Starmus festival also at Comenius University
On 12-17 May, 2024, the seventh edition of the STARMUS festival of science and art will take place in Bratislava, and will offer a unique opportunity to experience the lectures of renowned scientists, and performances by acclaimed artists. The organizers of the festival unveiled its agenda which includes, among other events, a series of lectures at partnering academic venues, including Comenius University.
The focus of the seventh annual edition of STARMUS is the Earth. "For the first time, STARMUS brings focus to our planet and we want to make the general public more responsive than ever before to the important issues of our time, affecting our planet," said astrophysicist Garik Israelian, co-founder of the STARMUS festival, during a press conference in Bratislava.
The seventh year of the STARMUS festival will open with a concert by the world-famous musician Jean-Michel Jarré entitled Bridge to the Future, and performed on the bank of the river Danube, under the SNP Bridge. "With this concert, Jean-Michel Jarré will set the tone for the entire festival, which is specifically aimed at resolving the current issues that our planet faces," said the second co-founder of the festival, Sir Brian May, an astrophysicist and musician known primarily as the guitarist of the legendary band Queen. Brian May will be a special guest at the opening concert.
Most headline lectures during the festival begin at 2 pm. In the mornings, partner institutions will host various lectures available for free, while the headline lectures are paid. The lectures are mainly aimed at students, academics, and the professional public.
Programme of lectures hosted by Comenius University
Monday May 13 at 11.00 a.m.
Rim Turkmani, astrophysicist and expert on conflicts in Syria and in the Arab world, London School of Economics
Complex peace for complex conflicts; how peace-making is changing as conflicts get ever more multi-layered
Moyzes Hall, Faculty of Arts, Vajanského nábrežie 12
Tuesday May 14 at 11.00 a.m.
Scott Hubbard, astrophysicist and Mars exploration expert, long-time NASA employee
Exploring Mars: Following the Water
Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Mlynská dolina 5692
Wednesday May 15 at 12.00 p.m.
Donna Strickland, physicist, Physics Nobel Prize winner, University of Waterloo
Generating High Intensity, Ultrashort Optical Pulses
Comenius University Grand Auditorium, Šafárikovo námestie 6
Thursday May 16 at 11.00 a.m.
Kurt Wüthrich, chemist/biophysicist, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, ETH Zurich
Pursuing Scientific Research in the 20 and 21 Centuries
Faculty of Natural Sciences, Ilkovičova 6
Friday May 17 at 11.00 a.m.
Patrick Michel, expert on asteroids, director of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Protecting our planet from asteroid impacts: the DART/Hera asteroid deflection test and more
Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Mlynská dolina 5692
Comenius University STARMUS Camp on Hlavné námestie in Bratislava
Comenius University participates in the STARMUS Camp Research and Learning Centre which will unfold on Hlavné námestie in Bratislava. The science camp event will include exhibitions, interactive displays and learning through experience. Its goal is to awaken curiosity and inspire a new generation of scientists. This part of the festival is also accessible for free.
Student ticket competiton
The Starmus festival includes five great lectures which will be accessible for free at CU. If you want to experience the ticketed part of the festival and be present at lectures of extraordinary people like Jane Goodall, Kip Thorne, Brian Greene, Chris Hadfield, George Smoot and many others, or visit concerts by legends like The Offspring, Tony Hadley or Laurie Anderson, participate in the Stephen Hawking Awards Ceremony, experience the Star Party at Devín Castle, or get priority seating at the opening concert of Jean Michel Jarré with Brian May, you can now enter a competition to win a student ticket worth 150 euros.
We want to know what role science, art or the university play in your life. Express your opinion through a short essay of up to 5000 characters, a video of up to 2 minutes, or a photograph.
Send your entries before 5 May from your university e-mail address to pruniba.sk. The competition is only open to students of Comenius University in Bratislava.
You can join one or more of these five open categories:
Me and science: photography;
Me and science: video;
Me and art: photography;
Me and art: video;
Me and the University: An Essay.
An ideal entry should include a creative and original story. We will announce the winners on 8 May, 2024 on the Facebook page of Comenius University Bratislava.
By participating in the competition you consent to having your name and winning entry published through communication channels of Comenius Universitys.