Researchers' Night

Almost all of the places for our advertised lectures and lab visits were sold out, which we are happy about because it means that there is still interest in the results of science and research.
We tried not to take it personally that only about 60% of the applicants turned up. We were expecting it, and those who did come were well attended and, more importantly, left satisfied. It's not easy to choose the best for us from the many enticingly exciting titled programs at such a huge event. Then our programs were among the first to appear, and those who took them up immediately, when later they found an even more attractive title, forgot in their great enthusiasm to cancel their previous application, waiting in vain for the places that became available for those on the waiting list.
Several of those who came without registering, hoping to get lucky, complained about this. They did. Fortune favors the brave.
However, the current practice should be changed somehow, as should the requirement that if someone else registers, they can enter their name.
But let's not complain, this year's program was much easier to use than the previous one, and if the minor shortcomings that have now arisen can be corrected, it will be quite excellent.
Organizing a program, whether it is live or online, always has a thousand pitfalls, and some of them are inevitable, but that is never the point.
The important thing is that Bálint Király was able to leave in time for another important event, and his modest but very satisfied smile told us that his presentation was very well received, and Gábor Nyiri, who was worried that there would not be enough people interested in his presentation, he could hardly go home because after his presentation he had to give an extra little talk to some of them in the small conference room, and then others queued outside the lift just to get answers to questions they had long wanted to have answered.
It is also good to remember that Zsófi Maglóczky, who was so nervous before her lecture, as if she was not one of the students' favorite lecturers at the university, enthusiastically gave small lectures to the people waiting in the hall before the laboratory visits started. She also explained what was on display on the small posters that she and Kata Tóth and Bibianna Török had brought down for the visitors so that no one would be bored for a minute. It is worth mentioning that Bibiána and Kata fulfilled a big task, as there were sometimes more than 10 people in their two small laboratories, where they performed tissue staining and presented and explained the results under microscopes, probably dozens of times during the evening. But their enthusiasm seems boundless, and they will be able to put their experience to good use at our Hungarian Science Day event in November when they will be able to answer the many questions of 8-10 interested secondary school students no less than five times.

János Szabadics and his group are also unforgettable. Originally scheduled for 3 visits, each with a maximum of 10 participants, the official end time was 9:20. More than half of those who signed up turned up, but they felt all 30 were there. And that is perfectly understandable. I don't know how they did it, how they charmed their visitors, but by the time their last visitor left, it was almost ten o'clock.
Many of our departing guests not only thanked us politely, but on their way out they kept saying thank you for being here and for all they had seen and learned.
True, there were some slightly disappointed visitors among the youngest, including one of Zsófi's nephews. At 10 years old, he couldn't understand why the rest of his family was so tired when he could be going somewhere else because it was all so interesting.
My own 'greatest experience' is thanks to Marti Jelitai. I have known Marti for a long time. She is kind, polite, friendly, and smiles frequently. But I don't know when I've ever seen such a happy smile as I saw on Friday evening. She took on the experiments alone and was very pleased with the 2-3 visitors per group who came (4 was the maximum.) They listened carefully, asked good questions, and on the way back talked to Marti as if they had known each other for a long time.
It was a great experience for her and for them to be here.

P.S. The successful running of the event also owes a lot to Zsolt, our receptionist that day. Not only did he keep an eye on all the people arriving in groups for the lectures, making sure that everyone checked in with me and left the building after the lectures, but he also answered countless questions about the event and was very good at deciding who to let in and who to send on their way.