The FTI (Flanders Technology & Innovation Festival) is taking place in Limburg with a month-long program focused on technology, creativity, and entrepreneurship. The mobile learning environment STEM on Wheels, which will stop in Genk and Hasselt from October 19th to 30th, immerses pupils in the world of the international research project aiming to measure gravitational waves from the universe.
Pupils prepare for their visit by exploring how vibrations work, how sound propagates, and by building their own vibration detector. Inside the STEM on Wheels truck, they continue their research through interactive demonstrations and experiments, such as measuring minuscule movements with an interferometer, understanding gravity's effect on objects, and observing how vibrations behave in space.
Participants engage in three research zones focusing on mirrors, waves, and geology. Through video assignments from three real scientists from the Einstein Telescope, they gather information and insights needed to successfully complete their research. The initiative aims not only to introduce children to science and technology but also to the future career opportunities that large innovation projects can create.
Tom Vanham, CEO of LRM, highlights LRM's role in stimulating the economy and innovation, and how the collaboration with UCLL can inspire children towards technology. Pieter Van Leemputten, coordinator of the Techniek- en WetenschapsAcademie at UCLL, adds that complex science is made tangible, enabling children to play a role in shaping the region's future.
Flemish Minister of Education Zuhal Demir, originally from Genk, visited the mobile STEM environment and spoke with pupils and partners. She views it as a wonderful glimpse into the future, where children might move from working in mines to helping build a telescope that looks billions of light-years into the universe.
In addition to STEM on Wheels, the FTI Hasselt-Genk festival includes other activities such as tech tours, Tech Talks with former astronaut Frank De Winne, a hackathon on AI, defense, and sustainability, the SMAFACC congress, and the Einstein Awards ceremony. The festival concludes with the Luminova light festival and the opening of the Corda Arena.
