On 15 December 2016, the Lorentz Center in Leiden officially opened its renewed common room. The Lorentz Center is an international centre for scientific workshops, which has hosted several fruitful workshops in which DTL participated, including the 2014 ‘Jointly designing a data FAIRport’ workshop. So in a way, the cradle of the FAIR data principles stood in the Lorentz center.
The common room is the central space in the Lorentz Centre and it fulfils an important function. People come together to drink coffee or just sit on the couch, but also to discuss and exchange ideas. It is the place where great scientific ideas can arise. But after twenty years, the couch was worn and the refrigerator and coffee machine were dying. The employees of the Lorentz Center launched a crowdfunding campaign for a renovation of the common room. In no time, they collected the required amount of 15,000 euros through generous donations from former participants. DTL was one of the main supporters.
Excellent venue
Numerous reactions on the crowdfunding website demonstrate how well the Lorentz Center is appreciated by its visitors. “An excellent venue, of the highest value to the scientific community,” writes one. And another: “Organising a workshop is a breeze with the support by the Lorentz Center staff.” And a number of pragmatic comments: “Great discussions need a great atmosphere!” And “Just needs to be done.”
Wall of fame
Sietske Kroon of the Lorentz Center: “We have written the names of all donors on the wall, so they they will be able to see this when they come back for another workshop.” The team also made special edition posters in honour of the main supporters of the crowdfunding campaign; you can view the DTL poster here.