KOKI at the Educatio2024 exhibition

The exhibition was created to provide an opportunity for higher education institutions to present themselves and to offer reliable assistance to students interested in further education. It is obvious that institutions, be they undergraduate or postgraduate, universities or research institutes, should be promoted by people who are close in age to the students interested, who remember their questions and problems, and who can paint a realistic picture of their current life and new challenges.

In an election year, we must be even more careful not to give misleading information, so I will immediately clarify what is written in the introductory text. The participation of our Institute in this major event is due to an unexpected opportunity. It was Éva Hencz, Director of Communications at HUN-REN, who offered our institute the opportunity to apply for one of the four places offered to HUN-REN research institutes, and Aron Orosz was not invited by the institute but volunteered to present KOKI and to raise students' interest in research life. To be familiar with this sort of lifestyle is very important, because the researcher's life is different in many ways, even from that of a university lecturer, and it is good to know in advance about the successes and difficulties that can be achieved here!

It was less than 3 days between Aron's application and his participation, and we had not even had a chance to talk in person before, so it is no wonder that his answer to my first question surprised me. 

- What has been your personal experience as an exhibitor?

- I have been to this expo several times, but so far I have represented Pázmány Péter Catholic University. This was the first time I had to present being a researcher. The big difference was not in the number of visitors, because they came with the same number and enthusiasm but with far fewer specific questions. 

- The probable reason for this is probably that they want to find an educational institution first, and only then a good place to start their research, where they can do their student research. As an experienced exhibitor, what was your opinion of this year's event?

- Educatio2024 was again an organized and well-run exhibition this year, and the experience gained over 24 years certainly contributed to that. There were exhibitors and visitors not only from all over the country but also from abroad, which also enriched the palette. The standard of the exhibition is also high, as for many it is the best opportunity to present themselves, so everyone is trying to put together quality material. 

- To what extent have you succeeded in achieving the main objective of fostering dialogue between secondary school students and institutions and promoting career choices?

- It has provided a very effective platform. It is true that, in terms of our institution's objectives, there was still little interest in research, student research groups, and Ph.D. training, but this year, with the changes in the rules for school-leaving exams, it was understandable that the problems of the near future were more important for them. 

- I am sure you have done your best to promote both our institute and neuroscience research! Your visitors even received a reminder card from Attila Gulyás's blog, SzurkeÁllomány (GrayMatter), and this should help us to have many more visitors next year who will come with pre-written questions. In your opinion, what is the basis for an effective transfer of information between exhibitors and visitors?

- Efficiency depends first of all on the visitor. All participants have the opportunity to obtain the most important information. Among the opportunities here, it is worth mentioning that you can get information from the student level down to the lecturers, and you can get an insight into the research activities of the universities, not only teaching but also research.

- According to the exhibitors, the number of visitors this year exceeded 60,000. Apart from the density of people present in the exhibition space at a given time, what has shown you that there is also a constant high level of interest?

- As I mentioned, this was not my first time at this exhibition, and in my experience every year there has been a huge turnout. No wonder, as it is the largest further education expo in the country. Perhaps no better example of the level of interest is needed than the fact that you had to wait for two or three buses to get on, even though they were running at a reduced frequency, especially because of Educatio2024.