Popularizing science as one of the important tasks of scientific units still raises many questions and discussions about the design of activities and content and measuring their effectiveness. The third edition of the workshop "Popularization and Communication of Science in Poland" will be an opportunity to exchange experiences and jointly develop practical solutions for the effective dissemination of knowledge.

Three years ago, during the debate "Popularization and communication of science in Poland – opportunities and challenges" at the Silesian University of Technology, we talked about science communication as a dynamically developing area and the need to structure and systematize it. Today we are at a point where disseminating knowledge to prevent disinformation is to become one of the most important tasks of universities, and this popularization is to be assessed in the evaluation system.

Issues related to science communication – even in the year of Science Popularisation – still raise many questions and provide opportunities for discussion. That is why we are organizing the next edition of the meeting "Popularization and communication of science in Poland - opportunities and challenges" in the form of workshops, which will take place on May 25, 2026, in Gliwice.

The aim of the workshop “Popularization and communication of science in Poland – opportunities and challenges. Third Edition.”

This time we pose two overarching questions to the event participants:

• What should one pay attention to when creating content to engage a specific audience and be communicated effectively?
• How to measure the effects of scientific communication on a given audience?

The aim of the meeting is to jointly develop practical tips for designing engaging content for various audiences: children, teenagers and adults. We will focus on their needs, motivations and ways of receiving content. We will look at various methods and forms of work that science communicators, educators, and teachers will be able to use in their practice. We want them to be a starting point for engaging recipients in scientific culture and supporting their readiness for the changes taking place within it.

A separate point we will discuss is citizen science. It provides an opportunity to develop a model of public engagement that involves involving non-scientists in the scientific process and building trust in science.

Working in workshop groups

Participants will work in workshop groups focusing on specific target groups:

Group 1: children

Group 2: youth

Group 3: adults

Group 4: Citizen Science Recipients

We also want to devote workshop discussions to assessing and measuring the effects of popular science activities. We ask whether positive reactions from participants of popular science events are linked to their participation in subsequent scientific activities and influence the increase in the level of knowledge. Above all, however, we would like to check whether they engage in science in the long term, build active attitudes, strengthen the understanding of scientific processes and awareness of the changes taking place in them. And this seems essential in designing scientific communication that responds to information chaos.

Who are the workshops aimed at?

The workshops are aimed at science communicators (science popularisers, science centre employees, educators, and teachers) who want to engage in the process of creating popular science content and assessing its effectiveness in supporting future knowledge dissemination activities.

Workshops "Popularization and communication of science in Poland – opportunities and challenges. “Third Edition” will take place on May 25, 2026, in Gliwice. Workshop starts: 10:00 AM.

The event schedule and registration for workshop group participants will be available from April 24^th via the website: https://www.polsl.pl/cpn/popularyzacja-nauki-w-polsce/