ESOF 2010 was held in the Lingotto Conference and Exhibition Centre in Torino. During five days, between 2 and 7 July 2010, more than 4300 participants from 82 countries came to ESOF 2010 to learn about the last developments in all scientific disciplines. ESOF 2010 was locally organised by three organizations, Compagnia di San Paolo, Agorà Scienza and CentroScienza Onlus. Prof. Enrico Predazzi was Champion for ESOF 2010 Torino.
ESOF 2010 claim was « Science is in the air »
The claim conveyed youth, freshness and the idea that ESOF 2010 in Torino was accessible to all. Indeed, ESOF 2010 was a fantastic way to make scientists, business executives, politicians, policy makers, journalists and the general public meet in one place. Scientists had the chance to meet personalities of the scientific world such as Julia Fischer (primatologist) or Anton Zeilinger (quantum optics and nanophysics) and Nobel Prize winners such as Peter Agre (Chemistry, 2003) and Harold Kroto (Chemistry, 1996).
The Scientific Programme proposed many attractive sessions to the various participants of ESOF 2010 such as “Science in a borderless world”, “Taming the wind: a strategic energy option for Europe” or “DNA patenting: truth and fears” to name but a few of the 100 sessions available.
The Career Programme was very well developed with more than 2000 researchers present including PhDs, students and Post-docs. It offered the famous “Pizza with the Prof” event where students exchanged ideas and experience around an informal lunch.
The Science to Business Programme offered more than 15 sessions for business entrepreneurs and the Science in the City Programme overtook the entire city of Torino and presented workshops, concerts, theatre and sessions like “Mars challenges you” or “Mathemagics”. This was both very entertaining and very instructive.
New features of ESOF 2010 included the “Science bus” involving 40 young scientists travelling between Barcelona and Torino to debate science and its latest frontiers. Many site visits were organised such as the visit of the “Alfred Nobel and the dynamite factory” or CERN and there was much to enjoy. For more entertainment, different events were organised such as a lunchtime reception, the famous ESOF party that took place in the Castello del Valentino in a stunning setting with dinner and music, a media party in the National Cinema Museum and the Youth Party. These gave the tempo to ESOF 2010. Let’s not forget to mention the award ceremonies and the transfer ceremony between Torino and Dublin to close the event and transfer the ESOF passion.
In 2022, the city of Leiden in the Netherlands will be hosting the 10th edition of the EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF) and the European City of Science.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 884011