Suplement 4th ŚFN KATOWICE

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FREE FREE OF CHARGE OF CHARGE FREE OF CHARGE FREE OF CHARGE FREE OF CHARGE Special Special IssueIssue 2020 Special 2020 Issue Special 2020 Issue Special 2020 Issue 2020 ISSNISSN 1739-1688 1739-1688 ISSN 1739-1688 ISSN 1739-1688 ISSN 1739-1688

AREAS of knowledge & SPECIAL ZONES at 4TH ŚFN KATOWICE

HUMANE AND SOCIAL STUDIES

EXACT SCIENCES

technologY TECHNICAL SCIENCES

NATURAL SCIENCES

MEDICINE AND HEALTH

ARTS ART

CLIMATE AND ELECTROMOBILITY ZONE

E-sport Point

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Tired, happy, and proud - an interview with Prof. Ryszard Koziołek | Tomasz Płosa 4th ŚFN KATOWICE in numbers The festival space | Radosław Aksamit The grand opening gala of the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE | Małgorzata Pabian OFF & POP — competitions at the festival | Piotr Kaszuba On the other side of space | Tomasz Rożek The festival in the eyes of the ambassadors | Piotr Kaszuba Don’t be scared, it’s science | Monika Szafrańska Builders of the future | Katarzyna Gubała Seasoning science | Mikołaj Sokół Collage of photos from the 4th ŚFN Katowice First of all, I listen to people – an interview with Marc Elsberg | Agnieszka Sikora They looked into our brains! | Monika Szafrańska Climate and Electromobility Zone | Agnieszka Sikora Science. That’s what I like – an interview with Dr Tomasz Rożek | Robert Jakubczak 18,000 steps | Jarosław Juszkiewicz Face to face science | Monika Szafrańska For the first time in Poland – an interview with Daniel Tammet | Agnieszka Sikora, Jacek Nowak E-sports and computer games? Only the Silesian way! | Natalia Sukiennik Child and sports zone | Urszula Miemiec, Dorian Zakrzewski Ninanki introduce us to the world of movement patterns | Mikołaj Marcela The not-so-artificial intelligence | Paweł Zberecki Together for science | Joanna Laskowska What do the participants think of the festival?

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The "Suplement" Magazine of Students of the University of Silesia A special issue dedicated to 4th Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE Number of copies: 3800 Executive editor of the “Suplement” Magazine: Robert Jakubczak Deputy editor of the “Suplement” Magazine: Natalia Kubicius Managing editor of the special issue: Martyna Gwóźdź Typesetting and graphical project: Piotr Kaszuba Artwork on the cover and illustrations: dr Natalia Łukomska Photos: Tomasz Kawka, Tomasz Kiełkowski, Patrycja Mola, Szymon Nawrat, Jakub Zajączkowski Proofreading team: Justyna Szostek-Aksamit, Radosław Aksamit, Martyna Fołta, Natalia Kubicius, Jacek Nowak, Agnieszka Sikora, Monika Szafrańska, Assoc. Prof. Katarzyna Wyrwas Professor of the University of Silesia

Tomasz Płosa Organization Office of the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE

Tired, happy, and proud In an interview with the General Director of the ŚFN, Prof. Ryszard Koziołek, we summarize the 4th edition of the festival and wonder what the future may bring for us.

It is a trivial statement, but it is difficult not to say it out loud - we are succeŚFNul again. I would point out two aspects of this success: attendance, because 50,000 people at the festival is an impressive number, and the programme of the festival because adding a few new elements turned out well again.

There is one more dimension of our success, which is equally important for me - the fact that we grow ‘inwards’. Our colleagues from the University of Silesia and also from the universities that are co-holders of the ŚFN trusted us even more, so they recognized the Festival as an important space in which they want to be, in which they want to show the society what they do. I am equally happy because of the increase in the number of the visitors. The increase was directly proportional to the increase of the number of applications of the potential exhibitors.

All this reflects the fact that the ŚFN became an extremely significant event in the region.

It also seems that potential, class, and renown of the ŚFN were fully appreciated by all the organs of the local governments with which the University of Silesia cooperates on a daily basis.

There is nothing wrong with the fact that the allocators of financial resources want to verify the undertakings which they support. In our case, they were again strongly convinced that the University of Silesia is a good investment. It should be emphasized that the city of Katowice was with us from the beginning of the idea of the festival, and the support of the Metropolis GZM and the Marshal Office of the Silesian Voivodeship cannot be overestimated. It is very pleasant when representatives of political structures express their respect and admiration for the spectacularity of the Festival and its efficient organization.

It is worth to mention that the ŚFN is organized by people who take care of the administration of the University on a daily basis. We are well aware of this, but it is even more pleasant when people from the outside notice this.

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What was the most difficult part of the preparation of the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE for you?

This question relates to many issues. The general awareness of how much we have improved and grown leads to feeling greater responsibility for what we prepared. The previous edition gave rise to the hope that the next one would be at least just as good. During the last phase of the preparation I knew that our programme was wonderful. I cannot deny that when I drove my car on Sunday, the day of the Festival, to the ICC, and I did not see in the streets any people going in the same direction as I was going, I thought: “They will not come. They forgot or we have not informed them well. Maybe they are not as interested as before”. However, when I was driving on the upward road between the ICC and the NOSPR, I suddenly saw a huge queue to the entrance of the building. I felt a great relief then, and my anxiety vanished (laughter).

In the last weeks before the ŚFN I was worried that we all might not have enough energy. Such a great amount of work requires a lot more than just diligence and dutifulness. It requires enthusiasm, passion, the conviction that what we do makes sense. Every time you must evoke this kind of positive attitude. Eventually it turned out that we had enough energy, and when the festival ended we were exhausted but also very happy and proud of what we managed to do.

It was hard not to notice that the ŚFN was more international than in the previous years.

Right after the first edition of the Festival I thought that we, the team that prepares the ŚFN, should see how such events are organized in different countries, look for contacts and inspirations there, and without hesitation use the best ideas here, in Poland. We did so. Members of the organizing committee went to Göteborg, Edinburgh, Cheltenham in England, and to Belfast after the 4th edition. I have had an opportunity to see with my own eyes how the World Science Festival in New York is organized. When our solutions are similar to the ones applied abroad

or guests from other countries think of them as even more interesting, it inspires us, gives us courage and self-confidence.

Did you manage to speak with the special guests from abroad?

Yes, more than once, actually. Those conversations were of different character. With our colleagues from Northern Ireland, we discussed, for example, technical details, how they convince universities to cooperate, how their Festival is financed, pros and cons of their model - extending the event over several days. I had a very pleasant conversation with Seth Shostak. In fact, it continued via e-mail. He was amazed by the whole Festival, the reception and the communicativeness of our team. I think that we have a next unofficial ambassador of the ŚFN, who will help us attract more potential guests for the next editions.

Along with professor Piotr Skubała, you have led a debate at the festival. Its title was “How to repair our world? Humanities in the face of a climate and environmental crisis”. What can humanities propose in the context of these problems?

It can propose a lot. Moreover, representatives of natural sciences or of the sciences called exact are sure that without the support of humanities the process of convincing people by means of scientific proofs will not succeed. Modern science knows much about the source of the problems we face; however, it turns out that it is not enough to change human attitude, for example, towards the question of natural resource management, and this is a crucial change. It is not about simple persuasion but about the ability to tell people about the future of the world.

Humanities are most of all cultivated by means of simulations, and a human as a species made for himself a tool of creating fiction, in other words, inventing non-reality. Someone may ask what a human needs such an ability for. Is it only for entertainment, to watch series and read books? I do not think so - the ability to create fiction distinguishes our species, it makes us wiser, able to speculate about alternative scenarios of the future; or at least, I would like it to be so. During the 1950s in

the USA, a person who had said that someday a black person would be the president, would have been ridiculed, and there were such ideas in literature. This type of non-realistic or fictional thinking allows us to imagine a world in which we have clean air, we do not depend on fuels that emit carbon dioxide when burning, a world in which there is no violence or disease. This seems to be a fantasy, but still we can imagine it, present it, picture scenarios of how it may happen. What is more, humanities define what makes sense, what has its meaning, and it introduces aesthetics into our thinking about the world. If the basic needs of a human are satisfied, he or she does not think only about surviving.

We want something more - we want to survive in a beautiful way or in the way we like and to survive reasonably, so that what we do would makes sense for other people and in the metaphysical perspective. We need more sense and a certain charm of life. If we have both, we will be ready to engage in many things. In my opinion, the role of humanities is to explain and convince people about what results of scientific research make us aware of.

The next edition of the ŚFN will be the fifth one, so we will have a small jubilee. I would like to ask you about plans for the future. What do we already know? How do you imagine the next edition of the ŚFN? What should it be like?

Obviously, different things may happen, but we can say almost for certain that there will be a fifth edition, and it will be held at the same place. However, the date will be changed for a more convenient one.

The Festival will take place in April - it will be warmer, the spring time.

It will be more pleasant to go out of home then. Of course, I would like us to be bigger, but the time has come to work on the quality because although we are doing well, we still have some reserves. It would also be worthwhile to take a closer look at our programme for schools. It is good, but schools could benefit more from the Festival. When I was observing the World Science Festival, I noticed that the schools prepare to participate in the event. They have a homework to do before the Festival, and they are more aware what the pupils are there for. I would like the materials that are recorded during the Festival to be methodical tools that could be used during lessons of particular subjects. Next year we have an 100 th anniversary of Stanisław Lem’s birthday, and I cannot imagine that at the Festival there would be no area dedicated to this outstanding writer and all that stems from his works. This is another example of the cooperation between humanities and other disciplines.

You can say that Lem’s works to a large extend predicted us and the things that we would have to deal with. Today, the topic of artificial intelligence and the way machines will complement, support, or even replace us is widely referred to. I would like to show it at the Festival without concentrating solely on the IT sphere.

RYSZARD KOZIOŁEK A literary scholar, historian of literature, professor at the Institute of Literary Studies at the University of Silesia in Katowice. He is the Vice-Rector for Education and Student Affairs at the University of Silesia and the General Director of the Silesia Science Festival KATOWICE. The author of books and essays such as It’s good to think through literature (2016) and Sienkiewicz Bodies. Studies on gender and violence (2018).

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4TH ŚFN KATOWICE in numbers

Radosław Aksamit Organization Office of the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE

The festival space Silesian Science Festival settled in the spacious halls of the International Congress Centre and Spodek – a sports and entertainment hall. On over 30,000 square metres, we have created a space that is friendly for everyone and suitable for getting acquainted with science. Each year we make an attempt to introduce new elements, solutions, and attractions, basing on our experiences from the previous years. We invite you to take a look at the solutions implemented at the 4th ŚFN that are a proof of how great the event is.

MULTIPURPOSE HALL The main hall of the ŚFN with an area of 8,000 square metres is the heart of our event. It is here where you can find the so called areas of knowledge, where scientists at their stands present experiments encourage to take part in research and allow you to see science in its most fascinating form. Through the direct contact of the participants with the work of the scientists, we try to evoke fascination with different disciplines. One of the new elements of this year’s edition was the special gastronomic area. From the third edition, we have also used special storey constructions, which are a great viewpoint allowing you to take a break during the intense festival days.

There are cafés on two of them, and there is a special cinema zone and scientific speed dating on the third one. In the main hall, there were also stands of partners of the festival.

CONFERENCE HALLS The Silesia Science Festival KATOWICE makes use of all the 26 conference halls in the International Congress Centre.

Two of them were dedicated to special exhibitions, and one of them to a Swedish performer, musician, and game developer, Håkan Lidbo. This year, we have also made available a special space for people who may need a moment of rest and peace from the noise at the Festival.

SCENES During the 4th edition of the ŚFN there were more scenes. The visitors were invited to hear lectures and see shows on the main scene in the multipurpose hall and on the Science Corner scene in the zone of conference halls. The other areas - a climate scene in the climate and electromobility zone and the scientific miscellany scene in the down hall - were also popular among the visitors. High attendance at all the events organized in the auditorium of the ICC, which during the ŚFN functioned as the World Science scene, may be considered a success.

BALL HALLS Ball halls on the 0 level were in this year divided into the E-sport Point zone, dedicated to gaming competitions, and the child and sport zone, which was dedicated both to the young and the older visitors. As usual, in the E-sport Point there was an e-sport competition which had the status of the championships of pupils and students. During the breaks between the games we invited some specialists, who told us about making video games, Internet security or marketing in e-sport. In the children and sports zone, there were a few playgrounds where the youngest visitors could play under the watchful eyes of professional animators, and the older ones could have a go at various sports, or even stand on a real boxing ring.

CORRIDORS Events of the Festival are so diverse that they require making use of every available space. Because of this, in certain places within the corridors we have set up different attractions. During this year’s edition, there were two Science Stations, where we could personally meet special guests of the ŚFN or the stands of the OFF Science garage invention vote. In the upper hall, the universities that organized the 4th ŚFN had their promotion stands, where they could present themselves. There were also special installations allowing to describe one’s visit at the Festival and assessing the level of satisfaction. One of the novelties of this year’s edition were the crowdfunding points with proximity card readers - following the example of foreign science festivals, we encouraged people to financially support our event there. Information points were a significant element of the corridors at the ŚFN. Not only did the speakers and organized groups register there, but you could also get all the essential information there. The special information points were also located in the main hall.

SCHOOL ZONE The next edition of the Festival of Secondary Education, Grab your job, organised by the Katowice City Hall, was held for the first time on a mezzanine at Spodek. The participants could see different shows prepared by pupils who talked about their passions and skills at over 30 stands. p. 7

Małgorzata Pabian The magazine of students of the University of Silesia

The grand opening gala of the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE 4th Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE was solemnly inaugurated on January 25, 2020 in the Stanisław Wyspiański Silesian Theatre in Katowice. The opening gala was not only an official commencement of this year’s edition of the Festival, but it was also full of attractions and prizes awarded to people who contributed to various branches of knowledge.

The guests were welcomed by the host, Dr Tomasz Rożek, and Dr Primo, a good spirit of the University of Silesia. After introducing representatives of universities that contributed to the organization of the Festival, authorities from ministries, voivodeship, and the city, and fans of knowledge, Dr Tomasz Rożek conducted an inspiring conversation with a special guest, Seth Shostak, American astronomer working on the SETI program, and a populariser of science. The scientist responsible for efforts to discover new civilisations in the universe provided the audience with a behind-the-scenes account of his work and answered the most frequently asked questions about the studies of cosmos. Apart from the conversation, there was also a quiz in which the guests of the gala could participate. Thanks to the Kahoot app, they had an opportunity to test their knowledge through answering questions concerning astrophysics.

The next point of the gala was a performance of the Cieszyn Brass Band of the University of Silesia under the baton of Karol Pyka PhD. The band, which was responsible for the musical setting of the event, played I still haven’t found what I’m looking for by U2 for the special guest.

Then, the Silesia Scientific Awards were awarded to one person of each of the chosen public universities in the Silesian Voivodeship. Some of the winners were prof. Maciej Pieprzyca - film director and a lecturer at the Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School of the University of Silesia, Assoc. Prof. Eng. Dawid Janas from the Silesian University of Technology, Prof. Wojciech Wojakowski, Ph.D. a lecturer at the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Assoc. Prof. Janusz Kapuśniak Professor at UJD vice-rector for education and international cooperation of Jan Długosz University in Częstochowa, Dr Michał Wilk from the Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education in Katowice, Assoc. Prof. Eng. Ryszard Fryczkowski Professor of ATH from the University of Bielsko-Biała, and Prof. Irma Kozina, Ph.D. Professor of ASP – a lecturer of the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice. As far as the graduate students are concerned, the winners were Andrzej Dzienia Msc. Eng. from the University of Silesia in Katowice, and the special award was given to Katarzyna Turoń MSc. Eng. a graduate student at the Silesian University of Technology. The part of the gala during which the Silesia Scientific Awards were given was hosted by Ewa Niewiadomska - director of the Culture Editorial Office at the Polish Radio Katowice.

After the winners were awarded, Prof. Ryszard Koziołek, the General Director of the Silesia Science Festival, the Vice-Rector for Education and Student Affairs of the University of Silesia, took the floor. In his speech, he paid special attention to the scientific history of the region.

He emphasized that often we do not appreciate our local universities and the multiplicity of research facilities and institutions that popularise science in the Silesian Voivodeship, comparing to cities such as Kraków

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and Wrocław. At the same time, the Dąbrowa Basin and Silesia are areas inseparably tied not only to industry, but also to technical and artistic development.

The last point of the opening gala was the spectacle Radiance: The Passion of Marie Curie directed by Robert Talarczyk, the director of the Stanisław Wyspiański Silesian Theatre in Katowice. The author of the original version of the spectacle is Alan Alda, who created a scenic

version of certain moments of the life of Maria Skłodowska-Curie for the purposes of the World Science Festival in New York, which cooperates with the ŚFN. Similarly to the original version, the Polish adaptation of the spectacle shows from behind the scenes the life of one of the most important researchers and scientists in history, who among others, developed the concept of radioactivity and discovered new elements - polonium and radium. The spectacle depicts turbulent and inspiring events from the life of the scientist - from being awarded the first Nobel Prize in physics and the death of her husband to the second Nobel Prize but that time in chemistry. Honouring Skłodowska-Curie was marked by a scandal of her affair with Paul Langevin. The intimate spectacle with minimalistic stage setting expressed well the motto of the 4th edition of the Silesia Science Festival KATOWICE - Science is closer. Radiance: The Passion of Marie Curie brings closer the unknown aspects of the life of the Polish Nobel Prize Winner, whose achievements are often known better than her private life.

The Gala opened one the most important science festivals in Poland and Europe.

Piotr Kaszuba Organization Office of the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE

OFF & POP – competitions at the festival OFF Science competition – The Review of Garage Inventions The Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE invariably promotes the specific technical culture, which occupies an extremely important place in the technical tradition of Silesia and Dąbrowa Basin. In order to celebrate that, the OFF Science competition has been organized for the third time. On the first day of the Festival, amateur inventors demonstrated their original constructions, ideas and concepts.

The winners were selected from among 11 inventions in three categories. Before the Festival began, the readers of Dziennik Zachodni (Western Journal) had cast their votes in an online poll. The verdict of the next category was in the hands of an audience gathered in the Municipal Arts Centre, which could see the submitted works with their own eyes, and then choose the best one by dropping a ping-pong ball into the glass urn. Among the visitors of the OFF Science zone we could see the members of the Competition Committee (consisting of: Arkadiusz Gorzawski, Łukasz Lamża, Wiktor Niedzicki and Tomasz Rożek), who decided to award the prize after a heated discussion.

WINNERS OF THE OFF SCIENCE COMPETITION: Competition Committee Award – Oskar Makowski (Innovative Model of Biodegradationof Styrofoam Waste Using Zophobas Morio Larvae) Festival Audience Award – Kamil Kaliński, Tomasz Płóciennik and Filip Tomczyk (Humanoid Robot NEO) Dziennik Zachodni Readers’ Award – Adam Dobek and Dariusz Dobek (Electric Bicycle)

POP Science competition The POP Science competition addressed to the popularisers of science took place for the first time as part of the ŚFN KATOWICE. The aim of the initiative is to honour people and projects that significantly help in spreading scientific and popular science knowledge to the widest possible audience.

In the first stage of the competition anyone could put up their candidates in relevant categories. From among 65 submissions the jury nominated 6 people/initiatives in each category. The winners were selected by Internet users who casted their votes via ŚFN website.

The interest in the competition was huge - with total number of 20,586 votes.

WINNERS OF THE POP SCIENCE COMPETITION: In national categories: Videoblog: “Attention! Scientific Babble” (the channel of Dawid Myśliwiec) Blog or website: “Crazy Science” (the blog of Aleksandra and Piotr Stanisławski) Podcast or radio show: „Homo Science” (the radio show of Aleksandra and Piotr Stanisławski) In local categories (in the area of Silesian voivodeship): Think globally, act locally – scientist and/or university lecturer: Prof. Piotr Skubała, Ph.D. Think globally, act locally – resident of the Silesian voivodeship: Dr Ryszard Kulik

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Tomasz Rożek Ambassador of the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE

On the other side of space The search for extra-terrestrial life is still one of the most fascinating mysteries. One can believe in the existence of an alien, intelligent civilization or not, but some people do not settle for assumptions, so they attempt to contact it. We found out how such attempts are carried out and what they can bring into in the world at the opening gala of the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE, when Dr Tomasz Rożek talked to Seth Shostak - an American astronomer and the President of the SETI Programme.

Imagine a situation when you tell your first lecturer or high school science teacher that you want to base your future career on searching for “little green people”. How would this person react?

They would definitely fail me for that (laughter). When I was attending high school, no one has really thought about “little green people” for real.

Comic book artists and science-fiction filmmakers (in fact more fiction rather than science) have probably thought about it, but at some point you also came up with this idea - I mean, why not? - “let’s search for an intelligent life in the universe”. When did that happen?

When I was much younger I went to the cinema every week, mainly to watch science-fiction movies. In most of them, visitors from extra-terrestrial civilisations would appear and people got interested in them. Maybe it’s like watching wildlife documentaries - we prefer to watch movies about predators rather than squirrels. We are more curious about large animals, such as sharks or tigers that could easily eat us. So maybe that’s why our attitude is to get interested in visitors from outer space that could somehow interact with us. They could be our competitors or potential partners.

You were the President of SETI programme who was not so much looking for any life in the universe (which today is no longer a great scientific controversy - NASA very often sends rovers and probes into space for this purpose), but an intelligent life that may want to contact us. At what point did this become real science, and not a source of amusement in the scientific community?

I’m a little worried that people can still think about it jokingly, because if it actually was a joke then why would I be invited to the Festival?

It must be made very clear to everybody that we have never found any hard evidence of extra-terrestrial life - whether in a very primitive or more sophisticated form. NASA, as well as other space agencies

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(e.g. European Space Agency) is looking for this life throughout the solar system. However, it is known that if such life existed, it would probably be very primitive and the individuals would be small-sized, so they could only be seen using microscope. Certainly, the search for life in space is not funny. The research conducted in the last 25 years has shown that in our galaxy there are billions of possibilities for finding life on individual planets, and there are billions more galaxies in our universe. Of course, if the Earth turned out to be the only place where life exists, it would be a miracle. It can be a miracle if we don’t find any scientific explanation for this.

I don’t want to be misunderstood - I don’t think this is a joke at all.

All I know is that not so long ago, many scientists with PhD degrees considered the SETI project as some kind of extravagance, it wasn’t taken too seriously.

This is a very European approach. Let’s look at it from this point of view - the money that is spent on the SETI project is actually less than the amounts spent on cat food in Poland. The SETI Programme is managed by a number of people in the whole world that would fit into one row in the theatre. But now let’s go back to whether it’s really science. Of course, there is a very conservative approach to science that has been going on for the last 500 years and which is still in practice. It looks a little different from atomic physics, because in science we have hypotheses which we either confirm or deny. This hypothesis [concerning extra-terrestrial life - ed.] cannot be denied at present, even if we don’t find any aliens, but it does not mean that they don’t exist. Let’s look at this as on exploratory actions which are always worth taking.

There’s no doubt about it. Please tell us briefly how the exploratory actions work when it comes to the SETI Programme.

Of course, it’s not like we’re going to do it as NASA does it, by sending a spacecraft or a probe to see if there’s life on Mars, at Jupiter’s or

Saturn’s moons. Here, we are searching for a signal that would confirm the existence of a civilisation, life with the level of intelligence of an average inhabitant of Kraków.

reporter asked: “What are the signals you’re receiving?”. In New York they already knew about it. I can assure you that if the signal were to come, we certainly wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret and we are told not to do so. We would read about in the newspapers the morning after.

What do you use to listen then?

We try to listen to signals. Mainly these are radio signals, maybe because the radio was invented on Earth prior to lasers. We direct the right antennas to individual locations in the universe, where star systems occur, from which such signals could come.

What do you wish to scientists who search for an intelligent life outside the Earth - finding or searching? I guess there is no rule…

My job depends on the funds that allow me to search…(laughter).

Of course, we want to find extra-terrestrial life.

Does SETI have their own antennas or rents scientific devices from other institutions?

We have two options. We either use existing antennas which are used for radio astronomy, or we use our own set of 42 antennas that we built in northern California.

On the other hand, you will definitely raise more funds once you find something.

Yes, definitely (laughter). There are theories that life on Mars exists, only NASA doesn’t want to talk about it. And yet nothing would increase their budget faster than actually finding life on Mars.

Professor Frank Drake, one of the founders of SETI once said that finding alien life would change everything. I wonder what specifically it could really change, except for purely philosophical or perhaps theological issues. Especially if we are looking for it on planets that are so far away from us that we won’t fly to them anyway.

You may be right, that’s possible. Let’s look at Darwin’s theory - it hasn’t changed our everyday life either. We didn’t refuse to go to work the next day just because there was an evolution theory in a form of a book. However, this somehow affects society and its attitude, e.g. in countries with a high interest in religion, thinking about the theory can reformulate it. Besides, there is another thing - if we read such a signal, the information would reach us in a way that is understandable, it would surely come from a society that is more advanced than ours.

Perhaps we could learn a lot from them.

I’m surprised why they haven’t found anything yet.

That’s a great question: why haven’t we found anything yet? I even wrote a book about it. Maybe it’s that they deliberately sit quietly, because they believe it would be dangerous if someone found out about it. It may also be that the life is simply not there. Let’s imagine that if we found a new continent in the southern hemisphere, Australia, and thought there’s no life in it, it would be radical thinking. But I assume that we haven’t really found anything yet because of insufficient technology.

In the next 20 years the technology will be much better, it already is, and it will certainly allow us to extend our searches.

Has anyone ever wondered in SETI what would happen if we actually found an alien civilisation? Do you have e.g. a folder titled “Open if we find extra-terrestrial, intelligent life” with instructions on what to do next?

We have such protocols prepared in SETI. They were written by an international organization which I was the president of, but they in fact don’t change much. We had some false alarms when we thought we had finally found the signal. Of course, there are assumptions that if such signal occurred, the government would decide: “we won’t talk about it” - at least in the United States there is an approach that behind everything there’s a conspiracy. But everyone who knows my country is aware that nothing can be kept a secret there. When we thought we had finally found the signal, I was waiting for a red phone call from the President. But I didn’t answer any phone call like that. I thought that maybe some representative would call me, but they didn’t do so. Even my mother didn’t call! (laughter) No one called. Everyone kept quiet for six hours. Then we received a call from the “New York Times”. The

Speaking of computers, you mean that there are some patterns in the already registered signals that haven’t been discovered yet because of the fact that computers are not equipped with sufficiently strong computing power?

Of course, that’s not the point. It is hard to imagine that extra-terrestrial civilisations send signals into space, not bearing in mind that transmitters can be useful. Such pattern arrangement in signals would be difficult to find, because at the moment we are unable to read these patterns. We can only say that for a short period of time something is being sent and something is received by us on short wavelength.

Once I saw a meme saying that the only proof of intelligence of alien civilisations is that they don’t contact us. You basically said that it’s possible - aliens are very intelligent and developed, and they are fully aware of the fact that we live on a blue planet in the solar system and look for them, but they just stay quiet because they don’t want to have anything to do with us.

Yeah, that’s an interesting idea (laughter)! We think of ourselves quite selfishly as being the centre of the world. Are we so important that they are curious about us? I wouldn’t agree with that.

SETH SHOSTAK An American astronomer working at the SETI Institute, where he explores the possibilities of connecting with extra-terrestrial civilisations. He popularizes science in his radio programmes Big Picture Science and Are we alone? and as a scientific editor of the magazine “The Explorer”. He is a book author of i.e. Confessions of an Alien Hunter: A Scientist’s Search for Extra-terrestrial Intelligence (2009).

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Piotr Kaszuba Organization Office of the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE

The festival in the eyes of the ambassadors A unique role at the Festival is played by its ambassadors, who throughout the year are involved in organizational works, give valuable guidance, participate in promotional activities, and popularize science during the event itself. Let’s find out what are their impressions after the 4th edition of ŚFN KATOWICE. If you haven’t seen a horde of people coming out of the crowded Tokyo subway, you had a chance to see a wave of guests coming to the 4th Silesian Science Festival in Katowice. The view was equally unforgettable. Children, teens and adults were climbing up the stairs to the lecture halls and the main hall. Everyone was fascinated about learning new things and gaining exciting experiences.

This is the fourth time that I’ve been fascinated by the atmosphere of the Festival. This is not only due to the amazing location - the International Congress Centre or thanks to the lecturers and speakers, who’ve shared their knowledge with us - it’s a result of a huge effort of the staff of the University of Silesia and its entire agglomeration - from the Rector of the University, who spent few hours a day to support their colleagues, to the team of Prof. Ryszard Koziołek and more than 200 volunteers. If it wasn’t for them, the children who got lost wouldn’t have found their parents and not everyone would’ve been able to satisfy their need of acquiring knowledge in such luxurious conditions.

ARKADIUSZ GORZAWSKI s. 26

Particle accelerator physicist, software engineer in European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).

When I close my eyes and think about this year’s Festival, I see all kinds of images. Incredible pictures of deep-sea fish shown by Russel Arnott mix in my head with the presentation on introvert narwhals, which was presented by an artificial intelligence system with a lovely name AIDA. That was a real scientific mixture - sometimes even literally explosive - which can be confirmed by the presenters at one stand who burned right through the table top of their desk during one of their experiments.* I will definitely remember the crowd of the visitors, which was almost twice as big as last year, even though the weather did not encourage us to leave our houses. During the last lecture on the main stage the speaker said something that best describes the Festival: science is art.

It can delight and stir up extreme emotions at the same time. This year I felt that the science is closer to me than ever before. *Fortunately, everything ended without majors issues and the desk was replaced with a new one.

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WIKTOR NIEDZICKI Radio and television journalist, academic lecturer.

Author of the programme “Laboratory”.

The Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE is an event that brings you closer to the science and presents it in an interesting and often funny way.

It’s one of those events I always look forward to, and it still surprises me every year, not only with the number of topics, but also with an amazing atmosphere. The availability and variety of the speakers means that everyone can find something for themselves. The range of topics discussed, the level and the versatility of speeches place this festival among the top European festivals. You can feel the science every step of the way.

I’m glad that the number of visitors was so great this year. It’s wonderful to see so many fascinating people with strong appetite for knowledge.

I’ve recommended the Festival to everyone, even those who claim not to be interested in science, and I will continue to do so. ŚFN is an event that brings various scientific fields into a harmonious whole and is available for everyone and at one’s fingertips.

JAROSŁAW JUSZKIEWICZ Journalist of the Polish Radio Katowice, collaborates with Silesian Planetarium.

Polish voice on Google Maps. s. 26

TOMASZ ROŻEK s. 26

Scientific journalist, physicist. Author of such books as: Science – as simple as that (2011). Host of the channel “Science. I like that”.

The Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE is developing at a truly Olympic pace. Now, after the 4th edition, it is safe to say that it is one of the biggest events promoting science in Poland. I’m particularly pleased that in such a short time the ŚFN managed to develop their own unique style, similar to a relaxed, dynamic and slightly chaotic atmosphere of technological fairs or fantasy conventions rather than static, orderly conferences or exhibitions.

The impact is remarkable: the participants entering the exhibition hall are drawn into a colourful, fascinating and diverse world, not forming a single coherent unit - but that’s how science works. What is more is that there are so many stands, activities, lectures and accompanying events that you leave ŚFN wanting more. And that’s great, because when you experience the feeling of “insufficiency”, you’re hungry for more. It is difficult for me to imagine a better form of a science festival, and I’m proud that I can be part of this event.

I wanted to say that it was great. But it’s not enough. It was great the first time. The second time - sensational. Last year was more than awesome. This year? I’m speechless. I’ve been wondering what’s going to happen next year, during the fifth edition of the Festival.

I know all the major science festivals in Poland. I’m also familiar with a few foreign ones. The Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE is a class of its own. It sets standards and puzzles everyone who thought that Poland was not ready for this.

What tells us that the Festival was a success? The visitors, and the fact that every year there’s more of us. What about the sight of the children playing with science and the adults listening to the lectures with rapt attention? That’s the best advertisement and the best payback for those who got involved in the organisation of this event one way or another. See you next year.

ŁUKASZ LAMŻA s. 26

Scientific journalist, natural philosopher. Member of the editorial board of Tygodnik Powszechny (General Weekly) and of Copernicus Centre UJ.

OTHER AMBASSADORS OF THE 4th SILESIAN SCIENCE FESTIVAL KATOWICE: PIOTR BARON Journalist, presenter of the Polish Radio Programme 3

MAREK HUCZ Filmmaker, youtuber, member of the Film Group ‘Darwin’

JAN JURKOWSKI Filmmaker, youtuber, member of the Film Group ‘Darwin’

KATARZYNA KŁOSIŃSKA Linguist, President of the Council for the Polish Language

AGATA KOŁODZIEJCZYK Neuroscientist, astrobiologist

NICOLE STOTT NASA Astronaut, artist

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Monika Szafrańska Organization Office of the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE

Don’t be scared, it’s science "If science, technology and inventiveness did not ask themselves important questions - how and why, it would lead to a nightmare, a disaster. It seems that we have freed the great story of advancement from doubt or metaphysical questions, thereby getting rid of some sort of safety in the form of humanities” - said one of the special guests of the Festival, Prof. Tadeusz Sławek, referring to Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels.

Often what interests us, seems to be the most important thing for us, because it’s close to our beliefs. The harmony in the world, where we are both guests and hosts, only exists if all the elements appearing in it are in the right proportion. There’s only one science, but there are plenty of disciplines within it - some are closer to each other and some are further apart, but they are equally important. Therefore, the 4th edition of Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE was an excellent opportunity to look at how much science wants to open up to the cooperation within its own particular fields. The special guests invited were prepared for meetings with Festival participants, who were eager to ask not only easy, but difficult questions as well. What did they talk about?

Experiments in Social Psychology Dr Tomasz Witkowski a psychologist, writer and educator pointed out to how vulnerable we are to what other people say. He made a reference to Solomon Asch’s experiment, conducted in 1955, in which the participants were shown two boards - one with vertically located section of certain length and the second with three sections of different length.

Out of eight people involved, seven were planted, and only one actually examined (everyone had eighteen attempts each). The question was simple: which section is the same as the one on the board? The participants answered incorrectly. What could the eighth person think? “Is there something wrong with me or with them? It’s logical”. Not necessarily!

The experiment has shown how people can be influenced by the group.

Most people when answering questions were considering their own opinions, but there were also those who subordinated their answers to the group (at least once or always). Conformists, however, were a minority. Dr Witkowski then analysed twenty textbooks, and only one of them mentioned the vast majority of respondents who gave answers independent of their group. Sixteen out of twenty textbooks contained information on 75% of respondents who submitted to their group. It’s not difficult to notice how this tendency reveals in our environment.

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We need to pay close attention to what we are given, and what we look at, see and observe. A man can be influenced by others, but he is not a puppet.

Gender difference and language logic Prof. Katarzyna Kłosińska, linguist and researcher at the Language Observatory of the Institute of the Polish Language at the University of Warsaw, asked whether feminine forms are troubling, or even whether we should be afraid of them. We have to bear in mind that there are no unified rules for using or creating them, the only thing we know is that there are some dependencies. For example, we won’t say minister and ministra (suggestion: ministerka), because we don’t say lekarz and lekara (we say lekarka) or dziennikarz and dziennikara (the proper form, however, is dziennikarka). All forms come along with the need, but the discussion about the relationship between gender and language has been going on

since the beginning of the last century. This is dependent on, e.g. social roles that were and are indeed subject to changes, especially in the 20th century. In 1904 the readers of “Language Guide” protested “against violating the Polish language and combining female last names with the title of dr (doktor) instead of drka (doktorka).” Since the equivalent of a Latin doctor is a Polish doktor, women wanted to use that name. They perceived female forms as deprecating, because they were bringing too much attention to gender, rather than the profession or the function.

However, in 1911 it was considered that the only reason women write lekarz dentysta is “the lack of civil courage to admit that she is a woman, the shame of their femininity and impersonation of men.” The second argument was presented mostly by men. The discussion took place until the 1930s, and women protested against the usage of feminine forms so as not to accentuate gender. After the war there was a mass masculinization of the names of professions, particularly the prestigious and high-ranking ones, whereas now the spreading view is that forms lacking in the exponent of femininity are deprecating women. The issue turns out to be of a world outlook nature, so it is certainly worth listening to the whole lecture of prof. Kłosińska, which also contains information on the character of changes that have occurred regarding feminine forms, in the Polish language grammar over the last decades.

going as it must be? Maybe it’s not? That’s just a few of many interesting lectures of our Polish special guests at the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE. The speakers complemented each other, making the presentation of science even more coherent and interdisciplinary. Kamil Śliwiński asked, for example, what art has to do with science. Dr Agata Kołodziejczyk, specialist in neuroscience and astrobiology, talked about the SPACE 4.0 era, whereas prof. Wiesław Nowiński focused on i.e. the human brain. So many topics and disciplines, but only one science. Isn’t it fascinating?

POLISH SPECIAL GUESTS AT 4th ŚFN KATOWICE (in alphabetical order): Edwin Bendyk - journalist, publicist, writer, the Head of Scientific Department of Politics (Polityka); Prof. Jerzy Bralczyk - linguist and normative grammarian, professor of humanities; Prof. Jerzy Buzek - politician, engineer, chemist, professor of technical sciences, former Polish Prime Minister and the President of the European Parliament; Anna Cieplak - culture animator, activist and writer; Krzysztof Humeniuk - youtuber, watches enthusiast; Anna Kamińska - writer, author of biographies;

About the impossible Have people declared war against nature? Edwin Bendyk, journalist, publicist and the Head of the Scientific Department of the magazine Politics (Polityka), asked such question referring to, among others, Greta Thunberg, the term catastrophism and the concept of climate depression (deep uncertainty about the future). The speaker also mentioned the principle of hope, which sees the possibility of dreaming of a better world and constructing it with political methods. It was once referred to by the German philosopher Hans Jonas, who said that in today’s world we need a principle of responsibility. With the development of technology there is a risk that must not be ignored. At the same time the question arises (linked to the heuristics of fear): if there is an acceptable risk that particular technology will get out of hand, is it better to give up on it or continue with its development?

Aleksandra Kardaś - atmospheric physicist, educator; Kamila Kielar - traveller; Dariusz Kortko - journalist at Gazeta Wyborcza in Katowice, writer; Dr Andrzej Kruszewicz - vet, ornithologist; Zbigniew Libera - artist, photographer; Krystian Machnik - founder of the group Napromieniowani.pl, organizer of expeditions to the so-called restricted zones; Aleksander Małachowski (Hashtagalek) - architectural photographer; Wojciech Małecki - architect; Dr Mikołaj Marcela - writer, academic lecturer, pop culture researcher; Mikołaj “Mikser” Mędrzyk - rapper, poet, philosopher; Paulina Mikuła - vlogger, propagator of knowledge about Polish language; Assoc. Prof. Marcin Napiórkowski - culture semiotician, myth researcher, publicist; Weronika Nowakowska - olympic medallist at biathlon world championships;

About the foundations of the world The topic of quantum physics was raised by Dr Łukasz Lamża, nature philosopher and scientific journalist, a graduate of the University of Silesia, associated, among others, with the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Cracow, Copernicus Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in the Jagiellonian University, as well as with the magazine Tygodnik Powszechny. He brought up the following questions: How does it really work? What exists in the world of quantums? What do physicists observe? What is observation? Does the quantum wave function really exist in the world we live in? (In order to observe it, it is worth watching Dr Lamża’s full lecture). The speaker demonstrated e.g. a mathematical “recipe” for the black hole. This equation contains the concept of singularity. And further questions arise at this point: does every mathematical object have to be a physical object which has its realization in the real world? Some time ago, one of the black holes was registered. Now imagine an equation with such singularity (at ground zero). Is it completely the same as the object that represents them? Let’s say we have an equation in which some parameters go to infinity. As a mathematician, we can play with this type of singularity, but does this mean that when we remove it from the equation it disappears into the world too? Absolutely not!

The concept of world determinism raises another question: is everything

Prof. Wiesław Nowiński - scholar, innovator, entrepreneur, creator of atlases of the human brain; Dr Tomasz Orłowski - historian, diplomat, expert in diplomatic protocol; Antoni Piechniczek - former football player, coach and manager of the Polish national team; Marcin Popkiewicz - megatrends analyst, journalist, among others, of the website “Science on climate” Mikołaj Sokół - sports journalist, Formula One racing commentator Aleksandra and Piotr Stanisławscy (Crazy Science) - popular science journalists; Prof. Tadeusz Sławek - literary scholar, English teacher, academic lecturer, translator, poet; Kamil Śliwiński - researcher of Zdzisław Beksiński’s work; Łukasz Wilczyński - President of the European Space Foundation, originator of the European Rover Challenge Project; Dr Tomasz Witkowski - psychologist, writer, populariser of science; Agnieszka Wojciechowska - medical chemist, pharmaceutical technician, youtuber; Assoc. Prof. Urszula Zajączkowska - poet, botanist, video artist.

Lectures by special guests of ŚFN are available on YouTube, Internet Television of the University of Silesia (UŚ TV) (www.youtube.com/telewizjaus).

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Katarzyna Gubała Organization Office of the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE

Builders of the future Dr Victoria Simms from Ulster University in Belfast, developmental psychologist, is particularly interested in changes in child’s thinking. She also studies cognitive and educational development of children who were born prematurely. At the 4th Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE she represented the Northern Ireland Science Festival and delivered a lecture entitled “What do children think about?” She talked about the latest research, which helps her understand what actually happens inside the brain of a child.

She also presented the analysis of our current knowledge on infant development.

If we analyse the first two years of a child’s life, we will notice significant changes in the number of synapses in its brain. A three-year old child has twice as many synaptic connections as an adult. This is because the brain develops with age and becomes more efficient.

- That is why this stage is crucial in child’s development process - she highlighted and added that current research suggests an essential role of genes in brain development, but the environment is also extremely important.

- So how do we know what babies think? If we had lived in the 17th century and talked to the British philosopher John Locke, he would have told us that an infant has nothing in its brain, its mind is a clean piece of paper. A lot has changed since then, we know a lot more about what children think, and we know that Locke was wrong. We have very complex methods that can help us understand that - said Dr Simms.

As we all perfectly know, children get bored very often.

- When a child sees the face of a man, who repeats: “ba, ba, ba…”, after some time it gets bored and looks the other way. When this person says something else, the child will hear the difference between the sounds and will get interested again. In order to do that, it must have some understanding of what is going on in front of its eyes - she explained.

She referred to the research carried out by Andrew N. Meltzoff and M. Keith Moore in 1977, who wanted to analyse whether infants had the ability to imitate.

- An American psychologist Meltzoff evaluated whether children aged 12-21 days would mimic his face expressions. Why is it so important?

The research results show that the imitation process is the basis for communication between adults and children. When we approach someone and smile, we hope that this person smiles back. This is the beginning of communication between people. If the person doesn’t smile, maybe we would take a step back, and we would not want to talk to that person anymore. The imitation of behaviour is therefore very important for communication. Meltzoff suggested that a 12-day-old child already has the ability to imitate - as Simms noticed. Imitation at such a small age is important, because it allows for development of other, more complex behaviours. As an example, Dr Simms showed the participants of the

4th ŚFN KATOWICE a video, in which you could see her few-month-old daughter following her father’s hand movement. The girl rests her eyes on his hand, which is pointing out to an animal. Then, she repeats the movement and points out to an item she wants her father to look at.

- That’s a great example of imitation, which transforms into something more complex, and that is a transmission of a message - she pointed out. She also showed an experiment, in which a child aged 5-6 months is shown to a board with two dots. The infant looks at it for a while, but after some time it gets bored. Then, the board changes into the one with three dots.

- The child immediately shows a keen interest in the new board!

It sees the difference between two and three dots. This means that we have some kind of a system that allows us to combine words with each other and with images. We also know that small children learn from something they don’t expect, something surprising - explained Dr Simms. She emphasized that the skills that children are born with, are very important. Parents should focus on the baby’s development from the very first days of its life.

- As a mother of a small child, I’m interested in something we could call an intense motherhood. It is worth remembering that the more information we give to a child, the better it will develop in the future, it will be smarter. In such intense parenthood, the parents can be perceived as the builders of their children’s future. The children have an innate ability to learn - concluded Dr Victoria Simms.

VICTORIA SIMMS Developmental psychologist, works at Ulster University in Belfast (Northern Ireland).

Particularly interested in changes in the child's thinking over time.

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Mikołaj Sokół Special guest of the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE

Seasoning science Science is not a concept that is associated only in a positive way. It does not tempt young people, and the older generations have long since forgot boring formulas, equations, elements (chemical and mathematical), theorems or the construction of a paramecium. No wonder, because theory itself has nothing to do with the practical use of scientific achievements and knowledge accumulated since the beginning of history. The key, as in efficient marketing, is packaging - and referring to cooking analogy: the right seasoning for science, so that it becomes easily digestible.

I regret that I discovered this great "cuisine" in Upper Silesia so late.

It is rare for me to feel after an event - obviously because of my profession - motor sport related - that its duration was definitely too short, and it was not enough for me to fully enjoy the organizers' proposals. I can count only few such cases and now I am happy to add to this list the Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE. The diversity of topics is particularly noteworthy - both those raised during lectures or separate meetings, as well as those proposed at countless stands in the main hall. From the sciences to the humanities, from the conquest of space to the corners of the human brain, from global warming to electromobility. Anybody wants to talk to a philosopher or improve your business English skills? There you go. Here, students present the racing cars they build, dreaming of working in Formula 1 teams, and there, kids and generally people from 2 to 102 years old stare at an impressive model of an electric train. On one of the scenes two warriors fight with medieval weapons, and on another one we can see a vision of people's journey to Mars in the next decade. At one of the tables you can train your grey matter at "analogue" games, a step further there are colourful

flames and clouds of smoke coming out of the tubes, and right next to it you can find out what awful additives are added by food producers to their products - and we, more or less unconsciously, eat them.

Science has many faces and bringing together so many of them in one place makes it possible to appreciate the enormity of human achievements and makes you wonder what else is possible. Taking the stodgy theory out of sleepy classrooms makes you open your eyes wide and simply shows you how the world works. If at least a small percentage of younger visitors feel a surge of passion for one of the branches of science after such close contact, it is safe to say that in addition to entertainment, an important mission will be fulfilled: to attract new adepts, some of which may transform into some serious brainboxes in due time.

Such a wide range of attractions would be of no use if it were not for the proper way of presenting them and efficient organization. This is another strong pillar of the event. The only question that remains is: what will the organizers surprise us with next year? The expectation bar has been set at a very high level, and the fifth edition is a small jubilee, so they need to prepare something even better…

MIKOŁAJ SOKÓŁ A journalist, TV commentator, Formula 1 expert. He translates the industry monthly GP Racing into Polish and cooperates with Rzeczpospolita and Auto Moto Technique, among others. He publishes articles on his own website “Falcon’s eye”.

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Agnieszka Sikora Organization Office of the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE

First of all, I listen to people One of the guests of the 4th Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE was Marc Elsberg - an Austrian writer, author of scientific thrillers. His bestsellers include the novels Blackout, Zero, Helisa and his latest book Greed. Agnieszka Sikora talked to the author about the visions of the future and reflections on human nature shown in his books..

In your books you write about all kinds of problems of the modern world, but mainly about the threats of new technologies and even the progress that is connected with the development of science. These hypothetical scenarios in your novels turn into a global crisis and chaos. Where do you draw inspiration and knowledge from?

I write about things I find interesting, and people may not know much about the subject. When I wrote Blackout, it turned out that even the leaders of many countries were not aware of some of the problems I described there. When prepare myself for a new book, I not only talk to people, but above all listen to them a lot. I think many experts want to share their knowledge, but not everyone wants to listen to them and

understand what they want to say. There was a funny situation when an older man approached me at one of the meetings with readers - it turned out that he was an engineer who had worked in his profession for 35 years. He told me that all this time he was trying to explain to his wife what he was doing and only after she had read my book she understood. Of course, sometimes it also happens that experts and scientists cannot tell you about their research or discoveries. It's easier for me now, people know that I take every subject seriously and that when I write about something, I don't just present one point of view. I want the experts I talk to, to be sure that I will not use this information for bad purposes, and I will not misrepresent what they tell me. I think they have more confidence in me now.

After reading Blackout people can ask themselves a question how they would behave in the situations presented in the novel. Are humans really so evil that in extreme situations their dark side starts to take control over them?

Such extreme moments show the true colours of a man, that is, what is best and the worst in them. While collecting materials for the book, I was looking for similar situations that happened in the real world to see how people behave in similar circumstances. However, such events did not happen on a global scale in our recent history, but they took place in a small area, for example in the USA after Hurricane Katrina. When the American government did not send help to some areas for a week, dramatic events took place there. What did we learn about ourselves from this example? There were people shooting at black people, but also people helping each other - helping children who lost their parents, the elderly whose homes were flooded. My reflection is that it is only up to us how we want to behave. We always have a choice.

Have you heard about Professor Philip Zimbardo and his famous prison experiment? It consisted in simulating a prison with fictional

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prisoners, guards and director. The research project was to study the psychological effects of simulating prison life. The experiment was stopped because all the participants were increasingly getting into their roles, committed acts of aggression, and even Zimbardo himself later confessed that he behaved more like a prison director than a researcher conducting a scientific experiment.

Yes, I know about this experiment. This is a good example to show us that if we are in a particular community, in contact with other people, we tend to behave as we are told to behave. But throughout this study, people had a choice. It's always up to us. But it is possible that when we are in a very extreme situation that threatens our lives, we only care about our own survival. In different cultures there are "superheroes" who sacrifice their lives for others - Jesus Christ is such an example - but not everyone can behave like this. They are of course role models, but it is always difficult to predict how a person would behave in an extreme situation. When I had to do my military service after school, I worked in the Red Cross. I was trained, but before the first accident I didn't know how I would behave if someone lost consciousness, was bleeding and needed help. I was very afraid of, for example, fainting myself and not being able to help. However, you can only be certain of your reaction when you find yourself in such a situation. Fortunately, I was able to do it, I noticed that I work like a robot, I cut off from my emotions, I don't think too much, I just do the right thing.

The motif of designing children in Helisa is very interesting.

Do we really want to have a perfect child? Where did you get that idea from?

The idea came from watching people around me. I don't have any children myself, but for the last 20 years I have been observing children in my family and of my friends and acquaintances. They went to expensive private schools, even learned Chinese at the age of 3, but if those parents could still do something for them, what would it be? If, for example, thanks to genetics, they could decide that a child needs less sleep to have more time to learn? I think we've already taken the first step in this direction, although of course it's not the designing of children I described in Helisa. There are already some defects in embryos being removed. An interesting example is also a project with Chinese children to make them HIV resistant. Very few people are naturally not susceptible to it and so far we do not know why. However, research has shown that people who have been immune to HIV since birth live statistically shorter than others. Genetics is a very complicated field and we are not able to tamper with everything. It may one day turn out that the same genes, which are responsible for one undesirable attribute or defect, are also responsible for some other skill.

What will be the future of a man? Will a human being ever become a hybrid? Are we going to leave our brains but replace all our organs?

Actually, we're already doing it. We're implanting artificial hips, knees. It's only a matter of time before we implant artificial organs like lungs or kidneys.

Do you have an idea for a new book?

I'm working on a new novel, but I can't say anything about it.

MARC ELSBERG An Austrian writer, author of i.a. crime novels Das Prinzip Terz (2004), Menschen-teufel (2009) and Blackout: Tomorrow Will Be Too Late (2012).

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Monika Szafrańska Organization Office of the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE

They looked into our brains!

Foreign special guests (including representatives of the Northern Ireland Science Festival in Belfast), who visited the 4th Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE, delighted us with the unique selection of the topics of their performances. Together we set off into space and dived into the darkest depths of the ocean. We also studied mythology in search of werewolves, we became fascinated by the chemistry of love, and we experienced synaesthesia. All the performances had one common feature - they referred to the mystery of the human mind and its possibilities.

And these are infinite. But you have to have your head screwed on the right way and check what is true and what is false. Let's check it with a neuromyth - is a misinterpretation of real scientific discoveries. One of the examples is: a human being uses only 10% of his brain's potential. That's not true - according to Dr Victoria Simms (a graduate of the Queen's University Belfast, Heriota-Watt University and the University of Leicester), who is involved in developmental psychology. We always use 100 percent of our brain’s potential, although the individual parts of our mind are more or less responsible for selected functions at a particular moment. Another myth: do people learn better when they assimilate information in their preferred style (aural, visual, etc.)? Of course not.

Research has not shown any differences between different learning methods. Also, coordination exercises (e.g. touching the knee of the left leg with the right elbow) do not provide special benefits. The mind loves diversity - using all senses. Fortunately, we learn from our mistakes, but not only. The things we do right also give excellent feedback to our brain.

Do people like to be scared?

Imagine: night-time, silence, in the distance one can only hear the sound of leaves waving to the rhythm of Chopin's Sonata in B minor (Op. 35). And you, like a lone wolf, walk the lane leading through the city park.

A dog crosses your path, you hear a silent howl, turn your head, the light goes out, you see nothing. You stop and the summer night wind smacks your cheek with a cool breath. You swallow, having a conversation with your own mind: - Hey, buddy, you know what we haven't thought about in a while?

- It asks and adds: - About monsters.

Oh, I'd forget. Now you take off the virtual reality goggles you put on to have a little fun.

People need to be a little scared from time to time. We like to be scared, then adrenaline, cortisol and dopamine circulate in our veins.

Experiencing these feelings, of course reasonably, is a healthy training for body and mind, as Dr Declan McKenna (lecturer at the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Ulster in Coleraine) said during the Festival. That's why we decide to do a bungee jump, fall from a high cliff straight into the sea waves, letting our hair fall in the wind, or let ourselves be locked in an escape room called "The Night with the Striga".

We want to get scared in the safest way possible. Each of us is afraid of something different, but as human beings we are scared of what disturbs our harmony and is not a natural state for Homo sapiens - e.g. tiny, painfully biting and infecting our blood insects, vampires drinking our vital

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juices or animals directly from the Mariana Trench. Sometimes we are scared of blood. There's a warning sign in our brain - Houston, we have a problem. The blood should be inside, but it's gushing out freely.

What we hear also plays a big role. We don't like sounds outside our register, non-linear or distorted noises, such as rat squealing. Supposedly, the laughter of a child is one of the most beautiful sounds in the world.

Well, unless it's night-time, you lie in bed, and no child has ever been in your house before.

Visual impressions are extremely important, which is why the masks we see instead of a human face are so disturbing. From the day of our birth we learn to communicate non-verbally, including reading emotions, and this type of camouflage effectively makes it difficult. However, everything depends on how much we believe in what we see and what we fear (darkness, spiders, shadows or ghosts).

These stories suggest a basic conclusion: experience teaches us, and training is not so trivial. Since the human mind absorbs so much energy, it must be extremely important. Everything happens there. It is your mind which, by reading your body's signals, will be the first to tell you that you have fallen for someone. And sometimes all it takes to fall in love is one... fear that makes people come closer together to feel safe and comfortable. A perfect date? Cinema, popcorn and a horror movie.

In scary moments, you can grab each other’s hands. But first, make sure whose hand you're holding…

FOREIGN SPECIAL GUESTS 4th ŚFN KATOWICE (in alphabetical order): Russell Arnott – oceanographer, physicist, populariser of science; Marc Elsberg – Austrian writer, author of detective stories and thrillers; Alan Fitzsimmons – astrophysicist; Dr Jamie Gallagher – chemist, physicist, populariser of science; Emer Maguire – BBC radio presenter, populariser of science; Dr Declan McKenna – biomedical scientist, populariser of science; Dr Victoria Simms – developmental psychologist; Dr Seth Shostak – American astronomer associated with the SETI project; Daniel Tammet – a British autistic savant, exceptionally talented in linguistics and arithmetic; Dr Robert Zubrin – American aerospace engineer, writer.

Lectures by special guests of ŚFN are available on YouTube, Internet Television of the University of Silesia (UŚ TV) (www.youtube.com/telewizjaus).

Agnieszka Sikora Organization Office of the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE

Climate and Electromobility Zone The climate crisis needs a real change - above all a change in our way of thinking. What can be done to minimise the effects of global warming? How to prevent making the Earth a difficult place to live due to human activity? We tried to answer these and other questions in the Climate and Electromobility Zone, which was a special zone of the 4th Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE.

Not only could you see the vehicles of the future, i.e. environmentally and human friendly (e.g. electric cars and motorcycles or solar airplanes), but you could also see how, with the use of a balloon, scientists study the air of the cities of Metropolis GZM to prevent smog, and how to change our habits regarding urban transport.

In the Climate and Electromobility Zone there was also a climate scene, where interesting lectures and seminars were held, on the subject of e.g. greenery in cities (including the project of the so-called green architecture), chemical and geological processes taking place on heaps or the complexity of interactions between the marine environment and

Particularly noteworthy was the expert panel, which was attended by: Prof. Ryszard Koziołek - the General Director of the ŚFN, Vice-Rector for Education and Student Affairs of the University of Silesia, and Prof.

Piotr Skubała, Ph.D. (hosts) and Assoc. Prof. Urszula Zajączkowska, Sonia Draga, Edwin Bendyk and Marcin Popkiewicz. The speakers tried to answer e.g. such questions as: Why do we ignore scientific reports about global climate threats? What has happened to the social authority of scientists, why do we not listen to them? How to fix our world and what are the tasks of humanities in the face of climate and environmental crisis?

the atmosphere and the changes to which these relations are subject to in global warming.

The co-host of the Climate and Electromobility Zone was Metropolis GZM.

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Robert Jakubczak The magazine of students of the University of Silesia

Science. That's what I like Dr Tomasz Rożek is a person who did not leave the Festival even for a second. He hosted events on the main stage, gave a lecture and performed other tasks. I decided to talk to him and find out what he thinks about the 4th Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE. You are an ambassador of the Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE. How do you feel in this role?

On the one hand, I think that in this way the University of Silesia, where I studied, appreciates what I do, and it is important for each of us to feel that someone is interested in what we do. This is the first step to professional satisfaction. On the other hand, I think that the Festival itself is important. It is important that tens of thousands of people come to this event not because they have to, but because they want to, because they have fun here. Besides, the role of an ambassador gives me the opportunity to meet various people who come to the Festival, and this is very important for me.

What do you think about this event?

I have trouble judging it, because I remember the first, second and third edition of the Festival, and each subsequent edition seems even better, even bigger to me - i.e. more capacious in terms of the content.

And I don't know how to classify it, because I would write that the first one was great, the next one was awesome - but I don't know if awesome is more than great (laughter). It's hard to imagine that within 2 days tens of thousands of people go through a place in the very centre of a large agglomeration and play with science - they ask questions and listen.

It is a very inspiring experience - to see that so many people want to know more.

To what extent do you feel that the Festival has managed to implement the motto "Science is Closer"?

If no one came to this Festival, I would think that for the potential audience science is far away and that they prefer to do other things.

Nevertheless, more people have come than we had previously assumed [as many as 51 thousand - ed.], and I believe that for them science is closer.

When I think about what kind of things were on the exhibition stands, I know that the designers of these places really wanted to show that science is not something isolated from our reality. It's amazing that we now have to explain that the use of high-tech devices - phones, cars, trains - is made possible thanks to scientific development. These are the scientists, i.e. people who want to know more, who contribute to the fact that we can benefit from everything that makes our lives so much easier today. In my opinion, the motto "Science is Closer" is implemented to a large extent in the fact that we show people a direct link between the level of science and civilization development. Between what scientists do and what bothers us the most - whether it is coronavirus, a drought, or too high a temperature. We make people aware that there is a certain way to solve the problems that afflict us, and this path leads through scientific development: cognition, research and education.

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You are also a very well-known populariser of science in Poland.

You run a channel called "Science. I like that". What does it actually mean to popularize science?

I will try to answer this question very briefly. For me, it means showing people that the world is very complex and that there is beauty in this complexity. To popularize science is to show that nothing is impossible.

Where did you get the idea of becoming a populariser of science?

It's not like one day I went for a walk, lightning struck me in the head and suddenly I woke up as a populariser of science. It was quite a long process. I have liked to write and express my thoughts in this way since I remember. It seemed attractive to me that something I would write could be read by someone else, that it could stay somewhere, and somebody would read it.

During my studies, like any young man, I thought it was better to have more money than less, and it occurred to me that maybe I would

write an article. Later someone said that since I was studying physics, I could write a scientific article. And thus, constantly wondering about new possibilities, step by step, I have come to where I am today. So, as I mentioned, it was quite a long process, which I treated as something additional at first. It was only at some point that I realized that if I wanted to be good at something, I had to spend a lot of time on it. Without going into the details, at one point I decided that I would only focus on being a scientific journalist.

Why is it good to show science?

Because it's interesting and it develops us. Because development works a bit like a snowball - interesting things attract other interesting things to us. Someone who learns one element from the whole science suddenly realizes that there are other, even more interesting things.

So, each element is connected to the next one, and if we don't see any connection between them now, we will notice it in the future.

During the Festival, pre-release cards from the "Polish SUPERheroes" series were available to participants. The game created by Dr Tomasz Rożek makes it possible to discover well-known and unknown Polish heroes (such as Maria Skłodowska-Curie or Ignacy Łukasiewicz).

TOMASZ ROŻEK Scientific journalist and physicist, graduate of the University of Silesia. Author of books i.e.: Science – as simple as that (2011). He runs the channel “Science. I like that”.

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Jarosław Juszkiewicz Ambassador of the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE

18,000 steps It wasn't normal two days. And it wasn't a normal job. The people I had to work with were not exactly normal either. I found out about it on Sunday morning, already at the entrance to the MCK building. A robot hit me at the door... a robot. Or, to be more precise, his bust carried by a breathless man in a white apron. I don't know if the mechanical figure consisted only of the bust, or maybe somebody later brought its lower limbs (or maybe they reached the place by themselves?), because my thoughts were already circulating around the discussion panel I was to lead a few hours later. In English. With British scientists.

Entitled "Introvert narwhals". In this situation, Dr Primo brushing by us here and there with a hat in the shape of a flying saucer on his head looked normal and almost reassuring. I was not surprised at all. Quite the opposite - I hoped these days would be so crazy.

The Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE is already something more than a specific kind of fair, where individual universities/institutions/ centres present what they do. It has become a real celebration of people curious about the world. It proves that marketing specialists - who say that nowadays the so-called masses only want cheap and gimmicky

entertainment - are wrong. Because the universe still makes us curious, and the blast of real heat even during a small chemical reaction makes a bigger impression on us than the animation of a supernova explosion observed on the computer screen. Although I was running around the main stage with Tomek Rożek (as well as on, behind and above it) and my smartwatch showed that I took over 18,000 steps, I managed to notice that this year the positive emotions were also shared by those presenting science.

My personal favourite was undoubtedly Russell Arnott, a deep-sea researcher who, in order to show the strength with which large squids catch whales, attached to his bald head... a plunger. I have many images in front of my eyes - the authentic joy of the winners of the OFF Science and POP Science competitions, the faces of the kids watching the images of galaxies on the screen of the mobile planetarium and the curiosity on the faces of the audience listening to Antoni Piechniczek's memories.

The perfect atmosphere of the Festival, which so many people have spoken about this year, is something that cannot be bought, ordered from a subcontractor or outsourced. The atmosphere of the event is something for which there is no recipe. Either it is there, or it is not. One thing is certain - you have to earn it.

For me, the most emotional moment of this year's ŚFN KATOWICE took place when the last visitors left the MCK building. I was just helping the team from the Silesian Planetarium to roll up the big tent when I heard the voice of Professor Koziołek, who thanked the exhibitors through the speakers and said that this year the Festival was visited by over 50 thousand people. But it wasn't this that aroused my emotions, but the reaction of other people who were just disassembling their stands. All of them left their poles, balloons, ladders and bags for a moment and started to spontaneously applaud. I had goosebumps on my back.

This year, science was really closer, and we were all closer together.

JAROSŁAW JUSZKIEWICZ Journalist of the Polish Radio Katowice, graduate of the University of Silesia. He works closely with the Nicolaus Copernicus Silesian Planetarium in Chorzów. Owner of the Polish Voices studio, Polish voice of Google Maps navigation.

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Monika Szafrańska Organization Office of the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE

Face to face science It's already official! During the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE it was possible to get even closer to science - not only to listen, but also to speak, ask questions, learn and get to know those who have devoted their lives to science and their passions.

The organizers of the event made sure that every participant hungry for knowledge and experiences received as many of them as possible.

You could listen to the invited guests either during their lectures or by meeting them in person at the Science Station, during speed dating or during the autograph sessions.

Let’s meet at the Station!

Taking a minute to stop by was really worthwhile, because every now and again one of the invited guests would appear. This was the general idea of the Science Station.

“The Stations at the Festival had one task: to allow visitors to become participants and co-creators of the world of science for a while, by entering into direct contact with people who previously spoke to them from the stages. The stations at the Festival are for those who are not satisfied with the lectures alone - for those who want to ask questions, confront their knowledge with the knowledge of the guests or simply share their opinion“ says Dr Ryszard Knapek, coordinator of the project.

The guests could be met in two places - at the Nicolaus Copernicus and Maria Skłodowska-Curie Stations. For example, Prof. Jerzy Buzek, Prof.

Katarzyna Kłosińska, Prof. Jerzy Bralczyk, Prof. Wiesław Nowiński and Prof. Tadeusz Niedźwiedź appeared there. Dr Aleksandra Kardaś, Dr Tomasz Rożek, as well as Robert Zubrin, Marc Elsberg, Mikołaj "Mikser" Mądrzyk, Krzysztof Humeniuk and Marcin Popkiewicz also waited for the guests.

“The guests of the Festival grow along with it and this is best seen thanks to the stations. This time, in comparison to previous editions, the attendance has clearly increased, there were people willing to talk about every subject - from space flights, weather phenomena, to the structure and functioning of the human brain” adds Ryszard Knapek.

their research work, which for the non-university community is often something incomprehensible“ says Katarzyna Zych, one of the speakers.

To take part, all you had to do was come, say hello, take a seat at the right table and ask a question. The speakers made sure that the participants felt comfortable, so they prepared the topics they were interested in in advance. The savoir vivre etiquette or diplomacy could be discussed, for example, with Dr Renata Jankowska, Professor of the University of Silesia. Topics about the media in the broader sense were proposed

by Dr Magdalena Ślawska, Professor of the University of Silesia. Dr Agnieszka Wójtowicz-Zając and Dr Magdalena Piotrowska-Grot were happy to discuss the latest Polish literature (including feminist literary criticism). Those interested could also learn more about such topics as: andragogy, education (including social and political education), theatre, ophthalmography and learning design, microcalorimetry and physical medicine. The conversations went on and on.

“Researchers have shown that the world of science can be closer than we think.” adds Katarzyna Zych. It was so nice that the participants forgot about a certain detail - the merciless passage of time, which plays a key role in speed dating after all.

Who is it dedicated to?

In the festival café-bookshop, you could not only buy books on various topics or mind developing board games, but also sit in a comfortable armchair next to a special guest, exchange a few words with them, drop a few substantive comments, and finally take an autograph. The invited guests included prof. Jerzy Bralczyk, Assoc. Prof. Marcin Napiórkowski, Dr Robert Zubrin, Dr Tomasz Rożek and Dr Łukasz Lamża. Daniel Tammet, Darwin Film Group, Ola and Piotr Stanisławski (Crazy Science), as well as Paulina Mikuła, Antoni Piechniczek, Seth Shostak, Marc Elsberg and Wiktor Niedzicki were also the guests there.

Special guests, researchers and popularisers of science could be met more than once or twice during the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE. The speakers not only spoke with pleasure, but above all listened and discussed with the visitors. Therefore, it is possible to be even closer to science. With the Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE, it is possible!

A rendez vous with science The employees of the Open University of Silesia showed that going beyond the status quo is worthwhile and invited the participants of the Festival to take part in scientific speed dating.

“The aim was to enable people to meet with scientists and talk about

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Agnieszka Sikora, Jacek Nowak Organization Office of the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE

For the first time in Poland The British savant Daniel Tammet is fluent in as many as 11 languages and is also creating his own - mänti, modelled on Estonian and Finnish. He is also a synesthete - he assigns a colour, a landscape, texture or shape to every number smaller than 10.000, allowing him to remember complex sequences of numbers.

He came to Poland for the first time for the 4th Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE. We are very happy that you accepted our invitation. It was your first visit in our country. During it you had a chance to see Katowice and Cracow. Was there something that especially fascinated you?

Indeed, it was my first trip to Poland. I was very pleased to meet the readers and also pleased by the fact that so many people from different fields of science took part in the Festival. I had previously "visited" your country by reading books by Ryszard Kapuściński, Olga Tokarczuk (in English or French translation) or works by Wisława Szymborska.

I got to know your architecture and traditions partly thanks to these meetings, which are made possible by literature. Coming here enriched my memory of these authors and opened my eyes to the cultural and scientific wealth of Poland.

You are a special guest of the 4th Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE. What do you think about our event and this kind of promotion of science? Do you have any ideas on how to improve the Festival?

I very much support the idea of the Festival in Katowice. I am invited to many literary events all over the world, however, there are fewer high-quality scientific festivals, because it is more difficult to make them accessible to a wide audience. Looking at the varied offer of guests and themes, I think you have succeeded. I wish this festival many long and interesting years!

You have already mentioned authors such as Olga Tokarczuk, Wisława Szymborska or Ryszard Kapuściński. Literature has a great impact on our lives. Similarly to science. We are curious which scientists and writers have contributed to who you are today.

Of course, people shape us too. First of all, I was shaped by my family.

I am the oldest of nine siblings - such a number of children in the British family is rare these days. I have also been shaped by writers, because I am a writer and an avid reader. The Polish writers I mentioned earlier

had a great influence on my writing. They showed that an author can writein different styles, not closing themselves in one literary genre. For example, Szymborska wrote a wonderful poem about the pi number!

Polish literature is an inspiration for me.

You know many languages. During your stay at the 4th Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE you had contact with Polish. What impression did it make on you? We realize how difficult Polish grammar and pronunciation are. Sometimes we have a problem with them ourselves. Which language do you think is the most difficult or which one has caused you the biggest problems?

I liked my first contact with Polish. The spelling looks quite difficult, but the sound of the language is very similar to other Slavic languages. I hope that in the future there will be more opportunities to look at it and listen to it. I noticed the influence of French on words such as bagaż (luggage), deser (dessert) and reklama (commercial). This is very interesting.

The most difficult language for me was probably Icelandic, where the words can change depending on how they are used in a sentence - it seems to be similar to Polish grammar.

It is sometimes said that all children are born geniuses and then they go to school. There they have to adapt to the existing schemes, there is no room for individual approach to the pupil. Many schools have trouble recognizing children with extraordinary skills and directing them to special educational paths, so many talents are wasted.

What is your experience with the school?

Before I moved to France as an adult, I spent my childhood in London. High-functioning autism was something unknown in the 1980s, so I went to state schools. I was lucky to find teachers who mostly showed me support, patience and understanding. I agree that schooling is often too rigid and uncreative. This must change. Your Festival is an example of how to make learning more accessible and attractive for both children and adults.

DANIEL TAMMET British autistic savant, extraordinarily talented in languages and arithmetic. s. 26

Synesthet, European record holder in reciting the number of pi from memory.

Natalia Sukiennik The magazine of students of the University of Silesia

E-sports and computer games? Only the Silesian way!

The Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE is a place where science meets entertainment and passion in an amazing way. Visitors of the 4th edition of the festival had the opportunity to participate in a lot of fascinating and horizon-broadening events. Something special was prepared for e-sport fans - the E-sport Point zone and the games zone in the area of art.

The Esports Association is an organization operating in the centre of Katowice, which focuses on promoting and developing the Polish gaming scene. Esports Association has been cooperating with the University of Silesia on projects related to e-sport for several years.

“At the Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE, we ran the E-sport Point zone, where students, thanks to the support of AZS US, could compete with each other in the Counter Strike game. Four teams - two teams from the University of Economics in Katowice, a team from the Częstochowa University of Technology and a team from the Silesian University of Technology” said Mateusz Pirecki, Vice President of the association.

“E-sport at the Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE has been present since the second edition. For several years now, the University of Silesia has been cooperating in this field with i.e. the Esports Association, because we understand each other very well in terms of using this phenomenon, for example, in didactic processes” points out Radosław Aksamit, spokesperson of ŚFN KATOWICE. “The fact that we organize such events together allows us to combine entertainment and emotions with substantive talks on IT, modern technologies of game development, psychology, sport or marketing”.

An additional attraction was the games zone in the area of art (in the main hall), where one could get to know individual elements of their design process, such as: concept art, environment art, level design, 3D modelling and animation, as well as play prototypes and video games created under the ARP Games acceleration program. The stands which were extremely popular among visitors were prepared by the employees of the University of Silesia in Katowice - Robert Lipka, Dr Remigiusz Kopoczek (Faculty of Arts and Educational Science) and Dr Agnieszka Kliś-Brodowska (Faculty of Humanities).

Counter Strike is a multiplayer game that is very popular around the world, in which players take on the role of groups of terrorists and anti-terrorists fighting with each other. The game lively commentated by Łukasz Ganczewski and Jakub Grzegorski was the main attraction of the zone during the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE. The Silesian AZS US E-sport Cup lasted two festival days and was won by the uniqUE team from the University of Economics. The remaining places on the podium were taken respectively by: Mages from the Silesian University of Technology and PoCZuted from Częstochowa University of Technology. The Dwarfs from UEKat had to be satisfied with a place outside of the final three.

The time between the games was filled by the organizers with meetings with interesting guests. Agnieszka Kobus-Zawojska and Maciej Zawojski, titled rowers from AZS-AWF Warsaw Sports Club, appeared on stage in the zone. The visitors had an opportunity to compete with them on two rowing ergometers provided by AZS US. The fans could also meet Tomasz Wójcik, CS:GO competitor, and Michał Petrus, representative of the National Esports Team. Lectures were also given by lecturers from the University of Silesia - Nina Gara M.Sc., Agnieszka Kliś-Brodowska and Remigiusz Kopoczek.

Katowice as the capital of e-sports E-sport gathered great deal of interest all over the world, it is also gaining more and more recognition in our country. This can be seen on the example of Intel Extreme Masters, an international e-sport tournament hosted by Katowice for several years. Crowds of game enthusiasts gathered at the Spodek is already a tradition in the first quarter of the year.

“E-sport Point attracts many participants of our festival every year.

What is important, some of them follow the games and the lectures we offer online. For us, it is important that thanks to cooperation with various institutions this area of the festival is very diverse” says Radosław Aksamit. “I imagine that young people who come here and for whom a game is just a game, coming out of E-sport Point, start thinking about the possibilities offered by the phenomenon of e-sport. Maybe one day they will become computer scientists or managers of the e-sport team, or maybe they will leave the IT industry, but the experience of strategic thinking will be useful for them in further development”.

What does Mateusz Pirecki, Vice-President of the Esports Association think about the successes of e-sport?“ We are glad that e-sport is becoming such a popular discipline. It is a great excuse to get to know other ways of spending time. E-sport has the potential as it revolves around new technologies, follows the development of the modern IT society, and is at the meeting point of many very mainstream topics that affect young people. E-sport is a valuable hobby, and by indulging in it, young people have the opportunity to develop.

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Urszula Miemiec, Dorian Zakrzewski Organization Office of the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE

Child and sports zone With the youngest participants of the Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE in mind, a child and sports zone was created. By playing, from an early age we want to stimulate children's cognitive curiosity and encourage them to explore the secrets of modern science.

We prepared for children aged 1-4 a creative play area, where the little ones participated in workshops supporting their development: we introduced them to the world of music (Gordonki), stimulated speech development (Logorhythmics), got dirty, kneaded and mixed (Sensory art) - all that in the name of science and having fun! Apart from the workshops for the youngest, a space to play freely was prepared, where, apart from toys, there were also some well-thought-out educational aids.

For the slightly older ones a Gigabajtel area was prepared, where children could learn the secrets of programming without using a computer, as well as a building and demolition area, which was flooded with building blocks - apart from the fact that it was possible to build everything imaginable, the children with could also practice English and German, learn mathematics and geometry, and even play the role of interior designers.

hosted the PickMee company, which aims to promote a new sport discipline in Poland, which is called pickleball, and strives to get the attention of the largest possible audience. Sports activities in each of the stations could be used by pupils, university students, but also adults, including parents with their children. People participating in activities organized in the child and sports zone could also meet with athletes invited to the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE, who talked about their disciplines, presented a training plan typical for trainers and showed medals won at the competitions.

One of the guests was Agnieszka Kobus-Zawojska - rower, bronze medallist of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, the world and European champion, and Maciej Zawojski - rower, medallist of the European Championships in Glasgow and the World Cup in Lucerne. The common point of all areas of the zone was the stage where, apart from meetings In the healthy toddler's area, children took part in games, plays and competitions, and above all, they learned about healthy lifestyles and the rules of proper nutrition, while in the Ninanki area, a zone dedicated to seven basic movement patterns, medical and sports specialists instructed how to move properly on a daily basis.

The kids and sports zone was connected with the café for parents, which allowed for discreet observation and support of the children, as well as learning about their interests, passions and possibilities. The parents could not only drink delicious coffee, but also consult with specialists: speech therapist, dietician and physiotherapist, as well as take part in a meeting with Mikołaj Marcela - author of books for and about children, including the latest guide How not to screw up your child's life. Everything you can do to make education makes sense.

A significant area of the zone was adapted for sports activities, among which the following stood out: fighting sports with a professional boxing ring, where self-defence workshops were organised as well, table tennis, badminton, beach tennis and a very popular gymnastic trampoline,where participants could check their motor coordination by jumping and flipping under the supervision of an instructor. In this part of the zone we also

p. 30

with athletes, dance animations were held, in which everyone could take part.

Mikołaj Marcela Special guest of the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE

Ninanki introduce us to the world of movement patterns We live in a world where absurdities often occur - we go to the gym by car to spend fifteen minutes on a treadmill. On one hand, we move less and less, on the other, we constantly hear that we should spend time actively to stay healthy. But do we know how to move properly? It would seem that there is nothing more natural for us, and yet, as many of us may be surprised, we do it wrong. Have you heard of movement patterns? Probably not. And that's the problem!

For this reason, the Galen Clinic in Bieruń, in cooperation with the University of Silesia and the Academy of Physical Education in Katowice,

can do what we want to do, and in addition, we have the right condition both physical and mental.

has prepared a unique social action, which was inaugurated as part of the

But what are movement patterns? They are sequences of certain specific

4th Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE. According to the eternal principle

movements, which together constitute a set of basic activities that a person

that "movement is health", Galen Clinic brings closer the seven basic pat-

does when undertaking everyday tasks. Those of you who have practiced

terns of phenomenon of movement. How? This is the New Year's challenge

at the gym surely know them well. The most common movement patterns

for 2020. Seven days: one correct habit for one day of the week, next we

in everyday life are walking, squatting, bending down, carrying objects,

combine them in the same way the weeks combine into the whole year

pushing and pulling. These are important not only during gym training but

2020 - the year of movement patterns. This challenge will be guided by a

also during everyday activities such as sitting down and getting up from a

group of friends - Ninanki - seven characters assigned to each movement

chair, tying shoes, walking, carrying shopping bags, opening or closing the

sequence. Our friends will decipher the movement pattern and demystify

door, putting children in a car seat. Correctly performing these simple tasks

the activities we do every day and whose importance we underestimate.

guarantees safety and prevents injuries to the musculoskeletal system.

Ninanki target their physical education mainly at children, because thanks to them the whole family will be able to introduce healthy movement habits.

The individual movement patterns are presented by: Llama - walking, Cat - bending of the torso, Lion - straightening, Kangaroo - squatting, Bear -pulling, Tiger - pushing, Panther - body twisting. By imitating the Kangaroo, the Lion or the Cat, children will be able to improve their proper movement habits. Ninanki bring closer the seven basic movement patterns through the language that children understand, such as rhymes: Practice squats like Kangaroo, that’s the advice I have for you.

There’s no time for silly banter, twist your body like a Panther!

Where did the idea of Ninanki come from? It was created on the basis of many years of observation of doctors and physiotherapists from the Galen

We learn movement patterns from the early stages of our life by ob-

centre in Bieruń, who in their everyday work noticed a growing number of

serving others, modifying and adapting them to our needs. Unfortunately,

children, but also adults with reduced physical fitness. What is more impor-

as we get older, we notice a deterioration in our body posture and the asso-

tant is that the bad movement habits, especially in children, may affect the

ciated compensatory movements, which cause the consolidation of bad mo-

increasing risk of damage and, in the long run, degenerative changes. It is

vement patterns, leading to overload and pain. To prevent musculoskeletal

worth remembering that movement at every stage of human development

dysfunctions, it is important to remember about proper and safe movement

improves the flexibility of muscles, ligaments, joint capsules and contributes

while performing everyday activities, correcting and fixing them in the form

to the increase of joint mobility. Strengthening exercises help to maintain

of various exercises. This is exactly what Nannies will help both children

proper bone density as well as muscle mass and strength, which in turn

and parents or even grandparents. Look around to find them, because soon

affects the maintenance of overall body fitness. In short: thanks to that we

they will be popular!

MIKOŁAJ MARCELA Writer, lecturer at the University of Silesia, songwriter. Author of books: Best Seller and s. 26

Mystery of Disappearing Vegetables (2018) and the guide How not to screw up your child's life. Everything you can do to make education makes sense (2020).

p. 31

Paweł Zberecki The magazine of students of the University of Silesia

The not-so-artificial intelligence The electronic equipment we use every day is getting smarter. It is becoming something more than just another gadget. We were introduced to the world of thinking machines during the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE by the speakers giving us the lecture entitled "Introvert narwhals - how does artificial intelligence work?"

The invited guests from the UK and the USA presented the practical use of artificial intelligence in scientific demonstrations. Ashley Kent, a populariser of science, gave her voice and image to a virtual teacher called AIDA. This project was carried out by AI specialists inspired by the Ada Lovelace - a 19th century mathematician and poet. In addition to showing the possibilities of AIDA, we could listen to a discussion on the role of artificial intelligence in modern science, which was attended

by Kerry Harrison, co-founder of Tina Giant (a company that uses AI in marketing), and Christopher Markou from the University of Cambridge, a specialist in modern technology law.

The experts have raised the issue of AI's impact on our lives in relation to the properties of the devices we use in our daily lives. The reflection on the development of artificial intelligence, especially the one implemented in the equipment of the so-called home automation category, was the most important point of conversation. In addition to the positive feelings associated with this phenomenon, the specialists also expressed concerns about the problems arising from the rapid technological development.

Things that think The concept of the Internet of Things has recently become an issue gaining popularity not only among scientists but also among users. It was first used in 1999 during Procter & Gamble presentation. Today it is used to describe all mechanisms of connection of electronic equipment containing AI elements and serving to improve the quality of life of recipients of these services. The devices belonging to the Internet of Things include, among others, household appliances, cars and even e-textiles.

The latter category is appreciated by an increasing number of recipients.

"Intelligent clothes" have electronic elements that enable e.g. communication with each other or examining the users related to their health.

It is assumed that the first manifestation of portable technology used already in the 16th century were pocket watches. Today they have been replaced by smart or electronic wristbands more like microcomputers and containing much more functions.

Sensitive things With the increasing role of intelligent devices, the problem of their humanization arises. The controversial issue of advanced production of androids, i.e. robots resembling human beings, has also troubled our experts. The dilemmas that were previously mainly faced by the creators of science fiction literature are beginning to become commonplace. In 2017, a Hong Kong-based robot named Sophie received Saudi citizenship and the United Nations Development Programme Award. Both awards provoked discussions reminiscent of the dialogues of the main characters of the film Android Hunter (dir. R. Scott). Not many of us expected this film to become a reality so soon. Sophie is one of the increasingly frequent cases of a machine that talks rationally and can become a mass product in the near future.

p. 32

Developmental boundaries Concerns about the impact of AI on our computerized reality are as inevitable as the technological progress. The process of modernising life requires adaptation to new realities. Digital exclusion, although significantly reduced compared to the beginning of the 21st century, returns in a modified forum. The reasons for not using AI solutions are no longer inaccessibility or inability to operate devices. An obstacle having a significantly negative impact on the comfort of use is primarily the distrust towards new solutions. It results, among others, from the habits of IT service recipients. An example of sceptical approach to current solutions is our personal preference. Many of us prefer proven solutions, as they often seem more secure.

On the other hand, producers of content containing elements of artificial intelligence try to make us dependent on their devices. The mistrust in the products they offer in this case is fully justified. Carefulness towards the practices of large corporations is important for less advanced users. This helps to maintain control over the excessive use of electronic equipment and allows us to adjust it to our own needs.

Controlling the chaos The confusion that arises from the use of Artificial Intelligence mechanisms is also a concern for those not interested in modern technology. In the era of information hype, when verification of content has been significantly impeded, the recipients often uncritically take the transmitted information for granted. Inadequate use of products with implemented AI systems may lead to an inability to tell facts from opinions. Verification of the messages transmitted to us by the media is a big challenge. Without a good knowledge of modern technologies, it is impossible to reject the fake news.

Sources: J. Atherton: A Practical Guide to Social Media Marketing and Customer Engagement. Kogan Page 2019; M. Kurowska: Digital exclusion – a threat to the information society.

“Bulletin of EBIB”, no 9 (145)/2013.

Joanna Laskowska Organization Office of the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE

Together for science The first Forum of Polish Science Festivals Organizers, an event co-organized by the University of Silesia in Katowice and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, took place on 27-28 January 2020 in Katowice.

The two-day meeting was attended by nearly 90 people. The participants were both representatives of large festival events organised together by universities from cities and regions all over the country, and units implementing such undertakings on a smaller scale.

The first Forum of Polish Science Festival Organizers began on 27 January at the International Congress Centre in Katowice. The meeting was inaugurated by speeches by the Rector of the University of Silesia, Prof. Andrzej Kowalczyk and the Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Dr Anna Budzanowska.

The discussion on social responsibility of festivals was hosted

by Prof. Ryszard Koziołek - General Director of the Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE, Vice-Rector for Education and Student Affairs of the University of Silesia, and was attended by Assoc. Prof. Krzysztof Machaczka - Prof. of UEK, representing the Festival of Science and Art in Kraków, Assoc. Prof. Eng. Ryszard Polechoński - environmental coordinator of the Lower Silesian Science Festival, Assoc. Prof. Eng. Jacek Soroka - retired Prof. of ZUT, President of the Szczecin Scientific Society, Dr Zuzanna Toeplitz - director of the Warsaw Science Festival and Agnieszka Motyl - director of the Poznań Science and Art Festival.

On that day, a letter of intent was also signed regarding the creating of the Agreement of the Organisers of Science Festivals in Poland network.

The network council includes 27 representatives of science festivals from all over the country. The coordination of the activities under the new initiative in the coming months will be handled by the University of Silesia in Katowice.

The next day, the participants of the Forum met at the headquarters of the Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School at the University of Silesia.

The programme of the event included panel sessions with the participation of speakers from Poland and abroad. The issues of social impact

of popular science events, various models and ways of functioning of festivals and issues related to the promotion of events were discussed.

Lecturers and speakers included: Ellie Petrie - Programme Director of the Science Festival in Cheltenham (Great Britain), Jennie Turner Operations Director of the International Science Festival in Gothenburg (Sweden), Prof. Ryszard Koziołek - General Director of the Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE, Vice-Rector of the University of Silesia, Assoc. Prof. Aleksandra Ziembińska-Buczyńska, Director of the Science Popularization Centre of the Silesian University of Technology, Assoc. Prof.

Edyta Sierka - populariser of science, organizer of, among others, the Night of Biologists at the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the University of Silesia, Dr Zuzanna Toeplitz - director of the Warsaw Science Festival, Dr Mikołaj Marcela - writer, academic teacher, pop culture researcher, as well as Piotr Ziółkowski - Director of the Office of Programmes and Undertakings of the Minister "Popularization of Science - Social Responsibility of Universities", Katarzyna Świętochowska - Chief Coordinator of the Music+Science Festival organized in the headquarters of the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice, Tomasz Michalski - President of the "ExploRes" Knowledge Popularization Association in Rzeszów, and Jarosław Juszkiewicz - ambassador of the Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE, radio journalist and lecturer, closely cooperating with the Nicolaus Copernicus Silesian Planetarium in Chorzów. The organizers of the 4th ŚFN KATOWICE also talked about their experiences: Justyna Szostek-Aksamit - Executive Director of the Festival, Radosław Aksamit coordinator for technology and space organization, spokesperson for the Festival, and Martyna Fołta - coordinator for promotion.

The signing of the letter of intent to establish a cooperation network is a response to the need to integrate the environment of Polish science festivals organizers. It is also supposed to foster the exchange of knowledge, good practice and initiation of activities of a nationwide character.

The form of the network is open, which will increase the number of signatories over time.

The participants of the forum were also invited to take part in the Programme for Delegates, organised as part of the 4th Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE for the first time. It is addressed to representatives of Polish and foreign universities and organizations dealing with popularization of science. During the three festival days, participants took part both in regular sessions and in specially prepared activities such as a meeting with the general director and ambassadors of ŚFN KATOWICE. The delegates took part in an organized visit and meeting with producers of particular areas. They also had a unique opportunity to see the International Congress Centre one day before the beginning of the festival, i.e. during the assembly works. The first programme for delegates was attended by a total of over 40 people, including several guests from foreign festivals.

Intensive networking and knowledge exchange took place in a specially arranged festival zone for delegates.

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What do the participants think of the festival?

Comments posted on the fan page of the Silesian Science Festival KATOWICE (original spelling).

GREAT! For the older and the younger, the curious and the bored, smart and experienced,

Great event! It’s fun to watch ŚFN KATOWICE grow every year.

Big fun for both kids and adults.

as well as, for those who are still studying or searching! Everybody was so nice, helpful and polite! I recommend it. See you next year!

Kasia Ł.

A very interesting festival.

A great meeting with Prof. Jerzy Bralczyk. I will definitely visit this place again next year.

Anna W.

Klaudia J. The Silesian Science Festival

Łukasz P.

Festival, celebration, praise of science which is not closed up in boring books, but penetrates us to the bone. Anyone can be a scientist, everyone is an explorer, and the festival helps to notice it!

KATOWICE was a great experience for the whole family. We are already waiting for the next edition!

Scientific madness, a great time, thank you and see you next time!

Anna K.

Dariusz M.

Rafał M. The event exceeded my expectations. It was a great time. Thank you!

Sabina K.

Great event! Interesting presentations, experiences, many interesting lectures...

The most interesting for my boys were VR technologies, simulators and mechatronics and robotics. I'm sure we'll be there next year!

A super event - a truly unique scientific atmosphere, but in a light version – was understood by the whole family.

Szymon M.

Brilliant preparation. Original exhibitions.

Paweł P.

A wide range of offers, which can satisfy the

Everything was great in terms of organization and content.

requirements of both the older and the younger.

In my opinion the best free event in our region.

I highly recommend it to everyone!

We are absolutely delighted with the Festival!

We spent two full days there, we listened to eighteen lectures, we tried some fun activities, we looked at interesting things and felt like students again.

Ewa W.

Dariusz F.