I am writing this post for three reasons:

1. To advertise the  KinderUni @ Vienna.
2. To say that children 10-12 are, in general, very open, and they don’t care if you have a foreign accent or even if you are bound!
3. To encourage researchers in pure sciences, particularly mathematics, to have a go at it at children’s universities.

But agenda aside, here is the story.

Last week the KinderUni (Children’s University) organized a party for everyone who participated in the 2023 edition of their summer event. I showed up there as I had also done a workshop. The location was cool, near the Danube Canal, and the atmosphere was cheerful, and I got to talk to many new people. What I find funny (and have learned to ignore) is people are unsure about where to place me socially. At this party, some honestly confessed that they thought I was an organizer with KinderUni. To which I said, “Being an organizer in activity involving kids is a much harder job for me than being a mathematician”.

As promised, I begin with advertising the KinderUni:

University on its head!

Most universities have an outreach program for young children, with researchers providing exciting introductions to their fields and other entertainments. In that sense KinderUni Wien I no different.

Except that they include all major Universities and campuses in Vienna giving them a diverse program.  And yes, they do have events throughout the year, likethe advent specials in December.

This year was the 20^th edition of the event and over 3000 kids took part for two weeks of workshops. And the organization was splendid. For people holding the workshop, it was also very easy, and the team was really helpful.

So without making many pumps, I highly recommend it to any parent with children in age range 7-12 who would be around Vienna in July Also if you sponsor such events then this might be an excellent place to contribute.

Excitement

I told the kids that I am almost blind and they were excited! One said, I never had a blind teacher before. But when I said I can see a bit at least in a well-lit room, he was disappointed

And as I began the workshop, there came a barrage of questions!

But more interestingly, every question I asked got lots of hands raised and a competitive desire to be picked up for answering. I asked, “How many cameras should a self-driving car have?” and the answers ranged from 1 to a hundred(or more!), but then someone did say, “Two eyes, two cameras!”

 I know my German has a bit of an accent, but they seemed not to notice, and that felt really good. As a blind foreigner, I have often felt the desire to hide under a rock, and this experience is a move away from that feeling, so thank you  all kids if you ever read this blog

 I know my German has a bit of an accent, but they seemed not to notice, and that felt really good. As a blind foreigner, I have often felt the desire to hide under a rock, and this experience is a move away from that feeling, so thank you  all kids if you ever read this blog.

Finally I realized that not too many mathematics workshop were up for bgrabs. I know this event is in summer and people are busy with conferences etc., but if you can, I highly recommend joining this force.