[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/13239\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EWhere curiosity meets innovation: EU science fair in Belgium dazzles young minds \u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat if there was a place where young people could learn the basics of coding, analyse fossil remains, assemble a wind turbine and learn how to predict earthquakes? The two-day Science is Wonderful fair in Tervuren, near Brussels, was just that.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn entering Tervuren\u2019s imposing Africa Museum, which hosted the 10th iteration of the event on 13 and 14 March, it was clear that visitors were in for a dazzling display of what EU-funded research can do.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs excited chatter spilled across the halls, it was equally clear that both the children and the researchers, most of them in their late 20s, were having fun.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJust before the main hall, dozens of kids queued to fly a mini drone through suspended hoops. Dozens more scrambled around in a sandbox full of hidden fossil remains and artefacts that they tried to find using tiny brushes and spatulas.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EEU funding gave me an opportunity to do what I wanted to do: design satellites.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EAlessandro Mastropietro, PhD research engineer, Kongsberg NanoAvionics\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENearby, a macaque monkey (a life-size doll moved by a researcher) was explaining how terrible it is to find heaps of plastic waste in its habitat in Sulawesi, Indonesia, and what to do about it.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd one of the obvious favourites: a chance to be rescued at sea \u2013 with virtual reality glasses simulating a dinghy surrounded by raging waves \u2013 thanks to Galileo, the EU\u2019s global navigation satellite system.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe main idea is to inspire the next generation of researchers so the knowledge is passed on, together with the passion and curiosity, to the next generation. And for children to see that research can be for anyone,\u201d said Sybille Luhmann, project manager for the event.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe annual science fair, launched in 2015 by Marie Sk\u0142odowska-Curie Actions, the EU\u2019s doctoral and postdoctoral research training programme, attracted around 5\u0026nbsp;000 primary and secondary school students.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt their disposal were about 50 booths, with projects ranging from music and space to medical imaging and ancient Egyptian artistry.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Researcher shows young visitor wearing VR glasses what the European Union Space Agency is doing with space satellites. \u00a9 European Union, 2025\u0022 data-entity-type=\u0022file\u0022 data-entity-uuid=\u0022064c128a-15d9-41f8-aaa0-d1d774780a6c\u0022 height=\u00221064\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/Image%201_0.jpeg\u0022 width=\u00221600\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EResearcher shows young visitor wearing VR glasses what the European Union Space Agency is doing with space satellites. \u00a9 European Union, 2025\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003Ch2\u003EMaking group space calls\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlessandro Mastropietro, an Italian PhD research engineer at Kongsberg NanoAvionics in Lithuania, soon had his hands full with curious visitors.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt his booth, visitors were able to assemble their own small satellite while learning what\u2019s inside it and how it works in space. They were also able to send and receive radio messages using personalised 2.4\u0026nbsp;GHz antennas.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt is a difficult topic, but everyone was fascinated. Boys and girls were both involved in the same way,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThere was this little girl this morning, she was so involved in understanding what we are doing, how to assemble a satellite, how it all works when the satellite is in space. I told her \u2018I\u2019ll be waiting to see you as a space engineer\u2019.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe also praised the opportunity to network with other young researchers. \u201cIt is great for us to meet so many passionate people who have a similar life, similar vision and dreams.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn real life, Mastropietro is part of an international team working on an initiative named HARMONY. Its aim is to develop new technologies and solutions for space-related services by building a \u201cconstellation of satellites in space that speak with each other and with us on the ground, like a big group call\u201d.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWas EU support important in his pursuit of a research career? \u201c100 percent,\u201d he said. \u201cEU funding gave me an opportunity to do what I wanted to do: design satellites. My dream is to design missions to the Moon and Mars.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EGetting under the skin...\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDahiana Mojena Medina, a Spanish post-doctoral researcher working in Germany, was in charge of a booth explaining how human skin functions. Using cornflakes, muesli, yoghurt, chocolate sticks and chia seeds, children were able to recreate the different skin layers of the human body.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EChia seeds emulated nerve endings, and chocolate sticks represented hair follicles.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cChildren build their own skin model layer by layer from edible ingredients, and they can eat it and enjoy afterwards,\u201d she said. Kids could also try on haptic gloves that simulate the sensation of touch, helping them understand the connection between skin and brain, and how signals travel.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the adult world, Mojena Medina is the co-principal investigator of a research initiative named BioKIN. She is developing bioengineered skin with mesh electronics: sensors designed with tissue-like structural and mechanical properties.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur ambition is to develop a technology that not only treats chronic wounds and supports natural skin regeneration, but also integrates sensors to monitor the healing process and provide doctors with real-time information,\u201d Mojena Medina said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe idea is that once the skin has repaired, these devices are so light and unobtrusive that the body can naturally shed them.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u2026and saving democracy\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn one of the final rooms of the fair, a different sort of science awaited. There were fewer gadgets, but it still sprang a surprise.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn one corner, two polling booths \u2013 one resembling a standard booth and the other with a glass partition looking onto the garden outside \u2013 was waiting for children to cast their votes. They had to decide what they see as a priority for making the world a better place.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThey could then use a new computerised tool called CODE, which allowed them to express preferences on any issue in their own words and translate them into collective preferences.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EThe main idea is to inspire the next generation of researchers so the knowledge is passed on, together with the passion and curiosity, to the next generation.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003ESybille Luhmann, project manager, Science is Wonderful\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOverseeing the booth was Michael Bruter, a professor of political science at the London School of Economics (LSE). Together with Sarah Harrison, he also directs\u0026nbsp;the Electoral Psychology Observatory at LSE.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI was worried about the little ones, but they got quite excited to vote for the first time and be able to voice opinions in their own words,\u201d said Bruter.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe is the principal investigator of ELHO (Electoral Hostility), an EU-funded initiative running from 2019 to 2026 that studies the changing nature of democratic crises in 27 countries around the world.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat gave rise to the project, explained Bruter, was the realisation that average voters are increasingly hostile and vote \u201cbecause they hate one of the options and try to prevent it from happening\u201d.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEU funding, Bruter said, enabled researchers to discover things no one has discovered before about the critical question facing society: \u201cDemocracy is in a big crisis, and somehow we need to find a way to reconcile citizens and give them back hope about democracy.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEncouraging children and teenagers to think about what they want is the first step towards this goal.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe final stop of the fair was a Science Wall where children could describe why science is wonderful. Most answers were similar: \u201cit teaches us many things\u201d, \u201cit is interesting\u201d, \u201cit saves lives\u201d.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHowever, one stood out: \u201cIt answers your questions with more questions and it makes you so curious and in awe of the world you live in\u201d.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA sure sign that science is wonderful indeed.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe views of the interviewees don\u2019t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. 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