24 October 2018. Robots and machines, emotions, brain tricks and shopping: these are the four topics to which this year's Children's University will devote one afternoon lecture of 45 minutes. The four entertaining and stimulating lectures will introduce children from the third class to topics on which professors at the University of St.Gallen are doing research.

Four independent lectures
Why do people laugh? And why do they cry? What precisely happens to people when they are cheerful or sad? In his lecture, Jörg Metelmann will provide an insight into the magic world of human emotions. Robots don’t have emotions, but they are magic machines nonetheless. Caspar Hirschi has looked into the history of all sorts of magic machines and will take children on a journey through time during which magic encounters are guaranteed.

Sometimes, emotions also play tricks on people – for instance, if children are supposed to revise for an exam but are looking forward to meeting their friends so much that they are distracted and inattentive. Bernadette Dilger will reveal useful brain tricks and tell the children how such tricks help to improve the way they can learn things. Tricks are less welcome, though, when they are used to sell things that people do not need at all. Urs Fueglistaller will explain to the children what they may expect from sales personnel when they go shopping with their parents and are customers.

Scenting university air
The Children's University aims to familiarise the young audience with issues that are relevant to society in addition to what they are taught at school. The children will be given an exciting insight into the University, which many pupils will themselves attend in ten or fifteen years. The independent lectures will enable children to follow a topic even if they are only able to attend on one afternoon. The Children's University is part of the public programme of the University of St.Gallen; admission is free. However, registration is required. Each child will receive an HSG ID card. At the end of the lecture series, pupils who have attended all four lectures will be awarded a certificate of attendance.