It was an intense three days! The Silesian Science Festival in Katowice is behind us. There were workshops, lectures, demonstrations, experiments and observations. And, above all, lots and lots of conversations.
– Is this a Polish ladybird or a Chinese one? – asks his mum about a six-year-old boy, but he doesn’t wait for an answer, just counts the black dots on the red carapace. Seven. The sight of so many lovely ladybirds in one terrarium in December brings a smile to the faces of those watching. Right next to them falls the statement: – These are probably bumblebees. Too grazed for bees. The author of the statement is right – there are bumblebees hovering in the terrarium and they are not offended by this and subsequent comparisons to bees.
Further away, a boy with lots of curls encloses water in an alginate capsule. Meanwhile, his parents try to guess what magnified image they are looking at under the microscope. With little prompting, they go well with coffee and citric acid, but are baffled by the final puzzle. – Is that ordinary sand? Isn’t it yellow? On the other side of the stall, too, the peeping continues. Under the microscope lie dishes of mites.
During the Silesian Science Festival in Katowice, 7-9 December, our stand was bustling with life. Our educators from Łukasiewicz – IPO and Łukasiewicz – PORT patiently showed, explained and answered all questions, and there were plenty of those!
But that’s not all! Łukasiewicz – IMiF held a workshop where students could test themselves in experiments in electronics. With the help of friendly crocodiles, they built simple electrical circuits, while the more advanced built a traffic light.
Łukasiewicz – EMAG showed the power of artificial intelligence in the service of people with disabilities. Not only did we learn how sign language avatars are created, but we were also able to test an app that makes it easier for the blind and visually impaired to receive films in the cinema.
In addition to workshops and experiments, there were also lectures. We were able to see what a cybercriminal attack on an internet user’s computer looks like and learn how to keep our data safe. We also heard about how digital devices affect the development of a child’s brain and how we inherit traits and susceptibility to diseases.
Thank you to everyone who visited our stand! Your interest, smiles and delight drive us forward.