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International Science and 3

Innovation Festival in Georgia

Events > Natia Khuluzauri
Edinburgh became a “city of science” in April 1989 when it hosted the first International
Science Festival. Initially the idea had many opponents who doubted science would fit into
a format similar to an art festival. However the experience was a great success, and since
then similar events have been held in many countries, where they are often among the most
prestigious events of the year.
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T
he year 2015 was significant for Georgia’s cultural
and scientific life. The Ministry of Education and
Science initiated an important event that involved
most of the state and private scientific institutions for the
first time. Although the event with its spirit and activities
resembled a festival, it was called International Science
and Innovation Week.
It opened on World Science Day, November 10, and clo-
sed on November 17, International Students Day.
Due to the success of this event another Festival was or-
ce and Innovation Festival. The Georgian National Museum 1, 6 Presentation of hominin restored
was actively involved in organizing this week-long event according to a complete skull disco-
vered during Dmanisi archaeological
and assumed a key role in planning and implementing ac- excavations, 15 November 2015
tivities during the festival. 3, 4 Closing ceremony of Science and Inno-
In 2015, the complete skull of a hominin was discovered vation Week, opening of the exhibition
“Alexander Kartveli – Georgian Genius
at the Dmanisi archaeological site. From these artefacts, a of American Aviation”, 17 November
2015
bust was created by the famous paleo-artist John Anthony
Gurchea, and exhibited in the National Museum with finan- 2, 5 Public lecture held at Simon Janashia
Museum of Georgia Science Cafe
cial support from the Silknet Company. In the museum’s during the International Science and
science café, world-renowned Georgian specialists Zaal Innovation Week

ganized the following year – Georgia’s International Scien- Kokaia, David Lordkipanidze, Darejan Kacharava, Ermile 7  Public lecture held at Ioseb Grishashvili
Tbilisi History Museum Science Cafe
within the framework of International
Science and Innovation Week
GEORGIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM 51
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Maghradze, Zurab Makharadze and Nino Kalandadze
gave public talks, and Mr. Gurche made a presentation
on the process he uses to recreate and model the appe-
arance of ancient humans on the basis of their archaeo-
logical remains.
The last presentation of the 2016 Science and Inno-
vation Festival week was marked at the Georgian Na-
tional Museum by a new exhibition dedicated to a pio-
neer of US aviation, Aleksandre Kartvelishvili Kartveli
(1896-1974). In the early 20th century, between 1918
and 1921, he was sent by the democratic government
of Tbilisi to study aviation in France. However, he was
unable to return to his homeland because of the Bol-
shevik revolution. He continued his work in aviation in
the USA, where he became known as the “Georgian Ge-
nius of American Aviation”, a pioneer in aerospace engi-
neering, and an example of perseverance and sacrifice
for future generations in Georgia.
In 2016, the Georgian National Museum participated
in the Science Festival with educational projects, exhi-
bitions and lectures. Events dedicated to the 25th an- Participants of the conference “100+25 Years of
niversary of the first great discovery made in Dmanisi Homo erectus: Dmanisi and Beyond” visiting Dmanisi
and the 125th anniversary of the first discovery of Homo archaeological site, 24 September 2016
erectus in the world were the pinnacles of the festival.
An international conference was attended by 80 fa-
mous foreign scientists. A public lecture by Donald (Don)
Johanson introduced the event. Dr. Johanson and Dr.
Tom Gray discovered a nearly complete 3.2-million-ye-
ar-old skeleton of Australopithecus afarensis, in Hadar,
Ethiopia in 1974. This earliest female ancestor of modern
humans known today was named “Lucy” because “Lucy
in the Sky with Diamonds” by the Beatles was playing in
the field when she was discovered.
Dr. Johanson gained broad recognition and populari-
ty for his popular science book “Lucy: The Beginnings of
Humankind”. The book inspired many young scientists
and helped others define their future profession. The
General Director of the Georgian National Museum who
headed the Dmanisi archaeological project, Professor
David Lordkipanidze, is among them. Thus, it was truly
symbolic that this milestone conference could be intro-
duced by Dr. Johanson’s lecture.
The tradition has continued. The Georgian National
Museum presented another important exhibition, “Sto-
ne Age Georgia”, during the 2016 Science Festival. Visi-
tors can see Stone Age artifacts from various Georgian
sites and follow the process of human evolution over
time, illustrated by a rich collection of anthropological
artifacts discovered in various parts of the world.
What will the International Science and Innovation
Festival be like in 2018? Will Tbilisi become a “City of
Science”? And will Georgia be a “Country of Science”?
We shall see!

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Opening of Stone Age Georgia Exhibition,
21 September 2016