"At SciFest there is a world of things to discover”

How fun can pharmaceutical research really be? We went to SciFest, Uppsala's science festival that is currently filling Fyrishov's exhibition halls for three days, and asked the question to some of the children and teens who, at this very moment, are enjoying the Faculty of Pharmacy's diversity of activities. Ilon in class 5B at Liljeforsskolan does not hesitate:

“This is the second year in a row I'm at SciFest and it's super exciting. I just learned how viruses affect our bodies and now I'm trying to put molecules together. It's a bit tricky, but most of all fun. After that, I will try the Virtual Reality glasses,” says Ilon.

Along the faculty stand, curious children and young people are waiting in line for their turn to try pharmaceutical memory, participate in competitions, build their own pharmaceutical molecules and find out more about life as a researcher. The longest queue is to the Virtual Reality tour of the human body and the enzymes that cause headaches.

“I have VR glasses at home, but being able to explore bacteria and proteins in a body is a completely new experience. This is my first visit to SciFest and it really is a world of things to discover. In addition, the researchers are very kind and helpful, and I can definitely imagine studying at the university in the future,” says Oscar, visiting with class 6 from Öregrunds skola.

Just around the corner, a group of middle school pupils are investigating the solubility of various substances in the body. To their help, they have test tubes, litmus paper, various liquids and a Vortex mixer – a device for rapid sample mixing, and if it weren't for the researchers being unusually young, the scene could very well be one of BMC's pharmaceutical laboratories.

“I am so impressed by these pupils and how good they are at reasoning their way towards the results. The fact that they are also engaged and contribute to good interaction makes it extra fun. As a pharmacy student, I also think it is important that we are here to help broaden the children's horizons in terms of what they can actually work with, says Maja Sikström, degree project worker at the Department of Pharmacy.

On Saturday, SciFest will open its doors to the public. The faculty researchers on site are prepared to meet a great number of future pharmaceutical experts, but to be on the safe side, a small detail has been deleted from last year's range of activities.

“Back then we offered a station where the children filled their own medicine jars, but when they discovered that the tablets resembled the contents of their Saturday candy-bag, there was such a rush that we opted not to refill our stock. This year, we have replaced it with new activities that are well received and our stand is characterized by a wonderful atmosphere with many children realizing the fact that they both know a lot about drugs and that they want to learn more,” states Charlotta Heijkenskjöld, Maria Kjellsson and Ulrika Yngve on site in Fyrishov.

text: Magnus Alsne, photo: Magnus Alsne, SciFest