On Friday, September 26, 2025, the 20th anniversary edition of European Researchers' Night, the largest popularization event of its kind, took place in more than 70 cities across the Czech Republic. This year's theme was Wealth, and the Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters of the University of South Bohemia joined in with a rich program in Vodňany.
Our scientists, students, and colleagues from the Secondary School of Fisheries offered visitors several stations where they could participate in interactive experiments, tastings, and fun tasks:
- The richness of aquatic ecosystems: from plankton to fish to water birds and mammals – visitors learned about the diversity and rare species found in Czech waters and tried their hand at natural science tasks.
- Water is more precious than gold: making fruit caviar and building your own filtration device reminded visitors that clean water is our greatest treasure.
- The riches hidden in a cell: pipetting, transferring germ cells, and looking at a halančík or dancing trepka under a microscope showed how fascinating the world is under a microscope.
- The wealth of aquaponics: a presentation of a modern system combining fish farming and plant cultivation introduced a sustainable method of food production.
- The wealth of fish cuisine: tasting carp in unusual preparations – from gravlax and ceviche to a delicate spread – proved that even traditional fish can be a culinary surprise.
- Technology and artificial intelligence in aquaculture: visitors tried their hand at working with camera systems, learned about modern research technologies, and took part in a themed escape game.
The event attracted around 800 visitors of all ages to the Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters USB and confirmed that science can be not only educational, but also playful, interactive, and entertaining. Over 4,000 visitors came to the University of South Bohemia. Thank you for joining us in celebrating this great festival of science.
