Serdecznie zapraszamy na uroczyste rozpoczęcie XXII Lubelskiego Festiwalu Nauki, które odbędzie się w Akademickim Centrum Kultury i Mediów UMCS Chatka Żaka!
Wykład inauguracyjny pt. „25 Years of Inspiring Curiosity: The Importance of Science Engagement in the 21st Century” wygłosi dr Kenneth Skeldon z Uniwersytetu w Glasgow, prezes European Science Engagement Association (EUSEA), obchodzącego w tym roku jubileusz 25-lecia działalności. Lubelski Festiwal Nauki jest członkiem EUSEA od 23 czerwca 2020 roku.
Po wykładzie rozpocznie się koncert „Vis vitalis, vivace: Big Band UMCS”. Na scenie wystąpi Big Band UMCS wraz z solistami i wykładowcami kierunku Jazz i Muzyka Estradowa oraz zaproszonymi gośćmi. W programie usłyszymy znane i uwielbiane utwory, m.in. Rolling in the Deep, Sir Duke, Heal the World, Crazy in Love, Human Nature czy Mercy Duffy – wszystkie w świeżych, nowoczesnych aranżacjach autorstwa Adama Jarzmika z Katedry Muzyki Jazzowej i Rozrywkowej UMCS.
Projekt finansowany ze środków budżetu państwa, przyznanych przez Ministra Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego w ramach Programu Społeczna Odpowiedzialność Nauki III.
Dr Kenneth Skeldon is President of the European Science Engagement Association (EUSEA) and Research Engagement Manager at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. Following a successful research career, Kenneth has established over 25 years’ experience in public engagement with science and research, including leadership roles across universities and research institutes, science centres and museums, and festivals and events. An award-winning science communicator himself, Kenneth has personally engaged with over 150,000 public and schools around the globe, partnering with professional societies, media organisations and international festivals. His touring shows with theatre-scale science demonstrations have been seen by audiences across Europe, the Middle East and Australia. In 2005 Kenneth was awarded a prestigious Fellowship from NESTA (the UK’s National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) to explore novel approaches to science engagement, and from 2008 he led public engagement at the University of Aberdeen and became Director of Aberdeen Science Centre – one of the UK’s longest established interactive science centres. In 2017 Kenneth moved to Cambridge, becoming Head of Public Engagement at the Wellcome Genome Campus – the home of the Human Genome Project – where he managed a multidisciplinary team and secured several £M in funding for national engagement projects. Kenneth has a long-established passion for European collaboration and has led workstreams on many European Commission Projects including the founding of two European Researchers’ Nights. He is a keynote speaker for the MSCA Science is Wonderful initiative and has been a Board Member of EUSEA since 2018, elected its President in 2024. In the UK, he is an Associate of the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) and is an Honorary Fellow of the British Science Association. As a passionate advocate for networking, Kenneth co-led the bid to bring the Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST) conference to the UK for the first time, delivered in May 2025 to over 650 delegates from around the globe. In his current role at Glasgow, he supports the embedding of engagement within research and is a civic engagement work package leader for the CIVIS European University Alliance. From 18 – 20 May 2027 his team at the University of Glasgow will play host to the EUSEA conference.
In 2012 Ken was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to science engagement.
The European Science Engagement Association (EUSEA) is a non-profit association founded in Austria in 2001 and today is one of Europe’s foremost member networks in the field of public engagement with science and research. EUSEA’s membership spans over 30 countries comprises a diverse mix of individuals and organisations including from universities, science festivals, museums and science centres, NGOs, funders and municipalities. Through a regular programme of events, networking and vibrant annual conference, EUSEA connects its members and the wider public engagement community around the common goal of involving societal actors in the lifecycle of knowledge creation and application. EUSEA has played a leading role in many projects supported by the European Commission’s framework programmes, exploring topics such as scientific culture, responsible research and innovation, and citizen science- most recently through the highly successful IMPETUS Project. The flagship EUSEA gathering is the annual European Science Engagement Conference, which is hosted by a different European city each year, and in 2027 will travel to Glasgow, Scotland. In addition to events, EUSEA also hosts the European Science Engagement Platform – a free to access platform to share and comment on innovative practise in science engagement.
Throughout 2026, EUSEA is marking its 25th anniversary with a range of special events and a monthly birthday blog – all helping to amplify EUSEA’s core aim to encourage and support meaningful and inclusive engagement practice that makes an impact across Europe and beyond.
