The program opened with a talk by Professor David Gross. He took the audience back to the moment when classical physics reached its limits. A new theory was needed: quantum mechanics. The talk focused on fundamental questions in quantum physics. Why are some events fundamentally unpredictable? What does it mean to observe a quantum system? And what does quantum mechanics tell us about reality? Along the way, the audience moved from familiar classical ideas into the fascinating world of quantum mechanics.

The laboratory tours then brought the quantum world within reach. Dr. Oliver Breunig guided visitors through the Laboratory for Topological Matter. Here, researchers create and investigate quantum materials on the nanoscale. Visitors discovered the equipment used in current research and learned how scientists study structures far too small to be seen with the human eye. One of the evening’s highlights was the scanning electron microscope. A single human hair appeared giant next to a quantum chip. The comparison made the scale of the research immediately visible.

DYNAVERSE expanded the journey from the smallest scales in nature to the largest. Two talks introduced visitors to high-performance computing and modern telescopes. Visitors could examine a LEGO model of the CCAT telescope, explore astronomy through virtual reality and even 3D-print their own miniature telescope to take home.

By the end of the evening, visitors had travelled from quantum chips to distant galaxies without ever leaving Cologne.

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