Get a close-up look at science in action at Researchers’ Night and take the stair-climb challenge

Researchers’ Night will show people how to obtain a picture of their physical fitness by the simple act of climbing stairs at an even pace. Researchers at JYU have designed a test for adults that assesses personal endurance fitness:

“The stairs test indicates the condition of your respiratory and circulatory systemand about your body’s capacity to produce energy in everyday physical activities. Your endurance defines limits for coping in daily life and is an important health indicator: low endurance fitness increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, among others,” says the leader of the project,Associate Professor Laura Karavirta from fromthe JYU Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences. 

You can take the test with a mobile app, and it takes just a few minutes. The app helps you follow the changes that take place in your fitness level and learn more about the factors that influence your endurance fitness.

“The stair test aims to direct people’s attention to their own physical fitness as a prerequisite for their performance in daily activities, which also sets limits for increasing physical activity,” says Project Researcher Niina Kajan. 

At the same time, the stairs test provides researchers with important data that will help develop the test further. The data are collected anonymously. At JYU Researchers’ Night on Friday, 26 September, the stairs test can be taken in the University Library Lähde. There will be researchers on site to guide you in taking the test, and you can also discuss the test results with them. 

Researchers Night to be held on four campuses in Jyväskylä

Researchers’ Night will take place across all three campuses of the University of Jyväskylä: Seminaarinmäki, Mattilanniemi and Ylistönrinne. You can delve into the world of crime scene investigation, test your grip strength, examine the timeline of the universe, or get a glimpse of the life of freshwater pearl mussels. For young children, there will be a puppet theatre, and during the night you can also find out what on earth bioimpedance is.

This year, Researchers’ Night also includes Jamk University of Applied Sciences. On Jamk’s main campus in Rajakatu, visitors can test their skills in e-sports, meet a hologram twin, and hear what gives a salmon its colour. Did you know that stressed microalgae can produce hydrogen? At Jamk there will also be a chance to test exoskeletons and gain superpowers for the whole family.

The purpose is to create interest in science and demonstrate the diversity of research,” say Karavirta and Kajan. 

“The hope is that visitors will learn something new and come away with a positive experience of research and researchers. Among the visitors there is sure to be some potential future researchers, and we want to inspire them for the future.”

Doing research together creates new ideas and insights

Researchers’ Night is an annual event where researchers across Europe open their doors for people of all ages who are curious about science. This year, participating researchers come from the Universities of Jyväskylä, Oulu and Helsinki as well as HAMK and Jamk Universities of Applied Sciences.

The theme for this year’s Researchers’ Night is community – research is not created alone but produced collaboratively by researchers working together. Researchers’ Night makes visible what often remains hidden behind dissertations and scholarly articles: collaboration, shared insights and how science is the result of interaction.

“Community describes well the nature of researcher’s work since research is often conducted in teams, together with others. The results of research also benefit the surrounding community in many ways,” say Karavirta.

 “At this event, we welcome visitors to experience and conduct research together with researchers.”

Community also means sharing knowledge – when researchers open up to the public about their research, new questions, perspectives and opportunities arise. At Researchers’ Night you can learn about the world of science through the extensive programme which features a range of activities, events and experiments.

“Citizen science is communal,” says Karavirta, “as you get a closer look at current research you also get the opportunity to meet others with similar interests.”