Cambridge-based Swiss consulate melds science, art in exhibit

PUBLISHED by The Cambridge Chronicle

Cambridge —The Consulate of Switzerland will unveil an exhibit Monday at Logan International Airport in Boston to celebrate the arrival of 25 Swiss scientists and the life of a researcher in the 21st century.


The Cambridge-based consulate, known as swissnex Boston, is inviting a delegation of diplomats and educators from Switzerland to visit the opening of the new second floor of their building, said Thomas Buehler, a swissnex spokesman.

The day ends in the opening of SCIENCEsuisse, a collection of photographs profiling Swiss scientists at the top of their field, emphasizing the partnership between Switzerland and Boston in the science and technology field.

“If you are top scientist, there is no way you don’t have a connection to the Boston area,” said Buehler. “We’re really here to bridge the scientific worlds of Switzerland and Boston.”

The researchers will give several lectures while they are in Cambridge at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said Buehler. The lectures will address the career and life of a scientist and why students should stay on the research path.

The Science Club for Girls, a group based in Cambridge that will help unveil the event, are some of the students the consulate is hoping to influence, said Buehler.

“Our girls’ presence demonstrates that young people from an early age are interested in science, and one day they can look to become one of these scientists who can help solve the world’s problems,” said Connie Chow, executive director of the Science Club for Girls.

The Consulate has also donated money to the Science Club for a video project addressing stereotypes of engineers and scientists, showing that their work affects all parts of society, said Chow.

Logan Airport has previously featured the work of Swiss visitors for two other swissnex Boston exhibits about human rights and architecture. Buehler said swissnex Boston is likely to hold more events in the future because Terminal E allows a large audience of international visitors, such as businesspeople and professors.

The exhibit is free and available until June 1.