Everyone will find something for themselves
We are already at the halfway point of the Week of Witches, which takes place as part of the celebrations of the European City of Science Katowice 2024. On the third day, the organizers prepared an attraction for participants of all ages.
Scientists from the Faculty of Chemistry of the Silesian University of Technology have once again prepared a lecture and workshops entitled “Matter Transforming Spells,” this time for the advanced participants. And although the workshops were addressed mainly to secondary school pupils, there were also children from primary schools among the participants.
This time, the workshops took place in the building of the Centre of New Technologies of the Silesian University of Technology. During the workshops, physical and chemical experiments were presented, showing the connection of magical phenomena occurring in literature and films with the basic laws of nature and the properties of matter. The participants turned into wizards and tried spells on elements available during the workshops. They learned, among others, how to put objects into levitation, light a bulb without an electric circuit, or freeze food products in a flash.
Wednesday was also the last day of visiting the Museum of Medicine and Pharmacy in Sosnowiec and workshops as part of the "From Alchemy to Pharmacy" activity. In the same city, in Zagłębie Mediateka, there were workshops “Halloween Creative Senior,” during which participants made, among others, hand-painted original pillowcases with pumpkin, bat, cobwebs or witches’ motifs.
The day ended with the scientific debate of PhD students “Sorcerers Duels,” which took place at the Centre of Organic and Nanohybrid Electronics of the Silesian University of Technology. The event began with a lecture “Sustainability and green technologies,” delivered by Prof. Hai M. Duong of the National University of Singapore.
“The lecture was literally full of magic. Professor Hai M. Duong came to us specially to give a lecture on the creation of wholesome materials from waste” – explains Prof. Dr Hab. Eng. Sławomir Boncel, who led the event. "We heard about the full scale of possibilities behind this approach and a lot of examples, including the use of an extremely light aerogel.
The professor also took part in a debate with PhD students from several faculties of the Silesian University of Technology, coming from different countries.
- “Thanks to this, the debate was interesting, because everyone had different observations and experiences resulting from upbringing on a different continent” - says Prof. Sławomir Boncel. "We have tried to answer the question of whether sustainable development is moving in the direction we would like it to do so.”
The aim of the debate was to develop a conscious and sustainable approach to the technological future of our planet. The participants analysed the environmental, economic, and social impacts of green technologies, considering their effectiveness and long-term consequences. A group of enthusiasts emphasized the importance of innovation in the fight against climate change and the protection of natural resources, while opponents pointed to high costs and potential problems with scalability of implementations.
This is not the end of the Week of Witches. We invite you to participate in the next events. The full schedule can be found at: https://program.miastonauki.pl/tydzien-czarownic
