More than 100 schoolchildren and students went through the laboratories of the Institute of Electronics of BAS on the Open Doors Day held on 12 December.

How biological tissue absorbs and scatters light and why food glows were told by scientists to primary school pupils, high school and university students. Researchers showed how to perform spectral analysis of foods and beverages based on their fluorescence. Through experiments, the scientists presented the basic laws of reflection, refraction and scattering of light. With demonstration models made of plasticine, students learned how cells attach to surfaces structured by the scientists at the institute. Visitors had the opportunity to observe the newly obtained structures with a microscope. The programme of the Open Doors Day at the Institute of Electronics also included demonstration models of tissue matrices for use in implantology.

The researchers presented to students from Sofia high schools and students from SU “St. Kliment Ohridski” and Plovdiv University the capabilities of modern equipment, with which they work on Bulgarian and international scientific projects. Laser structured new antibacterial surfaces and laser texturing with ultra-short laser pulses on the surface of different types of biocompatible materials were shown. Scientists also presented the capabilities of new surfaces created by laser processing to improve their antimicrobial properties.

Remote sensing of atmospheric aerosols and atmospheric aerosol pollution and controlled fusion were presented to the students on the Open Doors Day. Researchers also presented developments of new high purity materials through electron beam melting and refining of metals and alloys, recycling of metal wastes. The programme also included a demonstration of robot construction of aluminum parts, metallographic studies and microscopic observations of metal parts used in industry.