{
    "title": "VUB brings science and researchers to the Atomium during WiseNight 2026  ",
    "modified_at": "2026-09-23 11:06:44",
    "published_at": "2026-09-23 11:06:00",
    "url": "https://press.vub.ac.be/vub-brings-science-and-researchers-to-the-atomium-during-wisenight-2026",
    "short_url": "http://prez.ly/C0Pd",
    "culture": "en",
    "language": "EN",
    "subtitle": "Meet female VUB researchers who make climate, AI, gender, cities, archaeology and technology accessible to a wide audience  ",
    "slug": "vub-brings-science-and-researchers-to-the-atomium-during-wisenight-2026",
    "body": "<p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>BRUSSELS, 23 September 2026 &ndash; On Friday 25 and Saturday 26 September, the Atomium will be the venue for WiseNight 2026, a free and interactive science event organised as part of European Researchers&rsquo; Night. The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) is organising the event in collaboration with the ULB, BeWiSe, GoodPlanet and the von Karman Institute, and it is funded by the European Union. </strong></p><p style=\"text-align: left\">Over the course of two days, visitors will not only be able to observe science, but above all to experience it for themselves: through experiments, workshops, demonstrations and meetings with researchers. From climate and artificial intelligence to space, mathematics, technology and everyday applications: WiseNight aims to show just how broad the field of science is and how many different talents, perspectives and people are needed to develop new knowledge. </p><p style=\"text-align: left\">For the VUB, this interaction between science and society is a key part of its social mission. Research does not stop at the boundaries of the laboratory or the university. By bringing researchers into direct contact with young people, families, teachers and the wider public, WiseNight aims not only to make scientific knowledge accessible, but also to show who is behind science, what questions researchers are exploring and who might become a scientist themselves one day. </p><p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>Giving science a face</strong> \u200b </p><p style=\"text-align: left\">WiseNight places a particular focus on female researchers, diversity and talent development in STEM. This is deliberate. Young people often have a limited view of what a scientist is or can be. By giving researchers a voice, WiseNight aims to broaden that picture and show that there is no single, fixed profile of &lsquo;the&rsquo; scientist. Together with its sister university, the ULB, the VUB is bringing a large number of female researchers to the Atomium, with a wide range of expertise and career paths. They will talk not only about their research findings, but also about the questions that drive them, their discoveries, their doubts and their journey as researchers. In this way, scientists become not only experts but also role models for a new generation. </p><p style=\"text-align: left\">This message will also be symbolically reflected during WiseNight: <strong>the Atomium&rsquo;s Ilya Prigogine sphere is temporarily renamed the Marie Sk\u0142odowska-Curie sphere</strong>, as a tribute to one of the most famous female scientists in history and as an opportunity to reflect on the visibility of women in science and technology. At the same time, this event will be used to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Marie Sk\u0142odowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) programme &ndash; a series of European funding programmes for researchers within the EU&rsquo;s Horizon Europe programme &ndash; and to highlight the work of associated researchers. </p><p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>From AI and climate to gender and urban sustainability</strong> \u200b </p><p style=\"text-align: left\">Several VUB researchers will be taking part in WiseNight, including: </p><p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>Lesley De Cruz</strong>, a professor at the VUB and a researcher at the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium (KMI), works at the intersection of weather and climate science, artificial intelligence and computational models. She uses AI and powerful computer systems to improve weather forecasts and better understand local climate phenomena such as extreme rainfall and heatwaves. At the same time, she is actively committed to inspiring young people, and girls in particular, to take an interest in STEM. In 2025, she received the Brussels Women Award in Technology and Science (WATS) and became a WATS ambassador. </p><p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>Hannelore Van Bavel,</strong> a social anthropologist and researcher at the VUB RHEA Research Centre for Gender, Diversity &amp; Intersectionality, investigates how gender, racialisation, culture, colonialism and power relations shape the way women&rsquo;s bodies are viewed and regulated. Her research into female genital modifications (ranging from female circumcision to cosmetic genital surgery) combines ethnographic, participatory and bioethical research methods. She has been a member of the Young Academy since 2026. </p><p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>Yuxin Pu </strong>(MSCA fellow), a VUB researcher in urban geography and urban sustainability, can explain how scientific research helps us to better understand the city of today and tomorrow and to shape it in a more sustainable way. </p><p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>Kateryna Osadcha</strong> brings expertise in artificial intelligence and education, a topic that is particularly relevant now that AI is rapidly changing the way young people learn, study and work. </p><p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>Nanoek Bos </strong>(MSCA fellow), a researcher in media and communication studies, will draw on her expertise to explore how science, the media and society influence one another. </p><p style=\"text-align: left\">In addition, several other VUB researchers will be present to introduce visitors to a variety of research fields, including <strong>Katrien Dierickx </strong>(MSCA fellow)<strong> </strong>on bioarchaeology and archaeozoology, and<strong> Mishka Beutels </strong>on palliative and chronic care. </p><p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>400 Brussels school pupils are introduced to science</strong> \u200b </p><p style=\"text-align: left\">WiseNight aims not only to tell young people that science and technology are important, but also to bring them into direct contact with researchers. On Friday 25 September, 400 pupils from Dutch- and French-speaking schools in and around Brussels will therefore be welcomed. Seventeen classes from primary and secondary schools will take part in workshops, demonstrations and presentations, and will engage directly in conversation with female researchers. </p><p style=\"text-align: left\">For the VUB, this is an essential part of science communication: enabling young people to experience that research is not abstract or distant, but stems from curiosity, creativity, collaboration and the ambition to better understand and solve societal issues. </p><hr /><p style=\"text-align: left\"><em>Press contact:<br>\u200bKarel Verbrugge, VUB: 0479 32 05 93</em> </p><p style=\"text-align: left\"><a href=\"https://www.vub.be/nl/evenement/wisenight-2026-atomium-europese-nacht-van-de-onderzoeker\"><u>https://www.vub.be/nl/evenement/wisenight-2026-atomium-europese-nacht-van-de-onderzoeker</u></a> </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>",
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