A day of engaging encounters

On Saturday, September 14, Empa held an Open Lab Day in Dübendorf. Despite the cool and occasionally rainy weather, almost 7000 visitors flocked to the Empa campus. Young and old alike learned about Empa's research at around 70 stations as well as during guided tours, workshops and lectures. The partner institute Eawag, one of the world's leading water research institutes, also opened its doors on this day.

One of the highlights of the day was the new research campus co-operate, which Empa and Eawag completed and put into operation this summer. During guided tours, visitors experienced the modern laboratories and offices, the newly designed outdoor space and the innovations from the Empa laboratories that were used in the construction of the three new buildings, such as the geothermal probe field, which stores summer heat for the winter.

There was even more educational and interesting information on the topic of energy transition at the booths: Do-it-yourself solar cells, audible batteries and advanced smart energy systems delighted visitors. In the theme world Climate Change, visitors learned about the greenhouse effect and how CO₂ can be captured from the air and processed into innovative, sustainable materials and products. At the Open Lab Day, young people – future decision-makers – were able to familiarize themselves with the technologies that will shape their future.

The Healthy Life, Healthy Environment theme world also attracted a great deal of interest. Here, research literally went under the skin with 3D-printed joints, innovative surgical instruments and nanoparticles for medicine. Older visitors were particularly interested in this subject area, which aims to make our lives healthy and worth living well into old age. Empa researchers also shed light on environmental factors that can affect our health, such as noise and the ubiquitous microplastics.

In the Dwindling Resources section, everything revolved around valuable raw materials: How can we use them wisely? What does it take to recycle asphalt, concrete or batteries efficiently? Can we produce renewable plastic? These topics were by no means reserved for adults: Children were also able to actively contribute their ideas on the circular economy and a future worth living.

But even this did not exhaust the full diversity of materials science. The theme world Fascinating Materials offered a colorful kaleidoscope of unusual and "crazy" materials and technologies. There were robots and magnets, molecules and satellites, liquid air, artificial earthquakes and much more to discover. In addition, a number of Empa spin-offs showed how innovations from the laboratory make their way into the real world. And for young people who wanted to get hands-on themselves, Empa presented its exciting apprenticeships.

Well over 300 Empa employees and around 100 colleagues from Eawag worked during the Open Lab Day. In addition, many more contributed to making the day an unforgettable experience for the guests in the months and weeks beforehand. Empa would like to thank them warmly for their efforts. A big thank you also goes to all the visitors who explored the campus in Dübendorf on Saturday full of curiosity and a thirst for knowledge.