Fig. 1: Official invitation of CVUT for the Researchers´Night 2023
On October 6th, 2023, the Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU) hosted the premiere RECONMATIC Open Day in tandem with the Czech European Researchers' Night (https://www.nocvedcu.cz/en), an event which CTU staunchly supports. With the university's various faculties showcasing their advancements, the main objective was to illustrate the progress in science and academia to the general public. This included a wide-ranging audience from children and students to adults with varied technical expertise, as well as senior citizens. Considering the primary audience was the Czech general public, the event's exclusive communication medium was the Czech language. Consequently, international collaborators were not invited due to potential language complications. However, foreign students of architecture joined the event as well and asked questions about our developments. This year's Researchers' Night was themed "MYSTERY".
Fig. 2: Entrance to the Faculty of Civil Engineering during the Researchers´Night 2023
CTU's Faculty of Civil Engineering prepared its own program and exhibition (https://www.nocvedcu.cz/misto/386-fakulta-stavebni; https://www.fsv.cvut.cz/noc-vedcu-2023/ blending “MYSTERY” with the topic of Circular Construction, aiming to impart knowledge on this subject to the attendees. The event, which spanned from 5 PM to 10 PM, saw the RECONMATIC project present not just through a dedicated booth but also via two compelling educational talks. Their chosen theme delved into the essence of RECONMATIC, with a spotlight on Machine-Learning-based vision recognition for construction and demolition waste (CDW) materials.
More information about the event and the RECONMATIC Exhibition is available here.
Exhibition and the participants
Vaclav Nezerka presenting "Behind the Curtain of Data: Secrets of Algorithms for Sorting Demolition Waste"
This is spearheaded by Vaclav Nezerka, who initiated a very interesting discussion around the criticality of sorting demolition waste and how this impacts the construction industry's sustainability, with his presentation titled "Behind the Curtain of Data: Secrets of Algorithms for Sorting Demolition Waste". Jan Valentin's subsequent talk discussed the importance of efficient management in construction and waste recycling. His presentation was titled, "Why are we looking for ways to circulate materials and products in the construction industry?" The event also presented the results and the challenges in reusing recycled concrete fine particles as substitutes for virgin aggregates.
The RECONMATIC exhibition for the Researchers' Night in CTU premises
With over 500 attendees at the Faculty of Civil Engineering CTU's Researchers' Night, the RECONMATIC booth witnessed intriguing discussions and even a potential for knowledge sharing with a researcher from another university. Both presentations had an engaging group of around 15 participants, leading to spirited discussions.
For the CTU team, this open day was an exploratory event. Plans are already in place for a subsequent open day in 2024-2025, where the RECONMATIC project's further advancements will be spotlighted.
