Reasearchers' Night on 29 September - life as in the movies!

Meet our researchers in the workshop, lab or in the lobby behind the microscope!

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In the movies of recent years, plants and trees have come to life, such as Groot in "Guardians of the Galaxy" and the Whomping Willow in the Harry Potter films. Our  laboratory plants are herbaceous and safe. What happens when a plant's genes break? Why do plants need to be watered? What is inside a plant? In the lobby of the Institute of Technology, you can see and touch mutant plants; explore what stomata are and admire beautiful and unusual plant cells. You can capture the fleeting beauty of plant leaves in a colourful silicone imprint and take it home as a memento of this plant-rich evening.

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At 18:15 and 20:00, guided tours take place in the gas fermentation laboratories. Duration 30–40 minutes, meeting in the lobby. Suitable for ages 10 and up. Presented in Estonian, English, and Italian.

In popular culture, bacteria often cause pandemics that heroes have to fight against. For example, in the movie "The Cured" (2017), people turn into zombies when infected with a bacterium. However, we have a beneficial bacterium that allows us to convert waste and harmful gases into useful substances for the industry.

In the gas fermentation laboratories, we introduce the gas fermentation process and its main protagonist – an oxygen-hating bacterium that consumes waste gases and produces valuable chemicals. We showcase equipment ranging from small oxygen-free test tubes to rare bioreactors. In our laboratory, we have an oxygen-free chamber for working with the bacteria, and through various devices, we monitor in real-time how much gas the bacteria consume.

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At 19:15, in Estonia_TUIT Molecular Biology Workshop, you can get hands-on experience in extracting DNA from fruits. You can use a microscope to observe plant and fungal cells up close. In the workshop, you can playfully learn about the speed at which different insects fly, when do plants bloom, and how everyone can help bees thrive. Additionally, we'll make paper flowers using the principles of chromatography discovered in Estonia and demonstrate how to separate different colours (pigments) from various plant leaves.

Workshop duration: 40 minutes, meeting in the lobby. All children are welcome with their parents. Presented in English, Russian, Ukrainian, and Estonian.

See the programmes of other institutes of the Faculty of Science and Technology