Mathematics as a cultural bridge at Expo 2025 Osaka
Mathematics will take center stage in the Luxembourg, Belgian, and Swiss pavilions at Expo 2025 Osaka, thanks to a collaborative initiative between the Universities of Liège, Fribourg, and Luxembourg. Through playful, visual, and accessible activities, researchers will deliver innovative science outreach that highlights mathematics as a genuine bridge between cultures and minds.
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rom July 18 to 27, 2025, the Universities of Liège, Fribourg, and Luxembourg will present a mathematics-focused science outreach experience at Expo 2025 Osaka. Through the "Traces" project and its two dedicated workshops, the initiative aims to demonstrate how mathematics can foster intercultural dialogue beyond linguistic boundaries.
The "Life Lines" workshop invites participants to draw mathematical curves which, when combined, form a collective artwork. This activity showcases the unifying power of mathematics, where individual creative expressions contribute to a shared narrative.
The "Patterns" workshop, open to participants aged 8 and up, engages visitors with visual puzzles inspired by geometric designs. Through simple yet generative rules, participants will uncover the hidden beauty of mathematical structures. This intuitive and intentionally non-verbal approach makes the workshop accessible to an international audience, while conveying deep mathematical insights.
The workshops will primarily be hosted in the Luxembourg Pavilion, with additional events held in the Belgian Pavilion on July 19 and 20, and in the Swiss Pavilion on July 23 and 24. This distribution reflects the core philosophy of the project: cross-border collaboration in the service of open and inclusive science.
A Scientific Collaboration with a Global Perspective
Led by an inter-university team of experts in science communication, the Traces project is the result of a partnership between three universities from multilingual countries with strong Francophone components: the University of Liège (ULiège), the University of Fribourg (UniFr), and the University of Luxembourg (UniLu).
Professor Laurent Loosveldt (ULiège) will head the team alongside Professor Hugo Parlier (UniFr), Professor Bruno Teheux (UniLu), and Dr. Ann Kiefer (UniLu), joined by doctoral researchers Marie Abade, Bruno Dular, and Ann Fisch (UniLu). Together, they are pooling their expertise to create an accessible and interactive science outreach experience grounded in a global vision of science.
“Engaging with the Japanese public will be a stimulating challenge,” the team acknowledges, fully aware of the demands of culturally adapted communication but confident in the universal language of mathematics.
This marks the team’s second participation in a World Expo, following their successful involvement in Dubai, further confirming the international recognition of their work in mathematics outreach. Their renewed presence attests to a strong commitment to science communication and to the dissemination of knowledge on a global scale.
