


Imagination is the highest form of research and science clearly benefits from creativity, but can culture benefit from science and research? Today's speakers will bring great examples of how science and culture are the best 'mix and match'.
A splendid time is guaranteed for all!: Why Beatles tribute bands matter
Matthias Heyman
Postdoctoral Fellow, Jazz and Popular Music
Antwerp University
While The Beatles ceased to exist in 1970, you can still see them live in the form of cover bands. These come in many forms and guises, from the zany parody The Rutles to the all-female The Sheatles, but most focus on the appropriate costumes, hairdo and Scouse accent. In this talk, I compare two celebrated tributes, The Bootleg Beatles and The Analogues, and discuss how they aim to reanimate the nostalgic past in an ‘authentic’ manner using very different means to an end. As such, I illustrate why we are so eager to see imitations of our favourite artists, and ultimately, why tribute bands matter.

Numbers, equations and mathematicians: scary monsters or useful friends?
Jan Rombouts & Felix Nolet
PhD fellows, Laboratory of Dynamics in Biological Systems
KU Leuven
Numbers are everywhere, even if you don't see them. And when they are not there, sooner or later a mathematician might pop up to put them there. From the cells in your body to the network of your friends, mathematics can describe things that seem very different at first sight with the same set of tools. Studying mathematics is like buying a pocket knife: once you have the tools, you can tackle a lot of problems. In this talk, we will give examples of how wildly different systems unexpectedly can be studied with the same tool on our mathematical pocket knife.

Utterly Infectious Scientific Comics!
Susan Nasif
Virologist, Founder and Artist
Cimaza
Professors Marc, Johan and Ghislain are real famous virologists at KU Leuven AND superheroes in the first ever "Virology Comics" made by a virologist artist. While they fight against the "Trojan Prince” - H.I.V - and his viral gang (Measles, Ebola and Flu among others), the three professors will tell you amazing stories about vaccines and viral diseases in a fun, informative and easy-to-understand way: comics and cartoon animation! Since comics are a great gateway for science/medical literacy, come to the event and get your key to the viral world!"
