Celebration of science at KOKI in 2023

November is a special month. There are certainly some people who think of it as a favorite month, but it is the cold rains, the fog, the drizzle, and the frost, that come to mind. Yet, even counting the first of May, we only have three months that start with a holiday, with January and this often grey, wet, drizzly November. It begins with All Saints' Day, that very old and poetically named Christian, but primarily Catholic, holiday. Pope Gregory III (731-741) extended what was originally a day of remembrance of saved souls into a day of remembrance of "the Holy Virgin, all the apostles, martyrs, believers and all the perfect and righteous men who have died around the world", and Pope Gregory IV (827-844) decided to make its feast day of the first of November. Much better known is the subsequent Day of the Dead, which dates from at least 200 years later, although it never became a public holiday. Although Abbot Odilo of Cluny, who was later canonized, introduced it as a day of remembrance in the Benedictine abbeys as early as 998, it was not until the early 14th century that it became a universally accepted day of remembrance in the Catholic Church. In less than a year, a thousand years later, November had a new feast day for us, Hungarians. A very special holiday, which in one respect certainly fits in with the festivities that open November: a holiday, that goes beyond the lives of individuals, and not only for special ones. 

We call it a celebration of Hungarian science, but we have reason and the right to do so. As is well known, it was on 3 November 1825 that István Széchenyi made his famous donation, which was so inspiring that many people immediately joined him (Ábrahám Vay donated 20,000 forints to Széchenyi's 60,000 forints, György Count Andrássy and King Franz's brother József, the Prince Elector, donated 10,000 to 10,000 forints, Count György Károlyi donated half a year's income from his estates, and József Teleki donated his family library for the same goal.). 

The Hungarian Academy of Sciences has been commemorating Hungarian Science Day since 1997, and this year is a special anniversary because it is exactly 20 years since the National Assembly declared this day the Hungarian Science Day by Act XCIII of 2003, as it "considers the role of science in society to be of outstanding importance, and the activities carried out in the cultivation and development of science to be worthy of recognition and outstanding support".

Twenty years is a long time for people to get used to something. The students we invited to our institute were all younger than the holiday, so they took it for granted because even if there are not as many holidays in the calendar as there are stars in the sky, there are many more than days in the year.

The invited students from the László Lovassy Grammar School in Veszprém and the Baar-Madas, Fazekas, Piarista, and Városmajori Garmnmar Schools in Budapest, along with their teachers, were probably surprised when László Acsády member of Hung Acad Sci began his introductory speech by saying that we are now participating in an event that takes place nowhere else because science has a holiday only in Hungary. The nationality of a Nobel Prize winner may cause an unnecessary debate, but no one disputes this celebration, and I do not think anyone envies us. Although, we could be proud that there were people who thought of the importance of science and that we can speak of Hungarian science. Much pride never leads to good, but this idea is something we can be proud of. 

So our Institute's event on 20 November 2023 began with an "elevated spirit".

Let's see what the students from Fazekas Grammar School, led by his teacher Péter Nagy, had to say about their visit! 

"On the occasion of the Hungarian Science Day, the lecture series and laboratory visit organized by KOKI for 20 years, took us into the world of the nervous system, and in particular the brain.

Thanks to the speakers, we were able to gain insight into the mysteries of four completely different, yet equally brain-related fields, and answer some fascinating questions.

 In Aletta Horváth-Magyar's lecture, we were given answers to the question of how sleep works and how the brain area responsible for it regulates our wakefulness. She illustrated this interesting topic through mouse experiments. We were later able to see the experimental subjects for ourselves during a visit to the lab. Eva Mikics shared startling data on how childhood traumas affect diseases in old age and gave an insight into their completed and ongoing research. Zsófia Maglóczky gave a more nuanced picture of what diseases or other factors may underlie pathological neuronal death in old age. We found her lifestyle advice very useful. Balázs Hangya presented one of the most topical - and for us the most interesting - subjects: the parallel between human and artificial neural networks.

During the afternoon lab visits, we learned the basics of fluorescence microscopy, met the mice that are the subjects of most experiments, and even learned how to make a section. However, the most exciting part for us was when we got to hold a real human brain in our hands."

This was an impressive summary of the day, thanks to everyone who helped write it!

Six students from the Lovassy Grammar School in Veszprém also wrote about their experiences. 

All agreed on what one of them carefully put it this way: ' . . it was a great experience. We were able to gain insights into new directions in research through the four lectures and to experience first-hand the scientific life of the institute during the laboratory visits." 

However, even a celebratory event needs to evolve, so now I will only highlight the comments that were useful for us. 

Julcsi's honest words that "I was a bit lost in the presentations a few times" are more important for the speakers preparing for next year than all her praise, for which, of course, we are very happy and thankful!
We are also pleased with the thanks that Petra wrote in her report, but perhaps most of all she felt "It was a very informative and inspiring day overall.   . . ... and overall I had a very positive impression of KOKI."

Laci's comment also points to an important point: "I think it was particularly positive that we were given various tips on how to prevent some neurological diseases. "

After thanking him for his appreciation, we will carefully consider Misi's comment when planning our next event: "The presentations were very interesting and informative, but I would have liked a break."

Réka also thought it worth mentioning in her report ("it was a bit dense with four lectures in one"), but we could not have received a bigger thank you than this. . . "what we had 'only' learned at school had now become a direct experience."