Start: science through art
RN2019 Turkey is organized in Ankara by the Science and Society Center of Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ) to promote public recognition of “Science through ART – StART” and thus reveal the value of thinking outside the box. Art is utilized as an overarching theme because of its familiarity, which has great potential to break conceived barriers between science and society. The setting will be around five key areas each corresponding to a branch of art, namely drawing-painting, sculpture, architecture, music-dance, photography. Around each of these areas, we will host activities where invited science and art communicators will explain the many interactions between science and art through their works. That is, it will show how art can be inspired by science and vice-versa and how art and science can collaborate to better understand the world around us and increase our welfare. Our science communicators are mainly experienced researchers, but then again scientists and artists will be brought to the same platform since they both strive to see the world in new ways and communicate that vision; and thus “are more alike than different”. We aim to reach 10,000 on-site participants and 1,000,000 on-line or indirect beneficiaries regardless of their age and background. Nonetheless, special focus will be given to students ranging from pre-schoolers to high school students. The ultimate messages conveyed via StART will be “Science and art are indispensable to the human need of understanding the world around us.”, “A research career on science and art can be fun!”, and “Researchers are everywhere!”. Celebrating artistic creations and scientific discoveries can be a truly memorable experience for our beneficiaries. For younger audiences, the event may provide a life-changing moment, when they not only recognize the importance of science and how imagination informs scientific discovery, but also get to meet and talk to researchers and be drawn closer to careers in science.