This Saturday we celebrated International Day of Light at the HiLASE Centre and opened the doors of our state-of-the-art laser centre to visitors. Together with them, we commemorated the now famous moment on 16 May 1960, when Theodore Maiman presented the first laser to the world. Since then, the development of lasers has come a long way – we use them not only in everyday activities (in printers, shopping or measuring distance), but also in space.
A a result, lasers in space were the topic of our lecture this year. “The HiLASE Centre develops innovative laser technologies and solutions, both for use on Earth and in Space, so it only makes sense for us to introduce space laser applications to the public – whether it is space debris removal, interstellar travel or 3D printing on the Moon”, says speaker Ondra Stránský.
In addition to the lecture, visitors were also treated to guided tours of the laser halls and a lot of activities for children and adults, such as a competition in dressing up in clean-room overalls, the popular painting of glow-in-the-dark pebbles or badges, laser board games, an optical laboratory or a workshop where you could see the invisible…
If you missed this year’s programme, don’t worry – you can meet us on 8-10 June at the Science Fair at the joint stand of the Institute of Physics at the Letňany Exhibition Centre in Prague. In autumn, our doors will open to the public again – during the Researcher’s Night and the Week of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
Right now, you can also apply for the Talent Academy – a competition for talented high school students organized by the HiLASE Centre and ELI Beamlines. Just fill in the application form on Talentovka.cz and develop an online project by 23 June. The 12 most skilful finalists will then have 3 days of research tasks right in our laser laboratories.
