Author: Duarte Esteves

On the evening of 1st July 2022, the Lisbon EPS Young Minds section organised the second edition of the “Young Minds Movie Night”. Just like the previous edition, this event took place in the cloister of the Lisbon Museum of Natural History and Science. This outreach activity targeted a broad and general audience, and the main goal was teaching Physics to everyone in a fun and relaxed way.

In the spirit of the previous edition, this activity consisted of two parts: the screening of a film and a light talk on the subject. This time, the 1981 BBC documentary The Pleasure of Finding Things Out, starring the famous physicist Richard Feynman, was exhibited. The participants were invited to bring their own blankets and watch the documentary with their friends and family while enjoying the complimentary popcorn and beverages we provided.

Afterwards, Prof. Mário Pinheiro, from our home institute, Instituto Superior Técnico of the University of Lisbon, gave an exciting lecture titled “Off the Beaten Path: Celebrating Feynman — the Great Explainer”. After briefly introducing some important aspects of Feynman’s childhood, including some that were also mentioned in the documentary itself, Prof. Pinheiro shared some anecdotes that conveyed Feynman’s particular views on what it means to really learn and understand something, including, for instance, the famous Feynman technique for learning. Subsequently, Prof. Pinheiro highlighted some of Feynman’s main contributions to Physics, such as his role in the development of Quantum Electrodynamics, for which he won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965.

Thus, with this event, it was possible to introduce our audience to an inspiring physicist from both a personal and a professional point of view. In the end, the feedback was very much positive, confirming once again that this event model, combining the screening of a film and a lecture by an expert, is a very effective way to promote Physics to the general public and certainly warrants a third edition in the near future!


image: Daniela Pereira

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