On Friday, September 25th, 2026, our research group participated in the European Researchers’ Night (known locally as Noc vědy, previously Noc vědců) at Albertov, Prague, hosted by the Faculty of Science, Charles University.
About the Event
European Researchers’ Night is a continent-wide science communication festival designed to bring research closer to the general public, demystify complex scientific fields, and spark curiosity across all age groups. Starting in 2026, the nationwide festival in the Czech Republic adopted the updated name Noc vědy (“Night of Science”) to emphasize an inclusive approach to science popularization.
This year’s central theme across all participating institutions was Communication—exploring everything from signal transmission in living organisms to interdisciplinary dialogues in modern research. Across Charles University alone, thousands of visitors explored laboratories, historical lecture halls, and interactive stations spread across numerous faculties and venues in Prague, Pilsen, and Hradec Králové.
Our Interactive Stand: Illuminating Photosynthesis
At our group’s stand, we explored photosynthesis through a multi-disciplinary lens, bridging biology, chemistry, and both experimental and theoretical physics.
Visitors had a chance to extract pigments from plant leaves and perform paper chromatography alongside basic spectroscopic experiments using lasers of three different wavelengths. Alongside hands-on chemistry, an introduction to theoretical modeling demonstrated how physical parameters dictate biological function: visitors used interactive simulations to observe how distances between individual pigment molecules govern energy transfer efficiency and directionality within light-harvesting complexes.
The enthusiastic discussions with curious minds of all ages—from young future scientists to university students and adult science enthusiasts—made the evening a wonderful experience.
For more highlights and coverage of Charles University’s overall presence at the event, you can read the official summary on UK Forum (in Czech).
autoři fotografií: Vladimír Šigut, Michal Ptáček