Science Fair 2026

Once again this year, the Institute of Physics will be participating in this major science fair and will have plenty for you to discover. You’ll be able to try exciting an electron in the photovoltaic tent, check out the solar zoo, or see the levitating train. The exhibit will feature many other fun science activities. FZU is traditionally one of the largest exhibitors of the Czech Academy of Sciences at the Science Fair (and once again this year, the largest!). Along with us, other institutes and departments of the Czech Academy of Sciences, universities, and companies will be exhibiting at the event. Come visit us and discover the magic of physics with us!

The Science Fair is the largest popular science event in the Czech Republic, organized annually by the Czech Academy of Sciences since 2015. It explores science in all its forms and offers visitors the most interesting aspects of the natural sciences, engineering, humanities, and social sciences.

The Science Fair will also feature a lecture program. On June 6, Patrik Čechvala will guide you through the astronomy of Middle-earth. He will show you that Professor J. R. R. Tolkien drew on real celestial phenomena when writing The Lord of the Rings, and he will explain some basic astronomical concepts that appear both in the famous trilogy and in the real world. You can find registration for the lectures and the complete program at www.veletrhvedy.cz.

FZU experiments and stands at Science Fair

Plasma laboratory

At our stand you will discover the world of thin layers. Using magnetron sputtering, we will prepare layers of silver and copper several tens of nanometers thick. In the dactyloscopic laboratory you will uncover the secret of fingerprints made visible in this way, and in the lithographic laboratory you will create your own etched sample as a keepsake.

Luminescent materials

Come learn more about scintillation materials! You can encounter these materials, which convert radiation into ultraviolet or visible light, in various applications, such as in a "CT scanner" (a computed tomography scanner in a hospital) or during baggage screening at the airport. Check out the different materials (with explanations for children and adults) and make and take home your own scintillation bead bracelet as a souvenir!

Transformation under the microscope

Most metals hold their shape firmly. But we will show you some that change their shape on command. Come and experience the physics of solid metals live! Under a microscope, you will see how the smooth structure of a shape-memory alloy literally folds into a fascinating geometric mosaic when cooled. And we will also present a prototype of a micropump, where a magnetically controlled alloy acts as an artificial muscle.

Liquid crystals (not only) for screens and displays

At our stand, we will explain to visitors what liquid crystals are, where we can encounter them in everyday life, and what their properties are. We will show a model of a liquid crystal molecule and explain the principles of operation of screens and displays, in which these crystals are an important part. We will also show the beautiful textures that liquid crystals create under a microscope.

Photovoltaic tent

The photovoltaic tent is an interactive, truly macroscopic model of a solar cell, in which you can experience firsthand how electricity is generated from light. 

Go ahead and transform yourself into a little Sun for two minutes. Your task will be to supply energy to the “electrons” (balls) and move them so that they produce electrical energy. Up to six people can compete to see who can produce the most electricity. 

Every electron matters, every ball that passes counts!

A train demonstrating superconductivity

Maglev at the Science Fair! A superconducting train that uses magnetic levitation to float above magnetic tracks and flies almost frictionlessly. It's surprisingly quiet and stable. 

Loop? No problem. 

Antigravity fuel? All you need to do is cool the superconductor sufficiently with liquid nitrogen to get it into a superconducting state.

Solar ZOO

A somewhat unconventional terrarium with beetles, grasshoppers and spiders. They look and feel alive, but only when they are illuminated. They are powered by small solar cells on their backs.

PV panel

How does ordinary sand become a silicon solar panel? What other semiconductor materials can be used to produce panels? What is the efficiency of current recordbreaking cells and is there still room for its improvement? What are the current research challenges in photovoltaics? These and other questions will be answered on site by an expert from the Department of Thin Films and Nanostructures, where they have been researching materials for photovoltaics for several decades.

Colours non-colours

The rainbow colours of soap bubbles, the blue on the wings of Morpho butterflies, and the coloration of the elytra of some beetles have one thing in common: the colours here are not related to the presence of a dye (i.e. a chemical substance), but to the so-called interference of light (i.e. a physical phenomenon). During interference, light waves are combined, so that some colours are amplified and others are attenuated. In nature, this leads to the creation of bright colours without dyes. A similar principle can also be used in photovoltaics, where special thin layers on the surface of solar cells can for example change the colour of the cell from black to blue using interference, without significantly reducing the amount of energy converted from sunlight.

Tournament of young physicists

Tournament of young physicists Tournament is a prestigious competition for high school students interested in physics. Participants present not only their knowledge, but also their creativity and enthusiasm for science. They learn to solve complex problems as if they were part of a real scientific research. Come to our stand to find out how you can get involved!

Crystalline materials

Did you know that micrometric objects can be measured very precisely using an ordinary ruler and a laser pointer? All you need to know is a trick called diffraction. And if we keep the same principle, replace the ruler with a crystalline substance and the laser with Xrays, we can look right into the world of atoms. 

At our stand, we will show you how to use diffraction to measure, for example, the diameter of a hair or the distance between fibers in a fabric. You will look at real crystals under an optical microscope and you will be able to observe what crystals look like and how they are formed during crystallization. You will also learn the difference between crystalline and amorphous substances and you will even be able to literally taste this difference.

Laser-optical phenomena 

In this stall, we will follow the adventures of light particles: the photons 

• The path: In this task, visitors can try to align the laser beam precisely on a straight line using appropriate mirrors. It will also be possible to guide the photons through a mirrorbased labyrinth. Upon successful alignment, a detector will show participants’ laser alignment accuracy.
• The colourfull party: All the colours we see are created by the movement of the photon. We will observe with a spectrometer how we can make them dance together to see news colour, but also how food dyes work by removing specific photon. Finally, you will be engaged with an interactive “How much blue light does your phone emit?” experiment.
• The photon keeper and the spy: We will show some character of light and how we can use it to reveal some true. We will use film polarisers visitors can reveal hidden path in objects depending on the polariser angle. We will also identifies the difference between transmission through a window and reflexion on a mirror. Then we will show how a oneway mirror can do both and be used to create an infinite hole or a spy chamber. Don’t worry we will also show you how to detect if someone try to spy you or if the mirror in your room is a real one.

Gravity simulator

The gravity simulator, popularly known as a "black hole", allows you to easily demonstrate a number of phenomena in the gravitational field using a canvas, weights and balls (and a drill). 

Motion along conic sections, Kepler's second law, perihelion precession, tidal decay, gravitational waves... You will not only see all this with your own eyes, but you will also directly cause it with your own hands!

How to see the invisible: the world of individual molecules

Come and see the world of individual molecules. We will show you why they are so hard to observe, how we can detect something we can not see with our eyes, and how scientists use light, nanofluidics, and a special microscope to track the movement of a single molecule in real time. You will also learn why it is useful to study molecules one by one, and why even molecules of the same type can behave slightly differently.

Virtual reality ATLAS

Our ATLAS virtual reality allows you to fly through the ATLAS detector. Come and try it out and get an idea of the size and complexity of the detector in particle physics. Inside our virtual reality it is also possible (by touching the glowing ball) to see a 360-degree photo of a given location in the detector, which gives people the opportunity to actually see what it looks like during a physics experiment.

Physics for Future Arcade

Physics for Future Arcade is an interactive kiosk that introduces you to the elements of quantum physics through short, hands-on simulations of experiments. As players, you explore key quantum phenomena discovered by famous scientists, and then test your new knowledge in a quiz.

Stand of particle physics – CERN

Stand of particle physics, organized by the Institute of Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of Charles University and the Faculty of Nuclear and Physical Engineering of the Czech Technical University, will present activities related to particle physics at the LHC accelerator at CERN. Printed materials, souvenirs and more smaller experiments will be available!

Cloud chamber

A cloud chamber is one of the oldest particle detectors used for observing ionizing radiation. It is a closed space that contains supersaturated water or alcohol vapors (we use propyl alcohol). When a charged particle flies through the chamber, the mixture is ionized. The formed ions serve as condensation nuclei, on which tiny droplets are formed - fog.

Biophysics laboratory

At the biophysics stand, we will offer you a world of microscopes, cells and fascinating experiments with light. You will see demonstrations of fluorescence and luminescence as well as fluorescent labeling used in confocal microscopy. You will learn more about cancer and liver damage, and children will learn about cell structure and the principles of beam optics in a playful way. This laboratory will connect science, medicine and entertainment for all generations.

Joint Laboratory of Optics Olomouc

At the Joint Laboratory of Optics stand, we will present the cooperation between the Institute of Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and Palacký University, i.e. not only science, but also the possibility of studying in Olomouc. We will talk about the development of materials using plasma and their testing, the hunting of entangled photons or cosmic rays. The star of the exhibition will be the mirror from the Argentine Pierre Auger Observatory telescope.

Wikimedia Czech Republic as a guest at the FZU exhibition

How often do you search for an information on Wikipedia? Do you know how Wikipedia articles are created, who is behind them, and how you can get involved? Wikimedia Czech Republic is a non-profit organization that supports the free sharing of knowledge, the development of Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects in the Czech Republic. In order to develop Wikipedia, we organize educational programs, editathons, photo contests, and cooperation with cultural and scientific institutions. 

Come to our booth to compete and see for yourself what you actually know about Wikipedia and what makes up the free world of Wikimedia. And do not forget that Science Month on Wikipedia which focuses on adding articles on scientific topics and scientists is up until June 15.

Veletrh vědy 2022B

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