Tea or coffee? No, we serve science instead

KEMRI-Wellcome Trust employees are promoting public scientific research education and awareness to people in Nairobi by holding Kenya Science Cafés.

EXCERPT: It is 7 pm on a Thursday at a popular Nairobi café; waiters are busy serving croissants and coffee to the swelling crowd that is keenly listening to the speakers. As the clock ticks, members of the audience are fielding questions as the panellists take their time to give answers. Welcome to the Kenya Science Cafés -- a replica of Science Café forums where science specialists demystify the subject.

"The aim of the cafés is to demystify scientific research for the general public and empower non-scientists to more comfortably and accurately assess science and technology, particularly those that impact on social policymaking," says Ruth Wanjala, one of the people behind the Kenya Science Café.

A science café/café scientifique is a forum for discussing and debating topical and thought-provoking scientific issues with the public in a relaxed, informal setting where one or several scientists are invited to talk in layman terms about their work. Going by the name, the forums are either held in coffee bars or cafés.

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Published on July 1, 2009 in Business Daily (pg. 27).

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