Dubai: Science and technology enthusiasts can come together every last Friday of the month at a Tecom café and discuss and explore the latest trends and discoveries in science over a cup of coffee.
Cafe Scientifique, a concept that started in the UK in 1998 and spread to the rest of the world, has finally made its way to the Arab World, specifically here in Dubai.
Rohan Roberts, the organiser of Café Scientifique in Dubai, who is also Head of Professional Development at Winchester School, said that “for the price of a cup of coffee anyone can come to explore the latest ideas in science and technology. The idea is to talk science, but outside an academic setting”.
He added, “The main reason behind bringing this to Dubai was to give an opportunity to non-experts and science lovers in the city to meet in an informal, non-academic setting and talk about the latest trends and discoveries in science.”
Café Scientifique will be held at Cafe Lila in Tecom from 5pm-6.30pm every last Friday of the month. Roberts said that they chose that café because “it’s accessible — parking and traffic won’t be an issue… also because the management was excited about the idea of spreading the wonder of science.”
“We start with an introduction from a guest speaker, followed by a break to replenish our coffee mugs and grab a snack. After that the floor is open for debates, discussions and questions. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a deep knowledge of science. Everyone with an open and curious mind is welcome to join.” Roberts added.
The first Cafe Scientifique event will be held on Friday, April 26, and will discuss “The Edge of the Universe”. “We’ll be asking how big is the observable universe, what is it made of, what lies beyond it, was there a time before the Big Bang, could space have unseen dimensions,” Robert explained.
As to whether they plan to expand Café Scientifique, he said that for now Cafe Lila is the only venue they are meeting at, but he added, “We will look at other venues in the future.”
