluttered office. Because of this, many interesting and important discoveries remain private and are not known even to fellow researchers, much less the public.
However, science needs to be popularized and can be attractive to everyone. This was proven by the authors of the unique art project “#Naukaprosto” (Simple Science), which was developed in collaboration between the Research Department of the University and representatives of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Journalism of the Kyiv National University. Participants of the project “Media Dialogue 2021 – for Conflict Sensitivity and Research” had the opportunity to visit this exhibition and talk to its authors.
The Art project “#Naukaprosto” is an exhibition of research by scientists of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, presented in the form of modern vivid attractive visualizations. Visitors can also read brief information about each exhibit and follow the QR code to learn more.
There was a variety of important creations from different scientific fields at the exhibition.
For example, one of the exhibit “Smile at me” tells about the work of scientists from the A.V. Fomin Botanical Garden. They study local plants and species from other latitudes to find the key to their ability to adapt to new climates. It may improve the adaptability of crops and other cultivated plants to more difficult and extreme climate conditions, which could help in solving hunger problems in some countries.
You can find information about all researches on the site of the project, which is still being filled.
According to one of the organizers of the exhibition, Danylo Filonenko, candidate of Sciences in Social Communications, the problem is not only that other people don’t know about scientists and their work, but also that scientists themselves are not very willing to share their achievements. It took a lot of time to collect material from scientists. Furthermore, all materials for the exhibition that the organizers received came in the form of diagrams, tables or plain text. They were difficult to read. Therefore, one of the most important parts of the work was the stage of understanding the essence of the invention and translating it into simple words. The development of visual posters, which presents the discoveries attractively also played a huge role in the project`s popularization.
In this way, other institutions can join the initiative and implement similar projects. This is another step towards improving the popularity of science in society and helping scientists to integrate their discoveries into our daily lives.
