Friday, 25 September will be a day dedicated to research and science communication: as every year, the European Researchers’ Night returns, with Einstein Telescope (ET) taking centre stage at many events across Sardinia and elsewhere in Italy, particularly as part of the Sharper project.
The programme features several events focusing on the future gravitational-wave observatory, offering an opportunity to explore the phenomena that allow us to “listen” to the Universe, as well as the research activities involving Sardinia and the candidacy of the Sos Enattos site.
The programme kicks off in Sassari on Wednesday, 23 September, from 9:00 to 11:00, at the CineTeatro Astra, with the pre-event “Non-conference on Einstein Telescope: a multi-voice conversation on gravitational waves, black holes and literature”, reserved for fourth- and fifth-year students at upper secondary schools. The event will feature readings of short literary excerpts, providing the starting point for a lively and unusual discussion of the project.
On Thursday, 24 and Friday, 25 September, ET is visiting high schools in Nuoro with “Einstein Telescope in the classroom!”, an initiative designed to bring topics in gravitational physics and astronomy directly to students. The event, scheduled from 9:00 to 13:00, will be led by ET local communicators.
At 18:30, at the Centro Polifunzionale in Via Roma, Nuoro, it will be time for “Listening to the Cosmos: the present and future of Einstein Telescope as told by researchers”, an event entirely dedicated to the project and to the impact that a major research infrastructure such as ET could have on the local area. Following institutional greetings from Raffaele Marras (Sardinia Region), the programme will move on to an overview of the current status of ET. Speakers will include Domenico D’Urso (University of Sassari and INFN), Caterina Zei (INGV) and Gaia Contu (Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa).
Also on Friday, 25 September, starting at 16:30, ET researchers will welcome the public at La Vetreria in Pirri, Cagliari, in an information area offering a journey from Newton’s apple to Einstein’s gravitational waves, exploring how our understanding of gravity and our ability to observe the cosmos have evolved over time. Later in the evening, from 21:20, the same venue will host the talk “Einstein Telescope: Sardinia listening to the Universe”, featuring Gianni Fenu (University of Cagliari), Diego Corrias (Sardinia Region), Alberto Masoni (INFN), Federica Govoni (INAF) and Sergio Vinciguerra (INGV).
Finally, from 17:30 to 19:30, at the Teatro Kursaal Santalucia in Bari, Antonio Zoccoli and Monique Bossi (INFN) will discuss the future of Einstein Telescope in an event open to the public. The event, which requires registration, will provide an opportunity to learn more about the project and explore its scientific aspects, as well as its technological, economic and employment-related impacts. This event is not part of the Sharper programme.