Exactly a century ago the Theory of Relativity changed fundamentally the understanding of the laws of physics. A young scientist named Albert Einstein discovered the existence of gravitational waves. Why do we continue to talk about them and what do they mean for the future? Exactly 400 years ago William Shakespeare passed away. But his plays continue to be read and his characters keep living and are even part of unresolved mysteries – just like Richard III. Can we solve them? We do not really know when exactly Bulgarians started to produce and eat yogurt, not knowing anything about the bacteria responsible for its production - "Lactobacillus bulgaricus," nor about other probiotics. But what do we know about the Bulgarian yogurt?

All these are just some of the big number of interesting topics that are part of the program of the Festival of Science in Sofia. Organizer of the event is the British Council in cooperation with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the Union of Scientists in Bulgaria, the Muzeiko Science Center for Children and others. We met head of the British Council in Sofia, Lyubov Kostova, who told us more about the initiatives during the festival:

“We put the focus on the fact that scientists are people whom anyone can see and talk to. Science is something very interesting and important for each one of us. You can go and see how virtual reality works; you can walk around with robots and see how they are programmed. You can solve mathematical puzzles or see geographical maps and meet with Bulgarian Antarctic experts. Everyone can find something interesting during the festival.”

More than a hundred scientists take part in the forum. For them it is important to show that science and experiments have a place outside laboratories and events like this provide them with this opportunity. Scientists still experience the challenge of presenting an invention or a scientific theory to the audience in a comprehensible way. That is why the British Council has organized training for young scientists in order to facilitate their communication with people and help them attract attention. Very often it is not communication skills that are missing but the understanding that each of us could communicate effectively with others. Even Einstein said that if you could not say something in a simple way, then maybe you did not need to say it. Presenting the significance of scientific achievements and their importance in our lives in a comprehensible way is a goal of the festival.

Those who wish to experience the magic of experiments could do it until May 15^th in front of the Sofia Theatre in the Zaimov Park. There are over 70 events for children and adults. The full program of the festival can be found here.

English: Alexander Markov