Many important and original discoveries in science and technology are the result of playful and creative research. On 29th November 2019, the SciCon Symposium organized by the members of the fABABP of the Faculty of Science had the pleasure to host Prof. Sebastiaan (Bas) Haring as a plenary speaker on the particular topic. Prof. Haring is a prominent public figure in the Netherlands who as a faculty at the University of Leiden promotes science communication. At KU Leuven, Prof. Haring provided an inspiring lecture to the young career researches in science and technology in which he showcased how new concepts and impactful cross-disciplinary discoveries can be unveiled by undertaking so-called playful approaches. In that regard, playfulness which at first sight may appear as a discourse to the common thinking, ultimately may provide key insights and in-depth understanding that helps to overcome research challenges in an original and creative manner.
The SciCon 2019 symposium was dedicated to interdisciplinarity in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The event took place at the University Hall of KU Leuven and was opened by the Dean Prof. Philippe Muchez. The Faculty of Science, the Arenberg Doctoral School, and several domestic and international companies provided support for the event, which attracted over seventy participants. SciCon 2019 provided a platform to over thirty quality poster contributions in different fields of science and technology and platform for six selected oral contributions revealing an insightful journey in STEM at KU Leuven which transitioned from applied mathematics, astronomy and geoscience to cluster chemistry, life science, and pharmacological engineering. Following collegial peer-evaluation, the organizers awarded one poster and one talk prize to Mr. Giacomo Romolini (doctorate candidate, Department of Chemistry) and to Dr. Jonas Deré (Postdoc, Mathematics – KULAK) respectively.
The fABAP thanks all participants and supporters and hopes to organize similar events in the future.