It is a Week of Witches
At the Silesian University of Technology, it is a Week of Witches. The event was organized as part of the European City of Science Katowice 2024.
The aim of the Week of the Witches is an interactive presentation of exciting and modern chemistry as part of exciting activities and talks with magical scientists from Silesia, Poland, and the world. The event began with the “Potions lesson at Hogwarts” in the laboratories of the Biotechnology Centre of the Silesian University of Technology.
- The workshops were addressed to pupils of the younger classes of primary school. We have prepared for them simple chemical experiments that fit into the names of elixirs and magical mixtures found in the Harry Potter books. Children have prepared an elixir called Liquid Happiness, or popular slims. There was also a Decoction of Living Death, that is, the dissolution of aluminium into ordinary copper, and the Smoke Elixir, which is a mixture of citric acid and baking soda. Placing them in a balloon allows you to inflate it without the slightest effort - said Dr Eng. Anna Byczek-Wyrostek.
Na zakończenie, mali naukowcy poznali podstawy układu okresowego pierwiastków oraz rozwiązywali chemiczne łamigłówki.
Kolejne warsztaty w ramach Tygodnia Czarownic pod hasłem "Od lampy naftowej do utrafioletowej", odbyło się w laboratoriach Centrum Elektroniki Organicznej i Nanohybrydowej (CONE) Politechniki Śląskiej.
Podczas tego wyjątkowego wydarzenia dzieciaki miały możliwość poznania dwóch wybitnych postaci, które zmieniły oblicze nauki – Ignacego Łukasiewicza i Marii Skłodowskiej-Curie.
In the end, the little scientists learned the basics of the periodic table of elements and solved chemical puzzles.
The next workshops within the Witches Week under the slogan “From oil lamp to ultraviolet lamp” were held in the laboratories of the Centre for Organic and Nanohybrid Electronics (CONE) of the Silesian University of Technology.
During this unique event, the children had the opportunity to meet two outstanding figures who changed the face of science – Ignacy Łukasiewicz and Maria Skłodowska-Curie.
- The participants took part in a workshop entitled "Manufacture of cosmetics", during which they prepared natural creams. These classes were related to the figure of Ignacy Lukasiewicz, who, in addition to inventing the oil lamp, also worked as a pharmacist. In the second studio - the dark one, the children learned the secrets of UV radiation and the phenomenon of fluorescence, that is, they discovered the magic of scientific phenomena, which Maria Skłodowska-Curie studied. Of course, there were also quizzes and awards – said Magdalena Tomaka, the lecturer of the workshop from the Łukasiewicz Research Network – the Institute of Heavy Organic Synthesis "Blachownia" in Kędzierzyn Koźle.
This is not the end of Monday’s witch week. Many people decided to visit the Museum of Medicine and Pharmacy in Sosnowiec as part of the event “from Alchemy to Pharmacy.” The participants were guided around the museum by a “charming witch” and had workshops on creating a magical bath mixture.
A free visit to the Museum of Medicine and Pharmacy combined with workshops will be again possible on Tuesday and Wednesday. In addition, on the last day, the most courageous wizards will be able to test their strength in the board game tournament "Alchemists".
