Mary @ Research Day 2008 in Århus

Photo © Valdemar Jørgensen/Jyllands Posten

Crown Princess Mary has attended the opening of Research Day 2008 at the University of Aarhus. This is an annual event which aims to stimulate curiosity for the methods and results of research and science. Throughout Denmark research institutions, municipalities and museums organize events to show the tangible, amusing and down-to-earth side of research. The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation promotes Research Day and Crown Princess Mary is the patron. Mary presented the Research Communication Prize for 2008 to Professor Ove K. Pedersen from Copenhagen Business School. The head of the University of Aarhus presented Mary with 500 square metres of rainforest in Ecuador to emphasise the theme of climate for Research Day this year.


Photos © Axel Schütt/AarhusStiftstidende
Århus Stifstidende 'Kronprinsessen lærte fysik - og fik en regnskov' - The Crown Princess learned physics - and got a rain forest

"There she is!", "I can see her well..." whispered two high school students in the third row when Crown Princess Mary ascended the long staircase ...at the University of Aarhus.
The Crown Princess sat right in the front row in front of the stage and had a bit of an untraditional welcome from the rapper Per Vers, who granted permission for the university's principal Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen to speak ...
The afternoon's session was the official opening arrangement for Research Day which is a nationwide initiative by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
So the science minister Helge Sander was also on the stage.
"Research matters a lot for all of us and we have to take care to explain research so that there is understanding of why a lot of money has to be spent on it," said the minister to 400 people, who were gathered at the lecture room.
Crown Princess Mary is patron for Research Day.
She received a certificate presenting a small piece of rain forest to her and handed over the Research Communication Prize for 2008 to Professor Ove K. Pedersen from Copenhagen Business School.
The award winner is in Washington at present so his daughter Lea Bøttger-Pedersen accepted the bouquet and a cheque for DKK100.000 for him.
Outside the lecture room the Crown Princess got a five minutes physics show from two students from the University of Aarhus, which showed her how water rises when inland ice melts, and then they blew up a nitrogen bomb in the lake outside.
The Crown Princess nodded with interest.
She was particularly busy with the bomb, which consisted of liquid nitrogen in a half litre coke bottle. When liquid nitrogen is heated, it expands 650 times and blows up the container.
That produced an enormous explosion in the lake.
"Thank you very much, it was exciting," Crown Princess Mary said and disappeared upstairs to a reception for specially invited visitors.

Jyllands Posten 'Mary fik egen regnskov i Århus' - Mary got her own rain forest in Århus (by Morten Nystrup)

It isn't only reserved for brother-in-law Prince Joachim to own a piece of earth: Crown Princess Mary became a forest owner during the day's visit in Århus.
As patron of Research Day Crown Princess Mary visited the University of Aarhus today.
During the visit she handed over the Research Communication Prize for 2008.
As a welcome for the Crown Princess the university's principal, Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen presented, the Crown Princess with 500 square meters of rain forest in Ecuador.
This was to emphasise that climate is the theme for the university's activities during Research Day.
Tomorrow, on Friday, their doors are opened to the public to allow people to learn more about the university's research in the climate area...

Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation - front page stories
Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation

Urban.dk 'Kronprinsessen lærte fysik og fik en regnskov'
Aarhus Stiftstidende gallery

TV2 Østjylland NetTV (02:17)