The 150th Encompass Lecture

 

On 16 September 2002, popular science education in Hungary embarked on what was probably its most challenging venture; the Encompass lecture series began. The idea was inspired by the l'Université de tous les savoirs, a programme devised and implemented by the French art historian and media researcher Yves Michaud. Hungarian Telecom and its associate T-Online fully supported the idea that a similar opportunity be given to the Hungarian public, as well as to the country's world-renowned researchers and scientists. The intense interest the lecture series aroused among television viewers, radio listeners, and readers encouraged us to extend the programme. Today, we can declare that the Encompass's nine-semesters so far represent an incomparable achievement, not only in the history of domestic media, but also in terms of the making public of the latest scientific findings. At times, it is worth pausing to honour the project's founders, not to mention the current staff whose dedicated work has kept the programme on track. We should also celebrate the 149 lecturers who bravely took up the challenge. And, of course, we must not forget the audience of watchers, listeners and readers. We should celebrate Encompass and knowledge itself, doing so with the solemnity that the occasion deserves. Yet at the same time, perhaps, we should diverge a little from the traditional and be surprising.

Encompass