Abstract:

After the most severe period of COVID pandemic, we are slowly coming back to "normal life". Limitations and lockdowns impacted on every aspect of our daily life including science communication activities, science festivals and any other outreach events. All the European Researchers Night projects, celebrated yearly on the last Friday of September, had severe effects, with the 2020's edition fully online.

Starting from 2021, we came back in a blended format, where the principal difficulties were experienced with schools’ activities. COVID experience pushed new science communication forms delivered online, thus opening to a new scenario with new virtual hands-on laboratories too, to maintain the learning-by-doing approach.

Frascati Scienza has organized since 2005 the European Researchers Night in several Italian cities, coordinating a group of more than 40 institutes, between universities, research centers, private and public institutions. Starting from 2021, and for the next 2022 and 2023 edition, Frascati Scienza received funds from the EU commission to organize the project named LEAF (heaL thE plAnet's Future). The main goal of this project is to increase the awareness on the importance of research and innovation proposing activities and events focused on EU Green Deal topics (Farm to Fork, Biodiversity, Circular economy, Zero-pollution, toxic-free environments, Health & Wellbeing, Energy and resource efficient buildings, secure energy, sustainable and smart mobility). As requested by the EU Commission, the main aim of this event is to make science accessible and fun to everyone, thus generating a practical understanding of how to cope with climate change issues.

In this talk we present the results achieved with our LEAF project showing how online and onsite activities were performed. In particular, we will discuss a series of specific activities dedicated to schools to permit researchers to engage with teachers and pupils on challenges related to climate change, sustainable development, health and other issues related to the European Commission priorities.

We will show various examples of "pop" events specifically prepared and delivered both in schools and outside classrooms to promote science presenting also the results achieved by the project and the impact assessment with data collected in more than 20 Italian cities during the European Researchers Night coordinated by Frascati Scienza. The overall result was a relevant increase in the awareness of why and how the researcher's work is relevant for the benefit of our current and future planet, as well as effectively encouraging young people in embarking in scientific careers by generating a real impact on science.

Keywords:

Leaf, European researchers night, covid, green deal, Italy.