Science on Stage 2 - Science teaching festival

From 2nd to 6th of April 2007, Science on Stage 2 took place in Grenoble, France, hosted by the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESFR), the Institut Laue Langevin (ILL) and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Grenoble Outstation. This international festival is organised by EIROforum (www.eiroforum.com) with support from the European Commission. The objective is to promote science education in Europe by highlighting best practice examples of today's school education to teachers from all over Europe. The European Fusion Development Agreement (EFDA), one of seven members of the EIROforum, contributed extensely to the preparation and execution of the event.

About 500 science teachers from 27 European countries participated in the event, after being selected out of a large number of applicants by the national Science on Stage Organisations, according to the quality of their proposed contributions. A central element of the presentation of the ideas and experiences on teaching methods and science-related school projects was a Fair with 66 stands and many parallel and plenary sessions. Another key component of Science on Stage was to provide teachers with visits to research facilities, giving them an up-to-date 'insider's view' of what is happening in science and informing them of interesting career opportunities for their students. Due to this optimised approach, a highly efficient exchange of ideas is achieved, which will be further extended as the national delegates will act as information multipliers in their home countries.

One of the highlights of the festival was the Round Table discussion on 'Science Education in the Age of the Knowledge Society - Strengthening Science Education in Europe' on the 5th of April 2007, with the participation of the European Commissioner for Science and Research, Janez Potočnik. Among others, the question on how EIROforum can contribute to a European strategy to enhance the quality of contemporary science education at school was addressed. The event was closed by the presentation of the European Science Teaching Awards, consisting of 11 prizes for the best contributions to Science on Stage 2.

11th April, 2007