OREANDA-NEWS. July 08, 2015. University of Tartu museum invites everyone to Toome Hill on 11 and 12 July where the Science Town is set up once again for the Hanseatic Days. The science campus arises in the historic heart of Tartu and introduces the newest scientific discoveries and invites to discuss the importance of science in the discussion cafe.

This year, the centre of the Science Town is the Struve’s Geodetic Arc which is celebrating 10 years on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Apart from the Tallinn Old Town, the Struve’s Geodetic Arc is the only object in Estonia which is on the UNESCO list.

Similarly to previous years, the Science Town has two centres: workshops related to astronomy and geodesy take place in the garden of the Tartu Old Observatory and numerous other fields of science, inventions and discoveries by the UT researchers, and several Estonian museums are represented in front of the University of Tartu Museum by the old cathedral.

The Science Town offers a chance to see and build robots, learn about the Martian house project and artificial muscles, hear about the Lactobacillus fermentum ME-3 bacteria and taste it in various foods, catch a glimpse of the anti–corrosion materials to be used in the future, do experiments with your brain, test your skills with the tasks from the “Rakett 69” show along with the competitors, and many other exciting events.

A new event at the Science Town this year is the discussion cafe where researchers from different fields talk about various science–related topics but mainly about how science helps us in our daily life and changes it. All four main areas of the University of Tartu are represented: humaniora, socialia, medicina and realia et naturalia. The discussion cafe opens its doors in the garden of the Old Observatory and welcomes everyone who is interested in the scientists’ contribution to society to listen and discuss.

The Science Town offers activities for adults and children and the packed programme lasts for two long days: on 11 July from 10 to 18 and on 12 July from 10 to 17. All activities are free. The University of Tartu museum, the towers of the cathedral, the Tartu Old Observatory and the University of Tartu Art Museum are also open and the entrance fee during the Science Town is 1 euro.

The traditional Toome Stage will be set up in the ruins of the cathedral and the Tartu Electric Theatre’s project Night Cinema begins on 10 July, offering a chance to enjoy Estonian cinema on three nights, from 10 to 12 July, at 23.58.

For a more detailed programme, visit the University of Tartu Museum’s website: http://www.muuseum.ut.ee/et/content/teaduslinn (Estonian).