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Experience BUT at Researchers' Night: When Tic-Tac-Toe Becomes Science
Everyone knows tic-tac-toe. But what if the rules change and an ordinary game becomes a test of your mind? Visitors will get the chance to experience exactly that during this year's Researchers' Night at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication BUT.
Playful, thought-provoking, space-inspired. That's what cognitive tic-tac-toe is all about, proving that science is much more than complex equations and graphs. “We're scientists who love to play. That's why our research occasionally leads to something that has a solid scientific foundation while also being a great game,” explains Oto Janoušek from FEEC BUT.
At the Department of Biomedical Engineering FEEC BUT, he and his colleagues focus on assessing the cognitive workload of pilots and astronauts, research that has a direct impact on aviation safety. As part of their work, they collaborate with Aleš Svoboda, a member of the European Space Agency's (ESA) reserve astronaut team, to study how the human mind copes with demanding situations. The principles of this research have been transformed into a game where, through a tablet application, everyone can test how quickly they adapt to changing rules and whether they can beat the computer or even a friend.
“What I enjoy most is the playful aspect. Even though it's based on real research, it's something people can have fun with while discovering how their own thinking changes when the rules of a familiar game suddenly shift,” says Janoušek. He adds that cognitive testing is such a fascinating topic that it deserves to be shared with the wider public.
But cognitive tic-tac-toe is not the only attraction at the stand. Visitors will also be able to explore a bioreactor used for bacterial cultivation and measure their own heart rate using Tepovka, a special application developed by a student team.
And what does he hope every young and grown-up science enthusiast will take away from the Researchers' Night? “I'd be really happy if visitors left with the feeling that science is simply cool,” he concludes, adding that this is exactly why he enjoys taking part in science outreach activities.
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The Researchers' Night takes place on Friday, 25 September, with all faculties and institutes of BUT taking part. Laboratories, classrooms and research facilities will open their doors to the public, offering a programme full of experiments, interactive demonstrations and opportunities to meet scientists. Find out more on the Researchers' Night website. Come and discover how technologies that shape our everyday lives are created – and experience BUT for yourself! |
Author: Lenka Hubáčková
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