Leiden Science has a beautiful new building: and we celebrated it together
A festive opening with plenty of orange, a well-attended lecture by Ionica Smeets and an unforgettable party for staff and students. We celebrated the opening of the new building together. Join us as we look back on this exciting week of celebrations.
Monday: opening ceremony
The day started with a talk show, where hosts Jasper Knoester and Victor van der Horst spoke with several guests about the building’s creation and the future of the faculty. Among the speakers were LBSP director Esther Peters, President of the Executive Board Annetje Ottow, student assessor Berber Verhalle and Constantijn van Oranje in his role as Special Envoy of Techleap.
Following the talk show was the official opening ceremony. With the press of a button by Jasper Knoester and Annetje Ottow, the new Einstein Fountain, designed by physicist Vincent Icke, was first switched on. Then, stilt walkers delivered an oversized pair of scissors to the entrance, where students, together with Constantijn van Oranje, officially opened the building. Afterward, attendees enjoyed (non-alcoholic) bubbles and cake.
Tuesday: special edition Tuesday Talks
This month’s faculty lecture had a special twist. Ionica Smeets had the honour to kick off this academic year and updated the packed room on misleading graphs, how to spot them and what to do about them. As a professor of science communication, Smeets' research focuses on this subject.
After the lecture, attendees mingled at the traditional drinks, which featured live music from The Stream, the band of Leiden physics alumnus Jan Stroomer. The RINO Foundation provided the mini-concert with impressive physics experiments with liquid nitrogen.
Thursday: spectacular opening party
Still an ordinary faculty building during the day, but transformed into a full-blown party venue in the evening. Student assessor Berber Verhalle and Faculty Board member Suzanne van der Pluijm kicked off this party evening with a burst of confetti, bringing the successful opening week to a festive close. Students and staff danced past midnight to the swinging tunes of DJ Teddie Heart, Jazzalike, DJ PJ and The Partysquad. One unexpected highlight was the eye-catching artwork that hung above the stage. It was a wonderful party where we ended a great week together as faculty in the hall of the brand new Gorlaeus.
