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Nerdland 2023 was a success!

Thank you to all who stopped by our booths on the largest outdoor science festival in Belgium!
Remke-explaining-glovebox-in-the-booth

On May 27 and 28, ITM was one of the exhibitors at Nerdland Festival, the largest outdoor science festival in the country. Over 20,000 science enthusiasts of all ages visited the Puyenbroeck domain in Wachtebeke to thoroughly enjoy the beautiful weather and more than 200 shows, talks, and experiences.

With big crowds and long queues, our two booths were a hit. Attendees had the opportunity to get acquainted with some of our activities and experience first-hand what we do to make the world a healthier place.

What could be experienced at our booths?

  • Take on the fight against exotic mosquitoes

    • A complete booth dedicated to mosquitoes, from egg and larvae to adult vectors. In addition to raising awareness about the consequences of exotic mosquitoes coming to our region, the public could, among other things, catch larvae, learn how to set up traps, and find out what they can do to slow down the spread of mosquitoes.

  • Play the big disease game

    • Our own ITM version of Trivial Pursuit, where children playfully learned about the exotic diseases we work on.

  • Test subjects for sleeping sickness

    • Wannabe researchers could use a microscope to search for the worm-like parasite or work with the CATT test to discover which subject was infected with sleeping sickness or Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT). They were provided with more information about the parasite (which can be transmitted by the tsetse fly) and how adapted fly traps work.

  • Test your dexterity with the glovebox

    • Completing a precision task with gloved hands in a sealed container turned out to be an irresistible challenge for plenty of visitors.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booths. We had a great time and look forward to seeing you at another event!

  • Nerdland_Playing-the-game
  • Nerdland_Booth
  • Nerdland_Game
  • Nerdland_Isra-Deblauwe_Anna-Schneider
    ITM entomologists Anna Schneider and Isra Deblauwe
  • Nerdland_Tiger-mosquito

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