Anniversary of the Science Popularization Centre - Summary
Popular science events, workshops and trainings supporting scientific communication, and networking of scientists-popularisers. These are just some of the activities undertaken by the Science Popularization Centre during 7 years of its activity.
The Science Popularization Centre started its activity on 1st February 2017, acting in the area of promotion and popularization of scientific research in cooperation with units of the Silesian University of Technology and other scientific centres. The creation of the CPN (The Science Popularization Centre) was a unique undertaking on a national scale – now it is an example for other entities creating centres of science popularization.
The solemn summary of 7 years of activity was an opportunity to thank the University authorities for supporting the initiatives of the Centre, as well as to summarize the term of office of the Council of Substantive Experts and the Program Council.
Since 2017, CPN has carried out 146 popular science events, which attracted over 43 thousand recipients. Among them, one can mention, among others, the largest polytechnical popular science event – Researchers' Night of the Silesian University of Technology – during which participants can take part in lectures, presentations, scientific experiments and visit laboratories and workshops of the Silesian University of Technology. CPN implements events addressed to many different groups of recipients. Seniors can meet with scientists during the Third Age University of Technology operating jointly with the Third Age universities, while children, together with their parents or guardians, willingly participate in the Junior and Senior University of Technology. The initiatives are also addressed to young scientists – for 7 years the Centre has been organizing the Silesian edition of the three Minute Thesis® competition for doctoral students from the universities of the Silesian Voivodeship.
Supporting various ways of scientific popularization, CPN invites scientists of the Silesian University of Technology to participate in a scientific stand-up, workshops on creating popular science board games or on “quick dates” with journalists. The unit trains and educates during courses “About science in layman’s terms,” online meetings “Science Populariser Tool,” workshops on voice emission or meetings devoted to storytelling.
The Centre is recruiting for postgraduate studies “Scientific Communication and popularization of science,” which will prepare for conducting activities based on the use of innovative and attractive methods of dissemination of knowledge, modern communication channels, critical and creative problem solving.
The Science Popularization Centre is, however, primarily a place that connects science lovers who want to share their scientific passion with others. It is a friendly space for the exchange of good practices and the initiation of undertakings.
