Big Bang in a Brussels landmark

Sunny days are meant for things like these: exploring a new city, relaxing in the park… and discussing the nature of the universe. On Saturday April 2nd nearly 40 stagiaires met beneath a cloudless sky for a double whammy event: a tour of the Atomium and a Science Café discussion on the origins of the universe.

The Atomium is a massive replica of an iron crystal’s structure that was built for the World’s Fair 1958 Expo. It is over 100 metres tall and has become a Brussels landmark. As the stagiaires waited beneath its giant glistening spheres it was clear different people wanted different things from the day; some were there just for the view from the Atomium rather than views on the universe.

There is a permanent exhibition dealing with the construction of the Atomium and the wider 1958 World’s Fair. It has some appealing photographs, period posters and models of other buildings from the Expo. A text panel lists dozens of statistics, the most interesting focusing on human stories: five people died at the Expo but "27 hopeless people tried to commit suicide". Were these five deaths successful suicides? This was the first big question of the day.

Next up was a temporary exhibition on the nature of the universe – ‘Cosmos: Be a star’. ‘Cosmos’ is intended to get people asking questions (scientific, philosophical and even artistic) rather than to provide answers. The centrepiece was a large graphic depicting the expansion of the universe since the Big Bang (which apparently was not an explosion, did not happen in one place and was not a sudden release of energy).

The highlight of the Atomium itself is the uppermost sphere which boasts panoramic views of Brussels. After queuing for twenty minutes for the lift to the top (in the company of President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek) the view was good… but not quite breathtaking! The consensus on the Atomium was much the same: interesting, but lacking a certain tourist attraction je ne sais quoi.

About a dozen stagiaires then began the Science Café discussion in the neighbouring park while others chatted nearby or played frisbee. Lefteris, the Science Café co-ordinator, explained that the group is about people coming together in an informal setting to discuss a specific topic of interest. Anything can be discussed, not just science, and you don’t have to be an expert to join the debate. Ideally somebody with knowledge of the particular field will get things going; as an astrophysicist Lefteris kicked things off this time.

Over the next hour the group talked about some of the latest ideas on the Big Bang and touched upon questions still waiting for answers. Many of the terms heard on popular science programmes were mentioned (Planck constant, dark matter, dark energy) and made intelligible.

Many of the most fascinating exchanges were not even about the origins of the universe. How can a good model (scientific, financial) be constructed? If an assumption works in a model does it then get presented as fact without due consideration? Does saying that a cell has a purpose imply a level of intentionality that is not actually present? The discussion developed organically and, unsurprisingly, God did get a mention!

There may not have been many definitive answers but asking the interesting questions in a relaxed social setting was the point. On its own terms this first Science Café outing was certainly a success. And if someone came along just to see the Atomium and enjoy the weather, it was still a good day out!

Jonathan Patchell,

DG TRADE

Notes

For information on the next Science Café discussion contact Eleftherios Mamais or Patricia Vale Vasconcelos Cerveira Pinto on their Commission emails.

For amazing sights from around the universe check out Nasa’s Astronomy Picture of the Day

Take metro line 6 to Heysel to visit the Atomium