Annual Report 2015

They are building a sense of the strategy of reverting to the A modern-day social community, provoking past to show us the way to the critical thinking, and fostering the future. “Copernican imagination. Coca-Cola can still sometimes be a source of artistic However, I am convinced that Revolution” controversy. When the Chinese today we stand on the verge of a artist, dissident and provocateur certain “Copernican Revolution” The notion of a science centre Ai Weiwei put a Han dynasty urn in education. In this new way as an institution of interactive bearing the famous logo of the of teaching, the focus will be and alternative education now beverage on display at the Royal shifted away from the program has a history going back nearly Academy of Arts in London in and teacher towards the learner 50 years. In 1969, when Prof. 2015, it once again initiated a himself or herself, as an autono- Frank Oppenheimer created the debate about the limits of provo- mous, self-guided individual. famous Exploratorium in San cation in art. Several weeks later, They will know how to navigate Francisco, the idea was just as the world’s imagination was this new world where knowledge revolutionary as Andy Warhol’s captured by the discovery of is no longer monopolized, to do pop-art compositions of Coca- gravitational waves, and amazing so independently yet not alone, Cola bottles and just as inspiring images of Pluto captured by the in search of creative solutions to as Neil Armstrong’s walk on the New Horizons probe enthralled problems. The teacher will be an surface of the Moon. people around the globe. All this assistant and mentor to them, raises a certain question: does but will nevertheless not relieve Oppenheimer’s idea definitely the Exploratorium’s legacy, now learners of their responsibility changed the world. There are present in so many modern-day for the process of exploring the now thousands of science cen- incarnations, still embody the world for themselves, develop- tres around the globe, with a same revolutionary potential as it ing their own competence, and worldwide visitor count in excess once did? becoming a fully-fledged people of 300 million a year. Science and citizens. centres have shaped people’s The crisis that is plaguing edu- attitudes towards science. They cational systems the world over Science centres can play a signif- have shown them its experimen- nevertheless seems to be more icant role in this revolution. They tal dimension, enabled them to profound than it was sixty years are excellent research laborato- better understand the scientific ago. At its source lies a funda- ries where it can be analysed and method as a way of exploring the mental shift in social paradigms, studied how learning processes world, made them more aware of a change which schools, as a play out, which variables stimu- the role that science and tech- social institution, have not man- late them, and how curiosity and nology plays in the lives of each aged to keep pace with. We have interests can best be stimulated, of us. On a daily basis, science been unable to define a new role while creating conditions for col- centres are inspiring people, for schools and new educational laboration, developing creativity, sparking their curiosity, arousing objectives. We continue to apply and building self-awareness in their interest. They are influenc- schemas that used to function learning. Science centres also ing the educational and profes- well, not knowing how to pro- offer a natural testing-ground sional choices that will be made ceed when it turns out that the for modern solutions, for the by the youngest generations. world has changed too much for application of innovative tools, methods, and the latest technologies, meant to assist in the learning process rather than take its place. The solutions developed, tested, and prototyped at science centres can later be ap- plied at schools and within their entire educational environment.

The Copernicus Science Centre embarked down the road towards such a transformation in 2015. The original concept for such change being worked out at our institution is a result of thor- ough strategic analysis based on experience gained in the short period since our Centre opened. As a result, in line with our new statues, Copernicus has become a research-and-development institution in its own right, with a highly innovative profile. The main topic of the research work is studying learning processes, whereas the development work focuses on creating educational tools and solutions. As such we are building bridges between education, science, and innovation, thereby drawing together school-, university-, and business-related circles. The most important participants in this process are, as usual, our visitors, who will have even better opportunities to learn and explore through experimentation, exami- nation, building and creating.

Robert Firmhofer Executive Director of the Copernicus Science Centre

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015

Contents

Where are we heading? – 6 New Statutes – 8 Research and development – 10 Our visitors – 16 Exhibitions – 22 From the youngest to the eldest – 32 Laboratories – 36 New at the Heavens of Copernicus Planetarium – 38 The Copernican Revolution – 44 [email protected] – research collaboration with Stanford University – 48 Young Explorer Club programme – 50 ESERO Poland Programme – 54 Show and Tell Conference – 56 Other educational events – 58 A research-driven approach to the learning process – designing the Copernican Revolution Workshop – 64 19th Science Picnic of Polish Radio and the Copernicus Science Centre – 70 Science Picnics abroad – 74 Astronomical observations – 76 Meetings with scientists – 80 Przemiany Festival – 86 Summer at the Discovery Park – 90 Summer Cinema – 92 FameLab – 94 Other events – 96 Local partners – 98 International Partners – 100 Our guests – 102 Sponsors – 104 Copernicus Conference Centre – 106 Media – 108 Awards – 110 Our Team – 112 Finances – 116 Where are we heading?

We are a modern, dynamic institution enjoying great popularity both nationally and internationally. We could just enjoy our success and focus on providing our visitors with unforgettable experiences. But instead we are striving to keep moving forward – to learn and understand what happens at our exhibitions and discover the underlying mechanisms of learning. This direction of development means an expansion of our scope of activity. According to the new Statutes, signed in November, the Copernicus Science Centre has become a scientific institution in addition to its status as a cultural organisation. It is a place where science is experienced, but now also a place where science actually gets done.

The Copernicus strategic team, comprising the directors and selected section managers, dedicated 2015 to preparing a new detailed strategy and positing a new set of development goals for our institution. We created a policy map outlining our mission, vision, values, strategic goals and tactical aims. We also sketched out key areas of activities focusing on research and development. This 2015 Annual Report reflects our new strategic goals. 7

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 New Statutes

The aim of the Copernicus Science Centre’s activity is to build scientific and social capital and to bring about a shift in the culture of learning, by engaging society, in particular our visitors, in a range of activities and by carrying out R&D work in this field.

The Copernicus Science Centre Facilitating visitors’ active science, technology, multimedia achieves these goals by con- discovery of R&D processes by and space, as well as developing ducting cultural, educational creating and delivering laboratory educational and research tools and scientific activities, in classes and workshops, using existing knowledge to particular: create and design innovative Helping visitors understand products, projects and services Ensuring that visitors have a natural phenomena and learn popularising science top-quality experience by ar- about their history and applica- ranging workshop spaces and tions using innovative narrative Disseminating the results of offering exhibits that allow them presentation formats these activities via publications, to conduct independent obser- conferences, training and advi- vations and experiments, to Designing and developing new sory services and striving to create and build, and to interact scientific communication meth- ensure their broad impact by with scientists, animators and ods and studying the cognitive expanding our network of other visitors processes and social interactions educators of their participants Performing R&D work into Developing and supporting creating new exhibits and equip- Creating a space for aesthetic communities involved in advanc- ment allowing visitors to carry experiences by exhibiting works ing education and building out independent observations of art and hosting artistic events scientific capital by promoting and experiments and participating in in local, Conducting scientific research regional and international and R&D work in fields of networks 9

Making visitors more familiar Warsaw and engagement with Communicating our activities with space exploration and other local communities via websites, newsletters, tradi- scientific and cultural issues by tional and social media, as well as hosting presentations at the Implementing research preparing, publishing and distrib- planetarium projects independently and uting publications and multime- jointly with national and interna- dia materials. Preparing a specialist plan- tional scientific institutions etarium infrastructure and using it for shows and films Preparing travelling exhibitions and making them available to Inspiring, organising and local communities co-organising meetings, lectures, conferences, training courses, Supporting the development workshops, shows, galas and of public and non-profit centres other events with a focus on with a related scope of activities science, technology, innovation, the arts and society Working alongside international institutions as a source of Creating a high-quality public competencies and striving to space with a programme open to present Poland’s achievements all social groups, making the on the international stage most of the potential of our location by the Vistula River in

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 Copernicus thanks to the rapid scientists from Poland, the UK, Research & development of our relationships the Netherlands and the US. We Development with academic circles. Last year contemplated the mechanisms of we signed joint research agree- learning at museums and science ments with the University of centres and their influence on Social Sciences and Humanities society and its academic capital. The original research work now (SWPS) and the University of We also searched for answers being done at the Copernicus Special Education in Warsaw, to questions such as finding the Science Centre is innovative and these collaborative ties are right balance between allow- and will continue to be so in now expanding into practical ing visitors freedom to explore the future. Science centres are dimensions. and guiding them through the ideal venues for studying the exhibitions, managing visitor mechanisms of learning and As a result of our agreement with expectations and whether mu- cognitive processes in children the University of Social Sciences seums and science centres can and adults. They act as laborato- and Humanities (SWPS), we have become valid scientific partners. ries for researching how people carried out three joint projects. We welcomed special guest Prof. behave as they learn about the Research projects selected via a Paulo Blikstein from Stanford world around them. Studying competition and financed equally University; his lecture was held the ways visitors explore and use by both institutions concerned as part of the agreement we our exhibits is a source of unique experiences of visitors to exhibi- signed with the university in 2015 information on the role played by tions at the Copernicus Science (more on p. 48). The lecture by science centres in learning and Centre. Winners of the competi- Prof. Louise Archer from King’s development processes in people tion, Dr. Maksymilian Bielecki, Dr. College London on the influence of all ages and levels of educa- Marzena Cypriańska-Nezlek and of scientific capital on the career tion. We are especially interested Mateusz Zaremba, studied the aspirations of schoolchildren in how these processes occur in influence of the number of visits paved the way for Copernicus children. Understanding how kids on memory traces in children, working with KCL in the future. learn at our labs, what they do at the phenomenon of museum the exhibitions and how they use fatigue, the influence of accom- In 2015, a team of researchers exhibits helps us develop edu- panying adults on how children from the Evaluation and Analysis cational programmes and aids experience their visit, and how Department carried out sev- which are already changing the visitors interact with exhibits. eral research projects. They are culture of learning in Poland. described further in the Annual Together with the University of Report and marked in purple. This new thread of our organi- Warsaw, the Copernicus Science sation’s activity requires us to Centre also co-organised an in- attract new partners, both terdisciplinary academic confer- nationally and internation- ence Cognitive Adventures. ally. The Copernicus Science Centre will provide them with On 9 and 10 November, 200 a research space, while also participants representing the taking part in the scientific worlds of science, museums study work ourselves. 2015 was and education attended pres- Prof. Łukasz Turski during the Cognitive crucial for research conducted at entations and discussions with Adventures conference 11

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 We provide our guests with unforgettable experiences. We continually enhance our exhibitions and improve visitor comfort. By always evolving what we offer, we reach out both to new guests and to visitors returning to the Copernicus Science Centre.

During the last five years, we’ve welcomed over five and a half million visitors.

enjoyable and comfortable We want to understand learning Our visitors visit. We have identified certain processes better, and an interac- glitches in our building and exhi- tive exhibition space provides a Our focus is always on our visi- bition spaces, and sought advice perfect setting for studying them. tors. Our interactive exhibitions, from architects. Together with The potential topics are almost state-of-the-art labs, planetari- graphic designers we have pre- limitless. What, if any, is the effect um, roof garden and art collec- pared visual changes which will of social capital on learning? Do tions make Copernicus one of improve our guests’ impressions young people learn differently the most popular science centres of the entrance, cloakrooms and than older people? What’s the in Europe. But we have no inten- ticket desks. We are also making best way of designing exhibits tion of resting on our laurels. And improvements to the visual iden- to engage as many visitors as we are not just offering evolving tification system helping visitors possible? How much do guests exhibitions and improved visitor navigate around the Centre and remember two weeks after their comfort – we are about much find their way easily. We antici- visit? What changes can we intro- more than that. We draw visitors pate the changes will be finalised duce which would make exhibi- into the research process itself. in 2017. tions more memorable? What, if We create living laboratories, any, are the differences in how allowing visitors to become im- However, ensuring that visitors boys and girls approach maths mersed in discovery, conduct have a pleasant time at our build- and the sciences? How can their experiments and participate in ing is just the starting point for attitudes be improved? What can R&D processes. more important processes. We be done to make science and aim to create a space and sur- technology more popular? Which We understand the expectations roundings that provide the best technologies help us focus on of our guests, and we convert environment for learning and learning in certain situations, this understanding into ac- gaining new skills (more details in and which ones just cause more tion. Our main aim is to ensure “Exhibitions” on p. 22). distraction? Does parental super- that visitors have an interesting, vision support children’s curiosity, or does it have the opposite 17

effect of discouraging them? Do visitors actually read the exhibit descriptions? What information 1 153 850 do they seek after conducting people visited the Copernicus experiments? What’s the best Science Centre in 2015 visitor group size and sociodemographic breakdown to create the best environment for learn- 817 481 attended exhibi- ing? Our visitors have an input tions at the Copernicus Science in how science develops. They Centre participate in research unique on a national scale, and their results may contribute to our overriding 248 315 visited the Heavens objective of changing the culture of Copernicus planetarium of learning in Poland.

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 Our visitors

We welcomed our five millionth guest on 29 July. It was the first time Jarosław Tomczykowski, a student from the Warsaw suburb of Legionowo, had ever visited Copernicus. He was presented with a Copernicus Club membership card by our director Robert Firmhofer to allow him to make regular visits in the future. 19

Copernicus Club members visiting the rooftop garden

On 26 June we launched the benefits such as special events at memberships and 335 family Copernicus Club – a loyalty pro- our labs, Family Workshops, tours passes. gramme for our most enthusias- around Copernicus, and previews tic guests. The club card allows of exhibitions such as Mirrors members to visit the Copernicus launched last year. Members Science Centre as often as they also receive a monthly newslet- like, either alone or with friends ter. In 2015, we sold 86 indi- or family. Membership has many vidual memberships, 395 double

We are constantly making im- people at the Robotic Theatre, provements to make our facili- and we also participated in the ties accessible to visitors with 3rd Warsaw Week of Culture special needs. We have made Without Barriers. raised-relief maps to help guests who are visually impaired to find their way around the building. The maps also feature sound alerts activated by the users. We host events with live sign language interpreters for deaf

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 Our visitors

Copernicus Science Centre

Are you generally pleased with Age Education level your visit to the Copernicus Science Centre? 7.8% – 0–6 54.8% – primary / 30.4% – 7–12 middle school 71.4% – yes, definitely 8.3% – 13–14 1.0% – vocational 26.3% – yes 4.0% – 15–16 10.4% – secondary school 1.5% – neither yes nor no 5.0% – 17–19 1.4% – college 0.5% – not really 10.0% – 20–25 32.4% – higher 0.2% – definitely not 14.3% – 26–35 13.5% – 36–45 3.7% – 46–55 1.4% – 56–65 1.6% – over 65 years old

Visitors by region (individual guests) Visitors by region (groups)

27.7% – Warsaw 5.6% – Warsaw 11.0% – Mazowsze (outside 9.2% – Mazowsze (outside Warsaw) Warsaw) 61.3% – other voivodeships 85.2% – other voivodeships 21

Planetarium

Age Education level Are you generally pleased with your visit to the planetarium? 5.8% – 0–6 63.8% – primary / 34.2% – 7–12 middle school 76.1% – yes, definitely 11.0% – 13–14 0.6% – vocational 21.8% – yes 4.6% – 15–16 6.9% – secondary school 0.9% – neither yes nor no 6.8% – 17–19 1.2% – college 0.9% – not really 4.8% – 20–25 27.6% – higher 0.4% – definitely not 8.6% – 26–35 14.1% – 36–45 3.8% – 46–55 5.7% – 56–65 0.8% – over 65 years old

Following your visit to the planetarium, has your under- Would you recommend visiting standing of a branch of science the Planetarium? increased?

82.7% – yes, definitely 32.9% – yes, definitely 15.9% – yes 45.7% – yes 0.6% – neither yes nor no 6.6% – neither yes nor no 0.3% – not really 10.6% – not really 0.5% – definitely not 4.2% – definitely not

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 visitors who come through our chief exhibit designer at San Exhibitions building every single day. The Francisco’s Exploratorium for Copernicus galleries are a great many years. “A museum can resemble a research lab: while visitors are musical composition, a sym- learning about the laws of nature, In late 2015, we started making phony in which even though we in turn are observing them visible changes to our exhibition the listeners may not be aware to learn how to create better space. The first stage involved of the structure of the piece, exhibits. the “On the Move” gallery on they must sense that it exists…” the eastern side of the first floor. wrote Prof. Frank Oppenheimer, What do we mean by ‘better’? It was closed on 1 December particle physicist and founder Safer, more intuitive to use, more 2015 for full refurbishment, to of the Exploratorium in San engaging and easier to repair. be revealed to visitors in its new Francisco – the world’s first sci- Devising each exhibit involves form in March 2016. It will feature ence centre open to the public. several stages and decisions on 80 exhibits: 20 newly purchased Following this idea we hope our how best to demonstrate a given from the US and Switzerland and visitors will rarely, if ever, ask problem or idea, what range of 19 newly made at our own work- themselves, “What is this place values should be best illustrated, shops. The remainder were al- for, and why is it here at all?” We and what kind of random be- ready part of the gallery, but will continually work on individual haviour unrelated to the topic at have been thoroughly redesigned exhibits, as well as on the logical hand should be accounted for in and revamped at the workshop. structure of the entire space. the design. We are building a special pavilion for exhibits which need to be We present important and in- Some exhibits allow visitors placed in a darkened room. The teresting phenomena in a range to conduct observations and space will also feature more rest of different contexts in order to discoveries. Others – and those zones for guests to relax and take build conceptual frameworks for are ones we find key – are about a break from looking around. understanding abstract ideas and getting a taste of using the scien- scientific definitions. For exam- tific method in practice: posing a ple, finding common aspects question, formulating a hypoth- shared by water waves, sound esis, preparing an experiment to waves, light waves and even test it, making observations and Mexican waves isn’t intuitive. It drawing conclusions. takes dozens of experiments, offering chances to note differ- We work with leading experts ent commonalities, before the in the field who are teaching mind develops a certain intuition, us to look at our own exhibi- a deeper understanding which tions through the eyes of our cannot be gleaned from reading visitors. One of these advi- textbook definitions. sors is Remo Besio, former long-term director of one of One of our great advantages over Europe’s best science centres: any manufacturers of interac- Technorama in Switzerland. Our tive devices or teaching aids is workshop team works closely the presence of the thousands of with Kua Patten, who was the 23

We engage our visitors in the process of prototyping and designing new exhibits. The “Mathematical paintbrush” workshops were an interesting example. Over the course of five months, between August and December, visitors were able to use algorithms to create black- and-white prints. The mini- workshop, held in the exhibition space, had around 4000 participants. Conclusions from the sessions will be used to create a brand new exhibit combining maths and the sciences.

The Copernicus Science Centre hosts many temporary exhibitions brought in from around the world. Between 5 November 2014 and 30 August 2015, our guests enjoyed Microworld from Spain. The latest temporary exhibition, Mirrors, opened on 15 October and comes from the Technorama science centre in Switzerland. We talk more about the exhibition in another section of the report.

Our own two travelling exhibitions are currently on tour in Poland. The Experiment Yourself! exhibition has visited 28 locations in 2015, while its younger sister Captured Mind – 29 places.

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 Exhibitions

The results of our work on ex- Research & hibits, our lab-session scenarios Development and the experience we have gained in developing teaching aids are also worth spreading to wider groups of recipients. Lab The outstanding quality of exhib- scenarios make for ideal lesson its created at Copernicus has a plans which have already been high commercial potential. There tested on many groups of stu- aren’t many manufacturers of dents. To date, we have designed similar equipment on the Polish ten interdisciplinary teaching kits market, and our understanding including simple equipment for and extensive experience make conducting experiments, with us leading experts in the field. extensive notes describing the Our exhibits can be purchased phenomena they can be used to by other science or education observe. We always start work- centres as finished products or ing on new teaching solutions on licence. We have noted in- by first identifying existing needs creased interest among partners and deficits. Then we move on in Poland and abroad and many to designing teaching tools and institutions we work with. drafting workshop scenarios, followed by creating and verifying a prototype, then carrying out pilot tests with target groups. After the testing and evaluation stage, teaching aids that are rated highly by hundreds of users are ready to be put into widespread use. Our business partners help us make them commercially available. 25

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 of mirrors, create fascinating Mirrors geometric figures and find out why mirror images are flipped The boundary between sci- from left to right rather than top ence and the arts is fluid. This to bottom. The exhibition was is shown very well by Mirrors, accompanied by workshops for our latest temporary exhibition teachers interested in finding on loan from the Technorama ways to combine natural sci- science centre in Switzerland. ences with topics from the arts. Kaleidoscopes, distorting mir- More on p. 58. rors and mirror mosaics are visually captivating, while also To promote the Mirrors exhibi- being a perfect medium for tion, we launched a competi- learning about symmetry and tion on Facebook, Instagram encouraging abstract thinking. and Twitter, asking participants to take photos featuring mir- Albert Einstein wondered what ror reflections. Those who he would see in a mirror if he submitted the best pictures were travelling at the speed of received an annual member- light. This thought experiment ship to the Copernicus Club and led him to hypothesise that time entry passes to the exhibition. flows more slowly in an object Additionally, we selected several travelling at a high speed. Mirror locations throughout Warsaw to symmetry, or rather the absence display a miniaturised item fea- of such symmetry between mat- tured at the exhibition and made ter and antimatter, is an impor- at our workshop. “All eyes are on tant principle of our Universe. me” comprises small flat mir- Symmetry is also significant in rors arranged so that they face our everyday lives: we find sym- the same point – it means that metrical faces more attractive, if you stand directly in front of and the structures of geometric the exhibit, you can see yourself figures, equations and laws of reflected many times. physics also exhibit symmetry.

The exhibition includes 35 interactive components designed following a concept originally put forward by the British psy- chologist of perception Richard Gregory. Experimental sta- Concept, design tions help visitors understand and production: Technorama how reflections are formed and processed by our eyes. Guests Duration: look at themselves in a maze 15 Oct 2015–31 May 2016 27

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 At the “mission control centre”, The official opening of the exhi- Look: There’s visitors can discover the com- bition on 4 November featured plexity of space missions and the an unusual guest: the ribbon Earth! extraordinary precision, skills and was actually cut by the Magma state-of-the-art technologies White Mars rover, made by Polish During our five years of opera- involved. engineers. It is scheduled to be tion, Copernicus has prepared launched on a mission to the many novelties and surprises After a successful flight, visitors Red Planet in 2018. Guests also for visitors. One was the open- are able to admire breathtaking attended a lecture by Dr. Witold ing of the permanent exhibi- images captured by telescopes in Fedorowicz-Jackowski on geo- tion “Look: There’s Earth!” at Earth orbit. The exhibits explain graphical imaging and listened the Planetarium, showing our techniques of weather forecast- to a concert of music under the planet from afar. By seeing how ing and interpreting satellite stars. beautiful and fragile it is, visitors data, provide a sneak peek inside can fully appreciate the value of satellites, satellite receivers (they The exhibition comprises twenty our world and the importance can be made at home!) and exhibits distributed on three of caring for it. The exhibi- jet engines, and shows how to floors of the Planetarium build- tion deals with space research, conduct observations of the Sun ing. Entry is free. which is helping us better and planets in our solar system. understand the Blue Planet To top it all off, our collection of and take a greater responsibil- meteorites makes outer space a ity for its future and that of its much more tangible experience. inhabitants.

The first part of the exhibition concerns space observations and shows guests how they can conduct them themselves. Visitors can admire Earth as seen from satellites on images such as those used to monitor the atmosphere and oceans, forecast weather, predict forest fires or assess stages of plant vegetation. The second part focuses on technologies used to observe Earth from space. It reveals the secrets of GPS navigation and details of how astronauts cope with everyday tasks while in orbit, such as obtaining water and using the toilet. Several exhibits illustrate how satellite data is gathered and CSC Executive Director Robert Firmhofer and Deputy Mayor of Warsaw Włodzimierz Paszyński at the analysed. opening of the exhibition “Look: There’s Earth!” 29

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 to construct a tower sufficiently had a great time during events Other strong to support an egg, or to we organised as part of our part- use just straw and Styrofoam to nership with the Foundation for activities in build a flying machine? In 2015 Education System Development. we prepared six new kits, with a the exhibition further three currently in devel- High Voltage Theatre opment. The Thinkatorium has space been involved in many other ac- It’s the most electrifying venue tivities at Copernicus. During the anywhere at Copernicus. Even Thinkatorium “Summer in the City” event we though visitors are safely en- hosted workshops during which sconced in a Faraday cage The Thinkatorium celebrated we constructed submarines, hov- protecting them from the elec- its first birthday in September. ercraft and jet planes. The event trostatic field, they can still feel It is a zone dedicated to inde- was popular with kids and their the tension with every step. In pendent experimentation and parents, as well as adults without 2015, the patron of the High creation. Visitors are free to children who flocked to the gal- Voltage Theatre was Nikola select a kit and sit down with it lery during “After Hours” evenings Tesla, with all events recalling at the workshop table, then try for adults. The workshop format the life and inventions of this to surmount a particular sci- is also extremely useful dur- inspired scientist. We prepared entific, logical or engineering ing our sessions with teachers, a new spectacle for the occa- challenge. But there’s a twist: with every “Teacher Thursday” sion, featuring multimedia for the the only materials available are finishing at the Thinkatorium. first time. Duel of the Masters is everyday objects. Is it possible, Additionally, a group of 100 a clash of two great minds and using nothing other than paper, teachers from all over Europe two great ideas which changed the world. Who will win – direct current, favoured by Thomas Edison, or alternating current preferred by Tesla? Viewers can enjoy watching a Van de Graaff generator and a Jacob’s ladder in action. The performance is an adaptation of the notorious War of Currents, which played out in the US in the late 1880s. We have also introduced regular mini-demonstrations of Tesla coils, and the entire Copernicus Science Centre came together to celebrate Tesla Days. 31

Robotic Theatre Old Man Does is Always Right also represented Copernicus at (adapted from Hans Christian the science festival in Ljubljana, Actors in mechanical bodies, Andersen’s classic fairytale). and received a special prize for humanoid robots declaiming an outstanding science dem- dialogues straight from science Demonstration team onstration at the Science Show fiction writer Stanisław Lem’s International Cup in Estonia in stories or explaining the notion During the week, visitors can September. of higher dimensions… This thea- watch 15-minute long science tre’s unconventional and engag- demonstrations in our exhibi- Mini-workshops ing format helps make important tion spaces based on original and complex topics from the scripts written by our explainers. Our explainers also host mini- fields of science and the humani- One of the topics we covered workshops for visitors to the ex- ties easier to understand. this year was waste manage- hibitions. The short presentations ment. What happens to rub- include in-depth information on This year’s repertoire included bish when it leaves our homes, exhibits and help participants three plays: Prince Ferrix and offices or schools? How is gain new skills while being en- Princess Crystal (based on rubbish segregated, and what tertained. In 2015, guests were S. Lem’s Fables for Robots), The does this process achieve? shown different ways of lighting Secret of the Empty Drawer, Members of our demonstration fires, learned how to read hiero- or the Ghosts from the Fourth team attended a course with glyphs and cuneiform, discov- Dimension (based on Edwin David Price at the Science Made ered the differences between A. Abbott’s 19th century novel Simple centre in Wales; David ciphers and codes, investigated “Flatland: A Romance of Many was one of the guests of this fingerprinting technologies and Dimensions”) and What the year’s Science Picnic. The team built Voltaic piles.

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 volcanos erupt? Why does chop- the planetarium hosts interactive, From the ping onions make us cry? How engaging Concerts for kids. In does electricity get to plug sock- 2015 we hosted 12 such events, youngest to ets? These are just some of the with visitors filling the room each questions tackled by participants time (we welcomed a total of the eldest of the workshops. 1577 participants).

Our ambition is for Copernicus At the end of each event, parents Slightly older music fans could to be as popular among toddlers are given educational materi- choose from the repertoires as among centenarians. We con- als so they can continue teach- of Concerts under the Stars tinue to expand and improve our ing and experimenting at home. and Jazz Orbits. From classi- attractions to appeal to all age In 2015, we hosted 206 Family cal sounds to contemporary groups. We test new formats, Workshops with a total of 5141 and jazz standards, each event invite in the best specialists and participants (2683 adults and featured screenings projected make sure Copernicus is a place 2458 kids). on the planetarium’s dome. We visitors want to come back to also hosted additional concerts time and again. Last year we held over 70 hugely celebrating Valentine’s Day and popular concerts at the plan- Christmas. In 2015 we held 59 Family Workshops, weekend etarium. Music fans of all ages concerts with a total of 8843 events dedicated to our young- had plenty to choose from, with participants. est guests (children aged the repertoire ranging from between 5 and 8) and their classical music to jazz. For the Fans of Pink Floyd had a great parents, enjoy great popular- youngest guests we found a way treat with the Dark Side of the ity. Why do stars shine? What of combining children’s natural Moon laser shows. Hypnotic happens to our trash? Where sensitivity to music with observa- with its light display, the spec- do clouds come from? Why do tions of the sky. Once a month tacle was accompanied by the 33

group’s greatest hits includ- shows selected to match the of how we perceive the world ing “Time”, “Money”, “Us and theme of each evening. What around us. Them” and “Eclipse”. In 2015, kinds of topics do we cover? This we collected the first prize for year we talked about love, sight, “Only Lovers Left Alive” (26 Dark Side of the Moon in the sport, travel, microbes, fashion, February): Tickets for the event “Planetarium” category, awarded symmetry and light. Each event sold out in mere minutes. And no by the International Laser Display guaranteed a fascinating pro- wonder – the subject is close to Association (ILDA). More about gramme, entertainment and an us all, even though we can’t quite the prizes won by the Copernicus unorthodox attitude to science. define it. But when it captures Science Centre and the Heavens The evenings were co-organised us, we know it’s love. We talked of Copernicus Planetarium on with Samsung – Copernicus about its many facets – kissing, p. 110 Science Centre’s strategic sex, relationships, even chemical partner. compounds. The special guest 2015 saw record numbers of visi- of the event was the biochem- tors to our After Hours events, “Eyes Wide Shut” (29 January): ist and neurochemist Prof. Jerzy with a total of 9729 participants. Our eyes are able to distinguish Vetulani. He talked to the guests We open Copernicus after its around ten million colours; they about what happens in our heads usual closing time and welcome reveal our mood, and the pat- when we fall in love, and de- all guests aged 18 or over. As terns of our irises are as unique scribed the chemical substances well as opening our exhibitions, as our fingerprints. Eyesight is responsible for attraction. More we host workshops, film screen- an extraordinary sense, and yet about lectures at Copernicus on ings, performances, games, it can play tricks on us. At this p. 80. lectures, meetings with experts event we learned about optical and concerts. The Heavens of illusions and visual paradoxes, “A Beautiful Mind” (26 March): Copernicus planetarium also and talked about the biological It weighs 3% of our total body changes its repertoire, with and psychological foundations mass and comprises 86 billion

Prof. Jerzy Vetulani

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 From the youngest to the eldest

neurons. Our brain is responsible the barriers posed by our own follow such trends come from? for emotions, memory and how bodies. Why do some people These questions apply not just to we function in our daily lives. like running while others prefer our clothing preferences but also How are we affected by using football? How far can we push to the objects we surround our- modern technologies? Why do the limits of our endurance? We selves with and our lifestyles. Is it our minds like to simplify real- also learned about sport’s poten- possible to maintain individuality ity? Where do brain disorders tial dark side – becoming overly and originality in the contempo- originate? What is the result of obsessed with the “fitness fad”. rary world? free will and what is attribut- able to hormones and neural “Don’t Look Now/The Great “Through a Glass Darkly” (29 connections? Stroll” (18 June): Why do humans October): Why is symmetry so travel? Why are some destina- widespread in nature and cul- “Microcosm” (23 April): Viruses tions more fashionable than oth- ture? Where does our passion stir powerful negative emotions, ers? Why have so many people for uniformity and order come but how can they be used in gone crazy about the “Lonely from? Do humans try to imitate constructive ways? Can bacteria Planet” guidebooks? Are the only the natural world? We discussed be used to make cement? At this options backpacking vs. going the omnipresence of symmetry event we discovered how micro- all inclusive? Of course we also in nature, in our everyday lives, organisms can be put to work talked about those journeys we in science, art and architecture. in the macro scale in engineer- at Copernicus love best: trips to We also encouraged the visitors ing, economic and construction space. to take a look around the exhi- projects, and learned about joint bition “Mirrors”, which opened ventures of engineers and biolo- “Bonfire of the Vanities” (24 just a few days earlier (more on gists resulting in the creation of September): Which social mech- “Mirrors” on p. 26). technologies such as biosensors. anisms drive the emergence and disappearance of fashion trends? “Heart of Darkness” (26 “Run, Lola, Run” (28 May): Sport What role is played by economic November): By gaining an creates bonds, stirs emotions factors, marketing and advertis- understanding of the nature of and makes us strive to overcome ing? Where does the desire to light, centuries of scientific and

Kip S. Thorne is a former Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics at the California Institute of Technology. He is an expert on the theory of gravitation and astrophysics, scholar of Einstein’s theory of relativity, and author of fundamental works in gravitational wave physics and relativis- tic cosmology. 35

technological developments have allowed us to look far into space and deep inside atoms. We study gravitational phenomena in our universe as well as quantum phenomena governing the microworld, yet we continue encountering things that elude scientific theories, entangling us in paradoxes and requiring us to come up with new, frequently revolutionary approaches. One mysterious such phenomenon is black holes – cosmic monsters that devour everything within their enormous gravitational reach: planets, stars, galaxies, even one another. Today we know that they are everywhere and are a key element in the evolution of the universe, as well as being also crucial for its future. The special guest of the evening was Prof. Kip S. Thorne with his lecture “From the Big Bang to black holes and the film ‘Interstellar’. A hundred years of the theory of relativity”. More about lectures at Copernicus on p. 26.

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 Sometimes scenarios turn into On 3 and 4 October we co- Laboratories fascinating collaborations. The hosted We Are Chemistry: “electrofashion” workshop A Weekend with Elements with The best way of gaining a good evolved into a partnership be- BASF, the exclusive partner of understanding of the phenom- tween new technologies and the our chemistry laboratory. Visitors ena and processes taking place arts. Our Robotics Workshop and made simple cosmetics, built all around us is by studying the designer Michał Starosta cre- unusual mirrors, viewed mol- them first-hand. Our laborato- ated a robotic dress, which was ecules as they freeze and learned ries are perfect places for con- so well received it was displayed the secrets of 3D printing. ducting such experiments, and on a real catwalk during the they are popular with school Hoop Likes Festival in Gdańsk. groups, teachers and individual visitors alike. We develop the majority of our events – including the Science The role of our labs has evolved; Picnic, Summer at the Discovery they are no longer just venues Park, After Hours, Tesla Days, where lab classes are taught, Museum Night, winter work- but now also act as our testing shops, conferences and other ground where we pilot innova- events for teachers – by work- tive new solutions and projects, ing closely with the laboratories. and prototype new exhibits. Our labs represent Copernicus Laboratories play such an impor- during numerous events or- tant role in the development of ganised by academic and stu- the Copernicus Science Centre dent circles. In 2015 we took that in 2016 they are becoming part in Biology Night (Faculty an independent department. of Biology at the University of Warsaw), Robot Night (Industrial Since their opening, our labora- Research Institute for Automation tories have developed 80 original and Measurements), Design lesson plans. This year students Thinking Week, the Mobile Robot learned how to program ro- Tournament “Robomaticon” bots and isolate plant pigments, (Warsaw University of discovered the secrets of poly- Technology) and Brain Week mers that conduct electricity, (Nencki Institute of Experimental and used thermal-vision cameras Biology). Experts from the to observe thermal processes Robotics Workshop have been around them. Weekend guests invited to sit on the jury of the experimented with light, learned international First Lego League. about photosynthesis, obtained We also work closely with the fragrances using chemical reac- Partners of our laboratories. tions, and made friends with humanoid robots. 37

Chemistry laboratory:

4 lesson plans

3834 students

4862 individual visitors

Biology laboratory:

4 lesson plans

3641 students

4511 individual visitors

Physics laboratory:

4 lesson plans

3778 students

5008 individual visitors

Robotics workshop:

4 lesson plans

2030 students

3906 individual visitors

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 New at the Constellation: Love See Pluto! Our traditional Valentine’s Day While Parisians were celebrating Heavens of shows have been so popular we 14 July with an annual parade, decided to include them in our we gazed up into the sky. That Copernicus summer repertoire. In a fresh day, the New Horizons space new format, the special romantic probe made a pass near Pluto. It Planetarium events were held every Saturday was a great opportunity to see during the summer holidays. close-up photos of Pluto at the Asteroid day After all, where better to talk planetarium, learn why it is no about love than under the starry longer considered to be a planet On 30 June, the 107th anniver- sky? These astronomical “dates” in our Solar System, and find sary of the Tunguska Event, we were attended by a total of 1360 out how many planets beyond were joined by Discovery Science people. it are known to astronomers. for celebrations of Asteroid The event was attended by 140 Day. We presented informa- people. tion about planetoids and held a pre-premiere screening of a film prepared by our co-host. 39

Throughout the year we have for building partnerships with the “Revolve”, and just like bodies in been working hard to prepare for finest experts and companies in our solar system, we too are in the International Planetarium the field. The sessions have been constant motion, spinning, orbit- Society (IPS) conference. The divided into thematic blocks ing, turning… prestigious organisation, bringing which include subjects key to the together venues from 35 coun- planetarium’s everyday activities tries, selected our planetarium as as well as long-term projects. For the host of its biennial event. It the duration of the conference, will be a perfect opportunity to we will construct two additional promote Heavens of Copernicus planetarium domes, allowing as well as Warsaw, Poland and participants to compare and Europe as a whole. In 2015, we test the best projection systems launched the event’s website at made by leading manufacturers. www.ips.2016.org and prepared The IPS conference will be held the conference programme. in June 2016, coinciding with Our main focus is on hosting the fifth birthday of the Heavens thought-provoking sessions, as of Copernicus Planetarium. The well as providing opportunities leading motto of IPS 2016 is

We have a head full of ideas PREMIERES OF 2015: Our films and shows are amass- and we are always open to new ing international distinctions and experiences, making 2015 a busy Films: awards. More on p. 110. and successful year for Heavens We Are Aliens 3D of Copernicus. We launched the exhibition “Look! There’s Earth” Longer live presentations: (more on p. 29), made sure our Anatomy of the Universe activities are suitable for all age groups (p. 33), considered teach- Seasonal shows held live before er needs (p. 54), hosted meetings screenings: with eminent scientists (p. 80) Astronavigators and conducted astronomical ob- Mission: Pluto servations with the participation Space Rubbish Heap of thousands of people (more on Beyond the Snow Line p. 78). Special shows: April’s Fools Day at the Planetarium Don’t pollute the night: turn off that light! Shows held during After Hours sessions (more on p. 32).

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 We support the art of learner- focused teaching. By creating a supportive educational environment, we offer constructive benefits to teachers and educators.

a major step towards implement- Teachers as explorers – work- The ing changes to Poland’s educa- shops at laboratories tion system. Copernican In 2015, we held the second Copernicus in the field – trav- cycle of workshops at our labo- Revolution elling workshops ratories and Robotics Workshop. The participants were teach- Two years ago, the Copernicus As in the previous year, in 2015 ers hoping to expand their own Science Centre embarked upon we held a cycle of regional work- knowledge and develop their a joint project with the Polish shops for teachers interested teaching skills by solving research Education Ministry, aiming to in the latest teaching methods. problems. They learned how encourage teachers to use more Their aim was to stimulate stu- best to introduce their students active methods of working with dent curiosity and engage young to the latest scientific discover- their students. Our ambition is people in the process of inde- ies in everyday practice. The for Polish schools to foster curi- pendent learning. Participants workshops served as inspira- osity and enquiry, and encour- were teachers of natural sciences tion to prepare interdisciplinary, age students to independently at the elementary level and sci- unconventional lesson plans that learn about the world and make ence and natural science teach- break down traditional divisions the most of their potential. ers at the middle school level into school subjects. Participants The “Copernican Revolution”, from across Poland. were teachers of biology, chem- another name for the project istry, physics, maths, IT and voca- “Developing and testing active During the workshops, par- tional subjects. The topics were methods of teachers working ticipants were introduced to the highly diverse. The biology labo- with students, based on the re- basics of enquiry-based science ratory held events focusing on search method” (OP Knowledge education, conducted experi- neurobiology and biophysiology Education Growth), was carried ments and discussed how to use of the brain (“Striking a nerve: out by the Copernicus Science their new skills in their everyday Neurobiology in practice”) – top- Centre using EU funds. The work with students. This way of ics which are either not covered project concluded in 2015 when teaching helps learners acquire in the syllabus or are merely we presented the Ministry with knowledge by posing research glossed over. During the phys- a complex, comprehensive pro- questions, verifying hypotheses, ics workshops (“Eye to eye with posal of changes we hope to see conducting practical activities an oscilloscope”) participants introduced to the teaching of and reflecting on the given pro- designed experiments using natural sciences at elementary cess or phenomenon. It shapes equipment found at the labora- schools in Poland. and develops abstract and critical tory, such as oscilloscopes. The thinking, stimulates curiosity, chemistry workshops (“Plastics”) 21st century schools must adapt provides motivation for study- featured discussions of polymers to the rapidly changing world in a ing the given problem for longer and other plastics used to make rational, driven and creative way. periods, helps build teamworking many everyday objects. Teachers Teaching methods focused on skills and bolsters creativity. also attended the Robotics active student participation help Workshop (“Sensors in everyday develop core skills demanded by In 2015 we hosted 11 workshops use”), where they worked on au- contemporary society. This pro- with a total of 235 participants. tomation and design and learned ject, which ran for two years, was about how IT processes are used 45

in industry. In 2015 we hosted experiments recall renowned 27 workshops with a total of 282 motifs in the arts, such as the participants. role played by colours and light in masterpieces throughout the Copernicus in a box – work- ages. The kit aims to help teach- shops with educational kits ers introduce research methods in their work with students; it The “Light” box is the seventh has an open format, enabling educational kit developed by teachers to modify the experi- experts from the Copernicus ments and expand on the sub- Science Centre. The kits are ject during lessons. The “Light” modern teaching aids comprising box forms a part of the science, inexpensive materials and lesson technology, engineering, arts and plans essential for practical ses- mathematics (STEAM) educa- sions, helping students conduct tion programme. We hosted 13 experiments independently. The workshops using the kit, with the latest kit was developed during participation of 237 teachers of the UN’s International Year of natural sciences, physics, chem- Light. The kit contains equip- istry, maths, technology and arts. ment, materials and experiment scenarios which treat light as a subject of observations and stud- ies, as well as using it as a tool in the research process. The skills required are based on creativity, developing the student’s artistic skills and spatial reasoning. The

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 The Copernican Revolution

New Natural Science The experience we have gained and new equipment. We worked Workshops – recommendation through working with children in with teachers for several months years 4–6 of elementary school to verify whether students are The recommendations delivered will also be used to introduce able to independently conduct to the Education Ministry con- changes in early stage educa- the experiments designed by our cerned the equipment, infra- tion. The recommendations for team of experts and to appraise structure, lesson structure and New Natural Science Workshops the usefulness and potential of development of teaching skills at have been prepared by a team the equipment. The pilot scheme natural science labs in elemen- of experts in many scientific also included evaluation and a tary schools. The publication is fields representing various circles research project. We observed the first step in our work as part of formal and informal educa- over 500 natural science lessons of the Copernican Revolution tion: Copernicus Science Centre to establish how teachers work Workshop (more about con- staff, specialists, consultants, with students and identify the struction plans on p. 64). We will and members of the project’s teaching methods and aids they work closely with the Education scientific board (Prof. Łukasz use. Ministry, local authorities and Turski, Prof. Ewa Bartnik, Prof. other institutions and organisa- Stanisław Dylak and Mirosław tions to disseminate modifica- Sielatycki). A key stage of imple- tions to the teaching of natural menting the project was com- sciences and developing of key bining theory with practice. We competencies, and to make sure selected elementary schools in those changes are enduring. urban and rural areas in different regions of Poland to pilot the proposed programme, introducing the amended teaching methods, suggested activities

Our in-depth proposal for educational solutions beneficial to the development of teaching natural sciences has been published in the volume “New Natural Science Workshops”, including descriptions of working methods during lessons, example activities, model lesson plans and a list of equipment tested at our laboratories. The full publication can be downloaded from www. kopernik.org.pl 47

Research & schools. The research shows that equipment available at school expository teaching methods are classrooms forms the basis of the Development used during nine out of ten les- recommendations formulated as sons. Experiments are conducted part of the New Natural Science no more frequently than once a Workshops programme. week, and they are mainly used In 2015, we published the report to make lessons more attrac- “(Un)tamed experience: Using tive. We also know that school research methods during natural infrastructure is of secondary science lessons”. The diagnosis, importance to how lessons are based on an analysis of over 500 conducted; the main factor is hours of natural science lessons, teacher skills and attitudes. Our provides an overview of how the understanding of teaching meth- subject is taught at elementary ods and their relationship with

On 21 May, we hosted a confer- voivodship marshal’s office, lo- conference was accompanied ence summarising the project cal authorities, teacher training by an exhibition showcasing with a particular stress on New centres and institutions and or- the project findings. It featured Natural Science Workshops. ganisations involved in develop- a stand presenting equipment Participants included repre- ing education, and directors and recommended for new natural sentatives of the Education teachers from schools participat- science workshops and experi- Ministry, the City of Warsaw, the ing in the pilot programme. The mental stations where visitors tested example kits and talked to participants in the pilot scheme. The exhibition was also shown during the 9th “Show and Tell” conference (August 2015) and the 6th Mazowsze Development Forum (October 2015).

Hands-on experimentation stations accompanying the “New Natural Science Workshops” conference

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 using the latest technologies. Copernicus Science Centre. Our FabLab@ We want to find out how best partners in the FabLab@School. School.pl – to use the method’s potential pl programme will be scientists in our culture, in particular in from the University of Social research schools, by incorporating state- Sciences and Humanities in collaboration of-the-art technologies. We will Warsaw (SWPS). observe how students use them with Stanford and what kind of educational tool University FabLab@School could become if all schools had access to such Until recently, our partner- workshops. Do lessons conduct- ships with universities and ed using the projecct teaching research institutes have placed method improve student creativ- Copernicus in the field of ity? What skills do they require popularising science. This from the teachers? How do they year we expanded our scope affect our perception of modern to include common research technologies and sciences? goals. They include the experimental programme FabLab@ Studying the processes taking School.pl, created together with place at the FabLab will be a part the Transformative Learning of Copernicus’ research into the Technologies Lab (TLTL) at influence of teaching methods Stanford University, one of the and school equipment on shap- most innovative centres of its ing core skills and attitudes. In kind in the world. As a result of this respect, the FabLab@School. the agreement, Copernicus will pl programme is similar in its become home to Poland’s first aims to the New Natural Science FabLab. Workshops project (described on p. 46), which investigated the FabLabs are workshops equipped influence of infrastructure on with traditional tools such as teaching methods. hammers and screwdrivers, and state-of-the-art technologies The agreement with Stanford such as 3D printers and laser University makes the Copernicus cutting machines. Participants Science Centre a member of a identify problems and search global community of scholars of for ways of solving them, for education from the US, Thailand, example by making and test- Russia, Australia, Denmark and ing prototypes. The idea behind Finland. Collaboration with one FabLabs is rooted in the belief of the world’s leading universities that children learn better when brings many academic benefits, they are able to conduct experi- including access to research ments and construction projects into learning mechanisms con- themselves (as part of a team) ducted by TLTL Stanford and the 49

Prof. Paulo Blikstein during the Computer Sciences at Stanford “Cognitive Adventures” confer- University. His research focuses ence held at the Copernicus on the effect of new technolo- Science Centre in November gies on how science and engi- (more on p. 10). Prof. Blikstein neering subjects are taught. He leads the Transformative Learning is the initiator of the FabLab@ Technologies Lab (TLTL) and School programme. works as Assistant Professor of

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 The clubs provide kids with Foundation which is currently Young opportunities to conduct ex- the programme’s partner. periments and have fun while Explorer learning in a relaxed atmosphere; To make the most of the pro- young experimenters are able gramme’s potential, we work Club to independently verify research closely with regional partners. hypotheses without being tested Their task is maintaining regular programme and given marks. The clubs are contact with clubs in the region run by adults, teachers and other and supporting local leaders in Is there a fun way to shape and educators such as animators of setting up new ones. Another promote activity, responsibil- culture, librarians, scientists and important role is securing local ity, cooperation, confidence, parents. The leaders are active, resources to be used together creativity and a desire to learn responsible and ready to learn with club leaders. With the sup- about the world, among chil- themselves, and they use their port of our partners we develop dren, young people and educa- potential to the full by becoming educational tools based on the tors? Yes, there sure is! All these YEC ambassadors and drivers of YEC method and disseminate things are fostered by the Young change in the culture of teach- them through workshops, by Explorer Club programme which ing. The programme is coordi- making them available online and we have been coordinating nated by the Copernicus Science by recruiting and training instruc- since 2009. The programme has Centre. We look after its devel- tors. 2015 saw a rapid develop- been rapidly gaining popularity opment, maintain contact with ment of our first regional partner: in Poland since its inception, as members and bolster the club the “ExploRes” Association for well as being successfully intro- network in Poland and abroad. Disseminating Knowledge from duced abroad. Since its inception, the YEC pro- the Podkarpacie region, support- gramme has been supported by ed by the University of Rzeszów. the Polish-American Freedom 51

Instructors from the Association, clubs, with winners presenting trained by the Copernicus their achievements in leading Science Centre, have hosted experiment-based sessions to the first workshops for people the wider public. Winning club interesting in opening new clubs. members and leaders enter- The YEC also participated in tained and educated visitors at the Science Picnic in Rzeszów. the Young Explorer Club stand During the 4th Young Explorer during the 19th Science Picnic of Club Forum, we signed the latest Polish Radio and the Copernicus collaborative agreement on Club Science Centre. We also run The YEC programme contin- development. YEC’s partners YEC’s website featuring the lat- ues to expand. Over 500 clubs have been joined by the Teacher est news and programmes and are currently active in Poland, Training Centre in Olsztyn. Also posts and inspirations from clubs Georgia, Ukraine and Belarus. worth noting are the activities of wishing to share their ideas and This high number of members our first foreign partner – the Ilia activities. In 2015 we posted means enormous diversity. Clubs State University in Tbilisi, who 500 submissions and dozens are active in cities and villages, we have been working with since of workshop plans devised by at schools, homes and libraries, 2012. Copernicus, and the website with club members ranging from received thousands of hits. To pre-schoolers to high school The Tbilisi Science Picnic (more make sure YEC’s instructors are students. on p. 74) brings together numer- always on top of their game, we ous Young Explorer Clubs in hosted a training session on re- 325 clubs in Poland (including Georgia. The Ilia State University search methods. However, most 165 founded this year) develops and integrates a net- of the activities are conducted by work of clubs in the country, the clubs themselves! They in- 40 clubs in Georgia builds relationships and supports clude numerous science-themed the exchange of experiences. field trips, YEC festivals and 11 clubs in Ukraine Our network of regional part- picnics, club meetings, activities ners abroad will soon be joined with researchers, YEC camps, 9 clubs in Belarus by Lithuania, where we are in meetings with fascinating people, talks with the Vytautas Magnus events at schools and in local University in Kaunas. communities, and many others.

In March 2015, we started working closely with a small group of YEC leaders who stand out with their dedication, civic attitude and high quality of activities. We invited them to Copernicus for two two-day-long training sessions where they had an opportunity to improve their skills and meet their peers. We also hosted the sixth competition for

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 Young Explorer Club programme

4th YEC FORUM Attendees took part in work- natural phenomena and process- shops, lectures, seminars and es and develop their maths skills. On 20 and 21 November 2015, discussions, and conducted The project supports science, we hosted the 4th YEC Forum experiments in the Copernicus technology, engineering and with the participation of over 240 exhibition space. We are es- mathematics (STEM) education. visitors. This year we discussed pecially proud of workshops the role of science in learning initiating long-term research about the world around us and projects involving different clubs its influence on the progress of and focusing on such diverse our society. The motto of this fields as biology, astronomy and year’s event was a quote from the environmental protection. Our renowned Danish physicist Niels special guest, Prof. Lutz Fiesser, Bohr: “Nature only answers when founder of the science centre it is asked the right questions”. in Flensburg, delivered a lecture It fosters the attitude of cogni- on experimental stations created zant and active observation of jointly by teachers, students and the world. Together with Forum parents and their role as teach- participants we discussed the ing aids at schools. Dr. Marcin best ways in which research can Grynberg talked about the social shape key competences such as role of science and the benefits critical thinking, teamwork, ef- of educators and scientists work- fective communication, ability to ing closely together. Together set goals and project planning. with Boeing, we initiated a project designing educational tools aiming to help club members gain a better understanding of 53

YEC ABROAD members from Poland, Georgia Ukraine and Belarus searched for the first Georgia signs of spring in their coun- Ukraine is home to 11 Young tries. Participants included clubs Explorer Clubs. Their representa- The network of Young Explorer from Napareuli, Kutaisi, Gori and tives were active participants in Clubs in Georgia now numbers Rustavi (Georgia), Maladzyechna, this year’s 4th YEC Forum. 40 schools. Thanks to the sup- Pinsk and Zhodzina (Belarus), port from regional partner Ilia and Szczecin, Warsaw, Piotrków, Belarus State University in Tbilisi, clubs Chełmno and Blizanów (Poland). can participate in weekly Science Collaboration between individual The nine Young Explorer Clubs in Café meetings, use university clubs was so enthusiastically Belarus have been active and en- laboratories and receive scientific received by club members and thusiastic for several years in spite support and training. They also leaders that the international of there being no formal support co-run a joint YouTube channel research projects “Don’t pollute in the country. The programme where they exchange ideas and the night: turn off that light!” and has been promoted at local fes- present their own experiments. “Let’s measure Earth together” tivals and town fetes, and among Coordinators of the Georgian brought together 20 leaders of teachers and regional school YEC Programme and leaders clubs in Belarus, Ukraine and directors. Members of the club of Clubs from Napareuli and Georgia, as well as educators in Maladzyechna held events for Telavi attended the 4th YEC from Lithuania and Kyrgyzstan their peers from the city’s Centre Forum. During the Forum we who are planning to start their for People with Disabilities. Club summarised the international own clubs. We will present the leaders described the initiative YEC pilot project “Spring”, dur- outcomes of the projects in 2016. during the 4th YEC Forum. ing which the youngest club

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 ESERO CanSat Space exploration and schools The European CanSat competi- On 10 October we held the Poland tion was inaugurated in 2010, second all-day workshop for although the first CanSats were teachers introducing the aims Programme launched in the late 1990s. of the ESERO programme. 90 The growing popularity of the science teachers from all over The European Science competitions around the globe Poland listened to the lecture Education Resource Office means that the Copernicus by Emil Wrzosek from the PAS (ESERO) is the educational arm Science Centre, ESERO Poland Space Research Centre on how of the European Space Agency and ESA have joined forces to or- satellite imaging is used in crisis (ESA), and the Heavens of ganise the first event of its type in situations. Workshop activities Copernicus Planetarium coor- Poland. The contest will be held included planning a trip to Mars, dinates the project in Poland. in March 2016. In preparation, we calculating the area of Greenland What does the ESERO pro- hosted workshops on 26 and 27 and creating a model of the gramme involve? We support September, inviting teachers to Orion constellation. science education by putting it lead qualifying student teams. We in the context of space research, presented them with essential in- bringing the subject closer to formation they will need, includ- schools. When lessons include ing competition rules, electronic this perspective, they become design and programming, and significantly more attractive to mechanical construction and students. We host teacher work- rocket launcher parameters. The shops, competitions for student participants built a total of nine teams, provide film materials CanSats and left the workshop and lesson plans, and write in- full of ideas and enthusiasm. novative computer programs. We promote the idea that space research and the inventions and technologies associated with it should be discussed during subjects as diverse as geography, physics, chemistry and maths.

Space engineers at the Heavens of Copernicus planetarium 55

Space engineers under the planetarium dome

On 10 December, the planetarium welcomed space engineers who constructed the Polish satellites PW-Sat and PW-Sat2. The former, launched in 2012, is Poland’s first-ever satellite, while the latter is under construction and should be launched next year. The aim of the meeting was to inspire young people and encourage them to seek careers in the engineering and technology branches of the space sector. Guests talked to constructors of satellites, discussed the future of Poland’s space research, watched the film “We Are Aliens” and looked around the exhibition “Look! There’s Earth!” The meeting hosted over 60 partici- CanSats are minisatellites that fit pants including representatives of inside a container the size of a the media and institutions from drinks can. Their task is to con- the space research sector, Polish duct a few tests and experiments Space Agency and the Warsaw during flight powered with a University of Technology. small rocket or balloon at heights between a few hundred metres and several kilometres, and during their parachute flight back. The greatest challenge is fitting all the basic systems comprising a real satellite into the tiny space – power unit, communication module and flight computer. Data collected by CanSats varies greatly and can include atmospheric pressure, air temperature, telemetry, photography and levels of ionising radiation.

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 build co-operation and com- business in the context of devel- Show mon responsibility in the teach- oping skills key in students’ future ing process and how best to plan academic and professional lives. and Tell and organise it to encourage all students to participate. By The conference was opened by Conference thinking about schools as learn- Joanna Berdzik, Deputy Minister ing environments, we discussed of Education, while the inaugural By hosting this annual confer- what teachers of different sub- lecture “On the education of the ence for the last nine years, we jects can learn from one another, future, shaping core skills and have been providing an envi- and considered the key benefits building social capital” was deliv- ronment supporting people of such collaboration. During the ered by Katarzyna Zajdel- invested in the development of panels we also talked about ways -Kurowska, Member of the education in Poland. The meet- of getting parents involved in Board of the National Bank of ings are a platform for dialogue educational activities undertaken Poland. The conference pro- on contemporary challenges by the school and building lasting gramme included numerous and new directions in formal ties among local educational in- discussion panels, practicals and informal education, as well stitutions. We invited participants (workshops, laboratory sessions), as disseminating new solutions. to talk about their experiences of and meetings and talks with We invite educators, teachers, building partnerships between scientists, leaders of Poland’s school directors, expert advi- formal and informal educational education system, NGOs and sors, coaches and representa- establishments, and shaping local authorities. The partici- tives of non-governmental, collaboration between schools pants watched Kryspin Pluta’s scientific and educational and the worlds of science and “Optimista” and participated in institutions.

The motto of this year’s conference were the words of Henry Ford “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, working together is success.” We outlined the existing teaching environment and discussed potential changes to the culture of learning. We believe that education should be considered in its social context with a focus on teamworking skills and developing social capital. With that in mind, one of the key topics of the meeting dealt with the roles of educators and students, and their relationships and communication. We joined forces to think about how best to Joanna Berdzik, Deputy Minister of Education 57

discussion on the film led by 21 and 22 August, the Show and define the young generation. The Andrzej Szozda and Jędrzej Tell Conference welcomed over authors of the remaining articles Czerep. The lecture closing the 250 educators and guests and 40 are teachers, school directors, conference, “Upbringing with in- speakers and panellists. Around academics and representatives dependence for independence”, 20% of the participants were of NGOs involved with circles was delivered by Prof. Tadeusz leaders of Young Explorer Clubs. shaping the education system in Gadacz, Director of the Institute Poland. This year, the publication of Philosophy and Sociology at We followed up the event with a featured a voice from a student the Pedagogical University of post-conference publication for for the first time. The full text is Kraków. the second time. The majority available on www.kopernik.org.pl of the articles were on the topics from the “For teachers” tab. The extensive, varied programme discussed during the lectures, was the result of the Copernicus panels and workshops. Authors Science Centre’s close ties with covered important subjects in many institutions including the today’s world, such as freedom, National Museum in Warsaw, courage, collaboration and the History Meeting House, the learning in its broadest sense. “Młyn Wiedzy” Science Centre in Prof. Tadeusz Gadacz’s article Toruń, the Local Activity Support on the essence of freedom and Centre and the Civis Polonus the superstitions and miscon- Foundation. The Education ceptions that surround it invites Minister has become the honor- deep reflection, while Tadeusz ary patron of the conference. On Szlendak’s piece is an attempt to

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 requirements. Since we were with the arts. We made it our aim Other particularly interested in sup- to improve their understanding porting the cooperation between of the creative process, which is a educational teachers of maths and natural common factor of both scientific sciences, we encouraged them investigation and artistic explora- events to participate in the workshops tion. We brought together sci- together. ence and the arts by combining Microlife workshops visual arts with optical tools and In 2015, we hosted seven work- technologies. The workshops During the spring semester, we shops with the participation of 72 were developed with teachers continued the cycle of work- visitors. of middle schools and above in shops initiated in 2014 introduc- mind, in particular those working ing visitors to the temporary “OBLICZE*NIE*WPROST” in natural sciences, maths and “Microlife” exhibition. The par- Workshops technology, as well as teachers of ticipants learned about growing the arts, animators of culture and and observing microorganisms, We made the most of the educa- educators. Participants improved and conducting and recording tional potential of our latest tem- their skills of engaging and moti- experiments using simple tools porary exhibition (“Mirrors”) to vating students through activities available to all students and develop a brand new workshop such as experiments and crea- teachers. introducing visitors to the con- tive art sessions. We started the cepts behind the exhibition. The workshops during the autumn The programme took into main goal was to familiarise par- semester of 2015 and so far we account different stages of ticipants with the idea of STEAM have held six standard sessions education and curriculum education, combining math- for a total of 75 participants. The ematical and natural sciences workshops will continue in 2016,

Research & Department of Education and a teacher workshop on micro- Development the Department of Evaluation photography techniques, tours of and Analysis. It involved finding the “Microlife” exhibition with bo- out how activities initiated by nus elements, and an educational Copernicus (workshops, teacher project during the “green school”. Under our new statutes, training, student visits to the The autumn/winter semester Copernicus strives to develop as “Microlife” exhibition) can form featured a teacher workshop on a scientific institution conduct- a part of school education and timelapse photography tech- ing R&D activities by devising how they can be continued by niques and a school photography new educational formats and teachers during lessons, af- exhibition. A detailed report from solutions and preparing teach- ter school sessions and “green the study will be available in the ing tools. We will test them, host schools”. Twenty teachers from first quarter of 2016. small-scale pilot programmes La Fontaine school in Warsaw and evaluate them under school took part in the project, along- conditions. The project Microlife side 53 students from selected Follow-up was an interesting ex- classes. The project included a ample, developed jointly by our spring/summer session featuring 59

as long as the “Mirrors” exhibition two-day meetings for edu- the foundations of Copernicus remains opens to the public. cators, combining a day of Science Centre’s philosophy, in workshops at Copernicus particular those involving our Coinciding with the launch of (OBLICZE*NIE*WPROST, a tour of exhibition spaces. The standard the “Mirrors” exhibition, the the “Mirrors” exhibition and After workshop is Science in a Box, Copernicus Science Centre Hours) and a day of workshops at providing a condensed take on signed a letter of intent to collab- the National Museum (art ses- research method concepts and orate with the National Museum sions and exhibition tours). the social role of science. The in Warsaw. workshop has been an inspira- The special event hosted 34 tion for scientists working along- By participating in the Warsaw educators including teachers and side Copernicus, who use it in Cultural Education Programme employees at various cultural their own work with students. conference and opening to a institutions. The workshop Three Steps to network of the Museum’s con- Creativity introduced the par- tacts, we have been able to Thematic workshops ticipants to the basic concepts of significantly expand Copernicus the psychological theory of crea- Science Centre’s audience. For the last two years we have tive thinking. The pilot workshop been expanding our range Exhibits and Experiments helped The concept of STEAM educa- of thematic workshops for teachers gain an understand- tion has been enthusiastically educators concerning various ing of how to use interactive received by artistic educators aspects of teaching. We cur- exhibits as experimental sta- and volunteers at museums and rently offer three workshops tions introducing their students exhibition spaces in Warsaw. on different subjects, with the to phenomena and processes As part of our partnership with common aim of introducing from a range of scientific fields. the Museum, we hosted two the educational concepts at It should be stressed that these

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 Other educational events

new teacher workshops are not used to build a miniature solar wishing to learn more about final products; instead we are or wind power station, or solar- Copernicus and how to make creating and testing them to- powered vehicles. In 2015 we the most of its potential during gether with the participants, who extended our partnership with school trips. The events are also have a major impact on their final the RWE Foundation. We held 11 an opportunity to get to know shape. The workshops were held workshops in various locations our latest exhibitions, laboratory during the Show and Tell confer- in Poland including Katowice, sessions, demonstrations at the ence, the YEC Forum and other Szczecin, Gdańsk, Kraków, planetarium and performances at meetings held as part of the pro- Wrocław, Poznań and Lublin. the High Voltage Theatre. During gramme, external conferences Some of the workshops were co- discussions with teachers, school (MASS, School with Class) and organised with teacher training directors and expert advisors, so on. In 2015 we hosted eight centres and academic institu- our employees learn more about workshops with the participation tions. The events were attended their needs and expectations of of 337 educators. by around 200 teachers. their visits, and together they are able to come up with new Power Box – workshops with Teachers’ Afternoons with projects. During the autumn educational kits Copernicus semester, Teachers’ Afternoons with Copernicus underwent a Since 2012, we have been work- We inaugurated the meetings at change. We shifted the focus ing with the RWE Foundation the time of our launch, and they from viewing the exhibitions to as part of the Blue Future with have been enjoying unabated tours combined with a discus- RWE programme to present popularity ever since. So far they sion on the educational nature of Poland’s only tailored educa- have been attended by several the exhibits and how they can be tional project focusing on gen- thousand teachers from all over used in the teaching process. In erating and using energy: the the country. They are aimed 2015 we hosted 13 meetings with RWE Power Box. The kit can be at educators (mainly teachers) the participation of 230 visitors.

“Wars and Sawa” Summer Seminar

Copernicus was once again responsible for preparing the programme of the 5th “Wars and Sawa” Summer Seminar. This year’s leading theme was the role of the teaching environment.

During workshops participants learned about and compared three different educational spaces where students gain knowledge and develop their skills and talents. They are school classrooms, exhibition spaces at 61

science centres, and the dis- Collaboration with the Warsaw DISCOVERY Festival tinctive educational space at Centre for Socio-Educational Copernicus: the Thinkatorium. Innovation and Training The third Young Researchers The Seminar provided a platform (WCIES) Festival DISCOVERY was held be- for a discussion on how organis- tween 20 and 22 March, organ- ing and equipping the educa- As part of our collaboration with ised by the National Children’s tional space affects the teaching the Warsaw Centre for Socio- Fund, the Copernicus Science process. The event was co-or- Educational Innovation and Centre and Mars Society Poland. ganised with the Warsaw Centre Training (WCIES), during the au- The festival brings together for Socio-Educational Innovation tumn semester we hosted a cycle scientific rivalry (national finals and Training. Participants were of workshops focusing on the of two competitions for young teachers from schools involved teaching of natural sciences. The researchers) and workshops for in the Wars and Sawa project, events concluded with work- students and teachers helping which conducts extensive activi- shops at the Physics Laboratory them develop knowledge and ties supporting gifted students. of the Copernicus Science Centre skills. Middle-school students The workshops hosted a total of and the OBLICZE*NIE*WPROST participating in the ASTROBOT 89 teachers. workshops. During the meetings, competition were split into teams teachers conducted experiments building and programming re- from a specially prepared script search equipment. The festival focusing on research methods. revealed the best space mission We held two sessions: one for plans written by students during middle-school teachers and the the first stage of the competition. other for high-school teachers. The Polish part of the EU Contest The project involved a total of 20 For Young Scientists (EUCYS) physics teachers and expert advi- was also concluded. Poster ses- sors from WCIES. sions were presented by the cre- ators of 20 best student research projects in a range of fields. The jury selected the best projects whose authors will represent Poland during the international finals in Milan in September. The event also featured workshops for teachers focusing on popularising science and working with gifted students. Young participants and their adult companions took a tour of Copernicus exhibitions and listened to a classical music concert under the dome of the Heavens of Copernicus Planetarium.

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 Other educational events

Finals of the national Physical Finals of the School with Class Paths competition Festival 2.0

On 12 April, the Copernicus The event organised for the Science Centre hosted a group fifth time by the Centre for of students – winners of the Citizenship Education culmi- 10th national Physical Paths nated at Copernicus on 31 May competition. They presented and 1 June. Special guests of the their demonstrations of physical event were representatives of the phenomena, awarded during the international organisation Teach competition. We learned about For All. vibration measurements taken using a seismograph constructed at school, tested the strength of a rope wound from many frag- ments of toilet paper, and admired the vibrations of a drop of gallium – a metal similar to mercury – caused by a cyclical chemical reaction.

Research & Development

Copernicus’ Department for what Copernicus has on offer Evaluation and Analysis continues among teachers in Warsaw and to conduct original marketing re- other residents of the city. The search. In 2015, the key group of results will help us in planning subjects were teachers and lead- the Centre’s programme and ers of school groups. The depart- information activities. ment conducted a representative survey of the understanding of 63

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 experience, scientific, social and Research into such questions is A research- business partners and visitors being conducted abroad; how- numbering in the millions make ever, we lack reliable data taking driven us a capable institution for lead- into account conditions specific ing such activities. to Poland. We need informa- approach to tion on which particular activi- Our work with educational circles ties stimulate people of different the learning has lead us to conclude that ages to develop their interests Poland lacks in-depth under- and skills in STEM subjects; we process – standing of the influence and must analyse the influence of effectiveness of specific teaching new technologies on education designing methods and tools. Can any of in its broadest sense. There is them be linked with the shap- currently nowhere we can sys- the ing of particular skills? Which tematically conduct research into methods are the most suitable cognitive processes and learn- Copernican for different groups of students? ing mechanisms, and where we What is the proper relationship can prototype and test innova- Revolution between teachers and learners? tive educational solutions. Our What impact, if any, does social understanding and experience Workshop capital have on learning? What, means we have a clear vision if any, are the differences in how of the goals, methodology and We have spent the last five years boys and girls approach maths practical applications of such building an environment sup- and the sciences? How can those research. porting the development of attitudes be improved? contemporary education. We enter into coalitions and partnerships with teachers, parents, NGOs, academic circles and universities, entrepreneurs with innovative ideas, local authorities and central education authorities. These alliances have helped us formulate new ideas on how our organisation should function in the future and inspired us to design the Copernican Revolution Workshop. It will be Poland’s first centre conducting experimental research into learning processes, leading to the development of innovative educational tools and methods. The Copernicus Science Centre’s educational 65

Architectural designs for the Copernican Revolution Workshop building, by architectural engineers Paulina Boruch, Krzysztof Katerla, Krzysztof Klik

The project “Creating a Copernican Revolution Workshop at the Copernicus Science Centre” has been approved by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, and it has been included in the Territorial Contract for the Mazowsze Voivodeship as part of the Regional Operational Programme for the Mazowsze Voivodeship 2014–2020.

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 We increase people’s participation in culture by invoking science. We instil greater sensitivity to the world around us and foster dialogue on the challenges faced by our civilisation.

The Science Picnic is inter- 2015 was the UN International 19th Science nationally acclaimed, and its Year of Light and Light-Based fame extends beyond Europe’s Technologies. Following this Picnic of borders. The event’s free, infor- idea, the 19th Science Picnic of mal atmosphere is the perfect Polish Radio and the Copernicus Polish Radio medium for dialogue between Science Centre was also dedicat- scientists and the public. Our ed to the theme of “light” – the and the research shows that such in- source of our civilisation. person meetings with experts are Copernicus the most treasured experiences On 9 May, the National Stadium from the Picnic. The event helps in Waraw – now the regular Science debunk the myths that have built venue for the event – was visited up around the image of scientists by 100,000 people. Picnic-goers Centre and contradicts the stereotype had opportunities to learn about of unapproachable boffins who the history of sources of light, Participation in the Science speak only in jargon. On the from sparks from flints to the lat- Picnic has a real impact on other hand, the Picnic’s formula est fluorescent lights and LEDs, increasing people’s interest in allows scientists to step outside to play a laser harp, to build optic specific scientific fields. The their labs and seminar rooms and fibres using jelly, to test whether Picnic awakens passion for present their research to the wid- colours have their own melodies, studying and experimenting, er public. The benefits to both and to find their way around a la- and encourages participants to groups cannot be overstated. ser maze. The Picnic closed with reach for relevant literature. This a spectacular display of quad- celebration of science is testa- copters flying over the National ment to the great benefits of Stadium. using active teaching methods and facilitating direct contact between scientists and the public. The phenomenon of light is best observed in a dark place. The heart of this year’s Picnic was Lightspace – a darkened gallery of 2,500 square metres. Participants looked at the world through the eyes of bees, watched glowing algae and used laser beams to play spying games. They also discovered the secret behind neon light, and admired a collection of beautiful neon signs from the Warsaw Neon Museum. 71

By learning about the nature of light, humankind has been able to devise detectors and technologies enabling us to “see” light on the spectrum far beyond our own vision. One of the results of expanding our perception are the achievements in space exploration and the development of astronomy. At the Heavens of Copernicus Planetarium tent, we learned how objects behave under conditions found in space and how difficult it is to wrestle against a vacuum.

Lightspace featured an ex- Some of the documents and cor- hibition on two of the respondence are being shown greatest minds of the 20th cen- to the public for the first time. tury: Albert Einstein and Marie The facsimiles from the Albert Skłodowska-Curie. We man- Einstein Archive at the Hebrew aged to get hold of facsimiles of University in Jerusalem were Nobel prize documents, excerpts delivered to the Picnic person- from Einstein’s research into the ally by the archive’s director nature of light, and priceless Prof. Hanoch Gutfreund. A few correspondence between the months later the historian of two scientists. Visitors learned physics visited the Copernicus how they supported and inspired Science Centre with his lec- one another in their careers ture on the genesis and recep- and how they viewed social tion of the General Theory of changes at this turbulent period Relativity. More about lectures at of Europe’s history. Marie Curie’s Copernicus on p. 80. letter recommending Einstein for a professor’s post in Zurich is especially insightful, since we rarely remember that the Polish scientist advocated Einstein and had a powerful influence on his later career. Source: Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 Research & Development

Participants in the Science conducted a pilot survey on the sought inspiration, wished to Picnic scientific capital of participating satisfy their own curiosity or students. Work in this area is one were driven by their children’s As in previous years, we looked at of the greatest challenges faced educational needs. It’s worth the Science Picnic as an excel- by the Copernicus research team noting that many participants lent opportunity to study science in the coming years. said they regretted their lack of communication. The Department scientific knowledge and wished of Evaluation and Analysis at There are many reasons people they had learned more earlier in Copernicus, in conjunction with attend the Picnic, with the ma- life; this was reported by close the Centre for Public Opinion jority of respondents indicating to two thirds (63.9%) of the Research (OBOP), conducted at least two. The most com- Picnic participants. Although the a survey scrutinizing the most mon reasons (given by almost question was aimed at adults, engaging forms of contact be- half of all participants) were many students felt compelled tween the public and scientists driven by the desire to learn (I to answer as well, with many and the role played by the Picnic wanted to expand my knowledge expressing similar regrets (51.5%). in building relationships between and scientific understanding, The sense of a lack of knowledge scientific circles and the general I wanted to learn more about mainly concerned maths and the population. The survey questions things I’m interested in or pas- sciences, in particular physics. were posed to a thousand people sionate about) and social need aged 10 or over. We were inter- (I wanted to feel the energy of Another interesting question ested in the sociodemographic Picnic participants, I needed to concerned the assessment of structure of Picnic participants, recharge my batteries, I wanted how information is dissemi- as well as their motives for visit- to enjoy the fact that science is nated. We wanted to learn which ing and their views on the event. fascinating). People who spent ways of engaging the public are During the 2015 Picnic, we also the longest time at the Picnic regarded as the most interesting 73

and effective. Picnic participants extremely positive result. For the the Warsaw Metropolitan Area. were keen supporters of active first time we asked respondents The Science Picnic continues to learning methods. The activ- about their views on the Picnic’s bring in new visitors (58.3%) and ity they rated the most highly image. The vast majority of regulars (41.7%), of whom 9.3% was conducting experiments guests see the event as unique have visited the Picnic five or independently under safe condi- and deserving of its popularity. more times. tions and with support from an experienced scientist. This was The sociodemographic profiles followed by scientific demonstra- of the visitors make it clear that tions, experiments conducted our message is universal and alone, and discussions with reaches highly diverse audiences. scientists. The lowest scores The Picnic’s mission appeals were given to formats commonly to all age groups. Most of the associated with school, such as participants are children in full- reading information materials time education, while middle- or listening to lectures lasting aged and older people generally longer than 15 minutes. accompany kids. Analysing the participants by gender shows A quarter of participants in once again, like last year, that the previous Picnics spontaneously Picnic is attractive to both wom- gave specific examples of how en (58.4%) and men (41.6%). The the events shaped their (or their Picnic was visited by representa- families’) interests, choices and tives of all Poland’s voivode- decisions (23.7%). For a festival ships, although the vast majority held just once a year, this is an (79.3%) were from Warsaw or

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 projects. The high numbers of Lutsk (13 September), Science visitors also confirm the versatil- Dnipropetrovsk (19 September), ity of the Picnics and their ap- Kryvyi Rih (20 September), Picnics proach to presenting science. Dubno (25 September), Ternopil (the opening on 27 September abroad Ukraine was attended by Copernicus representatives) and Vinnytsia Curiosity about the world Ukraine hosted its first Science (4 October). This autumn “mara- around us has nothing to do Picnic three years ago, and the thon” was the crowning achieve- with political or social views, engagement of the country’s ment for the year-round efforts material wealth, age, gender scientists and popularisers of by Ukrainian Picnic organisers or education level, nor is it science has been incredible. In and popularisers of science. In anything to do with geography. 2015, Ukraine hosted ten differ- April they visited the cities of This is shown by the successes ent Science Picnics with a total of Artemivsk and Severodonetsk in achieved by other events held 70,000 visitors! The Picnics had the war zone. In July, they con- by our friends abroad, based on a very academic focus, which is ducted experiments with pupils the format of our own Science particularly important given the at children’s homes in Ternopil Picnic. Such events continue to current difficult political (and as and Kharkov, and presented the attract growing numbers of visi- a result educational) situation in Picnic ideas to guests attending tors, as well as having an endur- Ukraine. The role played by the the Make It Show fair in Kiev in ing effect on local communities Picnics is enormous. They attract June. They were also involved and demonstrating the impor- vast numbers of popularisers in activities supporting internal tance of science in the process of science, research institu- refugees, resettled from the war of building a civil society. tions, scientists and enthusiasts zone to different regions in the who want to be involved in the country. Since July, Picnic organ- In 2015 Ukraine and Georgia grassroots movements and join isers have been running mobile led the way with their Science forces to improve the level of laboratories and science shows Picnics. In both countries the formal education in the country. and launching Young Explorer initiatives have been joined by Cities that hosted Science Picnics Clubs for young people in reset- numerous local and national in 2015 were Odessa (30 August), tlement centres, boarding houses partners and enthusiasts who Lviv (5 September), Kharkov (6 and children’s homes (more contributed to expanding the September), Kiev (12 September), 75

about the expansion of our YEC The Tbilisi Science Picnic was programme in Ukraine on p. 53). visited by over 20,000 guests.

Georgia Croatia

On 26 September, Tbilisi hosted On 11 and 12 December, Zagreb the country’s fourth Science hosted the fourth Science Picnic. Picnic. Since its inception the The Copernicus Science Centre event has been co-organised by presented its “Captured Mind” the city authorities and the Ilia exhibits. State University. The Picnic featured almost 70 tents presenting the results of activities of local FabLabbers and hosting workshops and experiment sessions with representatives of the best schools in the country; the event culminated with a concert. There was also no shortage of science demonstrations, including the highly popular “Captured Mind” presented at the Picnic by the Copernicus Science Centre. The event coincided with Georgia’s first Hackathon – computer programming marathon.

As every year, exhibitors included many representatives of Young Explorer Clubs from all over the country (more about the YEC programme in Georgia on p. 53).

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 Partial eclipse of the Sun on the Planetarium, Copernicus Astronomical Science Centre and the park; the The partial eclipse of the Sun on city roadway authority made sure observations 20 March was the first event of that the lights on several bridges its kind visible in Poland since in Warsaw and at the entry and The astronomy meetings at January 2011. We invited all exit points to the Wisłostrada the Heavens of Copernicus astronomy fans to join us for tunnel and Metro stations were Planetarium, open to the public, observations lasting almost three also temporarily off, and our have become a social phenome- hours, and even though the neighbours from across the river non. Thousands of people gath- eclipse happened in the morn- – the PGE National Stadium – ered this year at our Discovery ing hours, we still had around also joined in. Better still, we Park, patio and Copernicus roof 4,500 participants! There were even managed to dim the Moon! to watch cosmic phenomena. adults, school groups with teach- It happened to be almost fully The interest was so high that we ers, businesspeople from nearby waned and its glow didn’t inter- streamed the events live on our offices, grandparents with their fere with our observations. We YouTube channel for astronomy grandkids – the atmosphere keep hoping for more – perhaps fans who weren’t able to attend. was fantastic. Our guests used one day we’ll get all of Warsaw And the record-breaking meet- telescopes with special filters and and other cities to go dark for a ings are more than just celebra- glasses with similar filters which single August night? tions of astronomy. They clearly they could take home afterwards. show the human need to experi- The event was hosted by one Summer observations of the ence, understand, admire and of the presenters at Heavens of sky reflect upon the world in the Copernicus, Karol Wójcicki, who company of others. Curiosity talked about the mechanics of We held these events every about the world around us this rare event. We also linked live Saturday in August as part of breaks down barriers; it brings to other places around the world Summer at Discovery Park (more people together rather than where the eclipse was total. We on p. 90). dividing them. can’t wait until the next opportunity to conduct similar observa- Total eclipse of the Moon tions in 2021. The cosmos has been kind to Perseids us this year – there have been so many beautiful sights in the In August, we were besieged sky! On 28 September, we took by record-breaking crowds! to the Copernicus roof garden Around 12,000 visitors flocked to admire the total eclipse of the to the Discovery Park, Kahl Moon. We were lucky in that it Square and the nearby Vistula coincided with the lunar peri- Boulevards. As usual at this time gee – the point in orbit where of year, we spent the early hours the Moon passes closest to our of 13 August looking out for planet. We watched the enor- the Perseids – one of the best mous, red-and-gold satellite known meteor showers. We together with 150 people. switched off the illuminations 77

First star

We also enjoy more low-key meetings-by-the-telescope, when guests can have a chat with the hosts over a cup of hot chocolate. As every year in the run-up to Christmas, we held a short course showing participants where to look for the first star on Christmas Eve. This year we were lucky enough to have also seen the Moon eclipsing the star Aldebaran. We were joined by around 20 people for the event.

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 Perseid observations, August 2015

Each meeting was opened by calculation. The name “calculus” Meetings Prof. Marek Abramowicz giving comes from Latin and refers to a a summary of the most recently small stone used for counting or with reported scientific findings, voting in ancient times. followed by two lectures. The scientists evenings were hosted by Irena Dr. Weronika Śliwa, “Kepler’s Cieślińska – Deputy Director of laws”, 8 October Science shapes our present and the Copernicus Science Centre. Kepler’s laws are still in use to our future. Copernicus provides The open lectures proved to be describe the motion of planets opportunities for the public so popular that we opened an around the Sun. Without them to meet people who create it. additional room streaming live we wouldn’t have made achieve- In 2015, we welcomed many transmissions to people who ments such as Moon landings, scientists from Poland and couldn’t fit into the lecture room. Mars rovers and space probes. abroad. Audiences listened to We also posted each lecture on lectures presenting the guests’ our YouTube channel. “Roads Prof. Andrzej Schinzel,“The im- latest research results, and met to Reality” had a total of 2,840 aginary realm”, 15 October people who have devoted their participants. Something that mathemati- lives to their passion. The events cians once found controversial introduced working methods of Prof. Leszek Pacholski, became accepted by theoretical scientists and the values guid- “Calculus”, 8 October physicists as a useful tool. From ing them, as well as providing an Each person setting off on an there, imaginary numbers moved opportunity for discussion, ask adventure with physics and to the field of technology as questions and share opinions. contemporary technology must aids in the analysis of electrical first learn the basics of differen- circuits. It turns out that im- Roads to Reality – a series of tiation and integration, the most aginary numbers have very real lectures at the Copernicus commonly used methods of consequences. Science Centre

In autumn 2015, Copernicus welcomed 14 world-class scientists. The series of lectures was initiated by Prof. Marek Abramowicz, inspired by Sir Prof. Roger Penrose’s book “The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe”. In fact Prof. Penrose himself delivered the final lecture of the series. On seven consecutive Thursdays we listened to scientists providing their take on reality and what it means for us. Our aim was to present even the most complex concepts in an accessible way. Prof. Marek Abramowicz and Irena Cieślińska, Deputy Director of the Copernicus Science Centre 81

Prof. Arkadiusz Orłowski, objects began to take on new dice”. Near the end of his life he “Quantum entanglement”, meanings. was trying – unsuccessfully – to 15 October reconcile the theories of relativ- Imaginary numbers are not the Prof. Marek Demiański, “Theory ity with quantum physics. To this only example of how our in- of relativity”, 22 October day, thousands of physicists are tuition can’t cope with physical The two theories of relativity are trying to do just that. reality. Let’s leave the problems easier to understand when we of relativity aside for a moment realise that their “scientific grow- Prof. Robert Hołyst, “Entropy”, and move to the quantum level, ing pains” came at the same time 29 October where we’ll find a tangle of para- as the heated debates on differ- Entropy is important in phys- doxes. How else can we explain ent geometries. Since differing ics and engineering, and it also the fact that we can find a given geometries can be understood indicates the course of many particle’s parameters just by relatively, why not do the same chemical and biological process- looking at another particle a few with light and time? But to see es. We seek entropy when we kilometres away? this and justify it theoretically, we want to describe the ageing of needed Einstein. stars, cells and technical equip- Fr. Prof. Michał Heller, ment. And although the concept “Geometry”, 22 October Prof. Jerzy Kijowski, itself is over a hundred years old, At the turn of the 20th century, “Probability”, 29 October it still surprises physicists. We mathematicians demonstrated The development of quantum have to reorganise much of what that there are several different mechanics led to a series of we know about entropy when geometries, each as internally paradoxes associated with prob- we examine the world on the consistent as “traditional ge- ability. Einstein never accepted quantum or astrophysical scales. ometry”. Parallel straight lines, tri- some of the conclusions of Problems in entropy have also angles, angles – all these familiar quantum mechanics. He fa- led to new conceptualisations of mously said, “God does not play complexity theory, enabling us to

Prof. Arkadiusz Orłowski

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 Meetings with scientists

look differently at chemistry and Dr. Witold Sadowski, “Infinity”, Prof. Maria Dzielska, “The real- biology. 12 November ity of the supernatural and the Infinity is not only a challenge for physical world in the mystical Prof. Stanisław Woronowicz, empirical research on reality, but vision of Pseudo-Dionysius the “Symmetry”, 5 November also an intriguing and beautiful Areopagite”, 19 November For physicists, symmetry has part of mathematics. Sometimes Many of the physical concepts many faces. Using mathematical frightening, when it turns out that we talked about in this series representations of symmetry and a given mathematical structure is have their source in ancient other mathematical theorems, infinite, sometimes comforting, Greece. This lecture was dedi- Emily Noether proposed a theory because it gives room for addi- cated to the vision of the su- based on which we can draw tional mathematical operations. pernatural world created by conclusions about the princi- Different varieties of infinity are the mysterious mystic Pseudo- ples of conservation of energy, also important in statistics, ge- Dionysius the Areopagite. momentum and other param- ometry and differential calculus. eters. Rules of behaviour are the Sir Roger Penrose, “Reality”, 19 foundations on which we build Dr. Stanisław Bajtlik, “Big Bang”, November experimental physics. Of course, 12 November There have been several miracu- what once seemed immutable Infinity is not only about large lous moments in the discovery and unchanging (e.g. the rate of dimensions. Sometimes it also of physics. Theorists appreciate the passage of time) can also end meant a tiny space and tiny the feeling when they realise that up being called into question. moments, back when nothing a given problem can be solved This, however, requires geniuses in space-time was yet certain. in an elegant and precise fash- the likes of Einstein and very Thanks to theoretical physics and ion, without approximations and strong experimental evidence. astrophysics we can peer ever numerical simulations; experi- further back into the past of the mentalists – the moment when Universe, trying to determine statistical verification confirms which elements of physics were the results of their first hopes. present at the beginning. But there is one more moment of delight, equally valuable for some scientists. This is the moment when results from the laboratory begin to work outside it. When it turns out that the theory of relativity is ideally suited to explaining gaps in GPS systems. When quantum physics answers questions in chemistry and helps design the transistor.

Sir Roger Penrose 83

Straight from the sky – a cycle can observe hundreds of millions allow us to study many processes of lectures at the Heavens of of stars. By studying the move- occurring in space. We simulate Copernicus Planetarium ment of these stars, we can learn different models of dark matter about how galaxies interact. and compare them against ob- In 2015 we continued our se- servations of galaxies. Scientists ries of meetings with scientists. Dr. Andrzej Dragan, “Healthy hope this will help them gain The lectures were held once a common sense vs. sick reality: a better understanding of the month, and they were followed The world according to quan- physical nature of dark matter. by multimedia demonstrations at tum theory and the theory of the planetarium. The event was relativity”, 5 March Dr. Kelsi Singer, Washington attended by 975 people. The theory of relativity threw our University, “New Horizons mis- understanding of the basic laws sion to Pluto: on the outskirts of Dr. Anna Łosiak, “Armageddon, of physics upside down. It gave the Solar System”, 7 May or the end of the world accord- both time and space extraordi- The NASA New Horizons probe ing to Hollywood: What really nary properties we previously was launched in January 2006. threatens us and how to sur- only dreamed of in fairytales. It’s In July, it passed just 10,000km vive”, 8 January no wonder, then, that in the early from Pluto and sent incredible We learned about the real threats days it was rejected by scientific photos back to Earth. We made posed by objects falling from the circles; with time, all of its pre- the most of this historic moment sky and what we can do to avoid dictions have been confirmed with our planetarium’s visitors, disaster. experimentally. hosting related events for several months. We held a live screening Dr. Szymon Kozłowski, “Beyond Dr. Wojciech Hellwing, “The “Mission: Pluto”, and on 14 July the Magellanic clouds: What are dark side of the universe: secrets we celebrated during the event our galactic neighbours con- of dark matter and dark energy”, “See Pluto!” (more on p. 38). cealing?”, 5 February 9 April The Magellanic clouds are a pair Modern simulations performed Dr. Jochen Liske, European of nearby galaxies in which we on powerful supercomputers Southern Observatory, “Seeing the cosmos, or the world’s largest telescopes”, 11 June In 2014, Poland joined the European Southern Observatory – an international organisation building and maintaining astronomical observatories in the southern hemisphere. It operates the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile. The European Extremely Large optical/near-infrared Telescope (E-ELT) is currently under construction; when it becomes operational in 2024, it will be the world’s largest optical Dr Andrzej Dragan

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 Meetings with scientists

reflecting telescope conducting Prof. Jerzy Sąsiadek, Carleton groundbreaking research. University, “Robotics in space”, 19 November Prof. Marek Grad, “Earthquakes What requirements must be met and tsunamis”, 23 September by robots working in space in Huge, spectacular seismic catas- zero gravity, extreme tempera- trophes have always fascinated tures, acceleration during takeoff and terrified people. Where are and landing and space radiation? they the most common, and why? What scale can they reach? Wojciech Gołębiowski, “Hunting for space junk”, 3 December Prof. Michał Różyczka, “Physics Where does space junk come of globular clusters”, 1 October from and what dangers does it Our galaxy is accompanied by pose? What are space agencies over a hundred globular clus- and engineers doing now and ters. They are collections of stars planning for the future to man- packed so closely together that age the problem? any planets that orbit them are never dark. Everything about them is fascinating – how they are formed, their dramatic fates, information they have helped us discover. 85

Other meetings: years of the theory of relativ- historian of physics and scientific ity”. Prof. Thorne, theoretical curator of the Albert Einstein On 8 July, the eminent Austrian physicist at the California Institute Archive at the Hebrew University physicist Prof. Anton Zellinger of Technology, is a populariser in Jerusalem. He worked with the delivered the lecture “Quantum of science and co-creator of Copernicus Science Centre on teleportation, entanglement “Interstellar”, acting as consultant compiling the correspondence and Einstein’s question: what responsible for the film’s scien- between Marie Skłodowska- is light?” In 1997, his team was tific accuracy. He talked about Curie and Albert Einstein, pre- the first in the world to accom- black holes and event horizons, sented during this year’s Science plish quantum teleportation, and spacetime tunnels, gravitational Picnic (more on p. 71). his follow-up experiment from waves, and singularities, anoma- 2012 achieved teleportation over lies and other elements of the almost 150km! Thanks to his structure of the universe. research, quantum teleportation is no longer speculation and has On 27 November, the Copernicus become reality. Entry to the lec- Science Centre hosted Prof. ture was free with pre-registra- Hanoch Gutfreund. His lecture tion. The meeting was attended dealt with the research leading by over 400 people. from the special to general theory of relativity and discussed On 26 November, during an problems with accepting the After Hours evening for adults theories in different countries (more on p. 33), Prof. Kip Thorne and scientific circles. Entry to delivered the lecture “From the the lecture was free, and it was Big Bang to black holes and the attended by around 380 peo- film ‘Interstellar’. A hundred ple. Prof. Gutfreund is an Israeli

Prof. Anton Zellinger Prof. Kip Thorne Prof. Hanoch Gutfreund

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 Przemiany is a festival about the “Designers of the Przemiany future. It paints a vision of how Anthropocene” – exhibition new technologies, scientific pro- Festival gress and shifting social trends Self-repairing concrete, breath- change the world. This year’s ing metal and clothes which can Our impact on our planet is so motto ANTHROPOCENE: Design serve as portable houses are just major, scientists are debating an epoch opened a debate on some of the designs inspired by whether to define a new geo- humankind’s responsibility for the idea of the Anthropocene. logical era: the Anthropocene. the ecosystem and presented The exhibition introduced inno- Its name stresses the signifi- innovative projects based on the vative concepts encouraging the cance of humankind’s activities: concept of sustainable develop- audience to ask questions about everything we have created and ment. The programme featured possible scenarios for the future. everything we have destroyed. debates, exhibitions, meetings, We invited artists, engineers, How can we plan for the future workshops, and cultural, musi- designers and architects. The de- in which we continue develop- cal and theatre events, all free. signs were arranged around four ment while taking responsibility This year’s festival, held between key areas: the planet, city, home, for its consequences? Is sus- 3 and 6 September, received and body. Viewers discovered a tainable development possible? record-breaking numbers of visi- wide spectrum of innovations, In the human era, everything tors, with around 8,800 people from state-of-the-art materials concerns humans. Are we crea- attending the event. and energy sources to bold ar- tors or destroyers? We still have chitectural concepts and person- a choice. Welcome to the alised medicine. As well as works Anthropocene! – inaugural by internationally-acclaimed We are shaping the world to lecture authors, a significant part of fit our needs, but by striving to the exhibition was dedicated to tame nature, we have unleashed The lecture introducing the works by students from School dangerous forces. The progress festival’s theme was delivered of Form and exhibits loaned which has allowed us to con- by Prof. Reinhold Leinfelder, by the Museum of the Earth in trol the world has led to climate palaeontologist and geobiologist, Warsaw. Another part of the exchange, reduced biodiversity, member of the Anthropocene hibition was taken by a stand by polluted oceans and fresh water Working Group and director of the Copernicus biology labora- shortages. Our influence on House of the Future in Berlin. tory presenting bioluminescent the planet and its functioning is lamps. The exhibition “Designers enormous, yet our awareness of of the Anthropocene” was ac- the huge responsibility that goes companied by meetings with the with it is only starting to awaken. authors and special guests. 87

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 Przemiany Festival

Przemiany Cinema views. The debate “Earth is an Breakfast by the river increasingly good place to live” The review of documentaries brought together experts in an- This year’s festival picnic focused was prepared by the film distribu- thropology, climatology, natural on local produce and biodiver- tor and festival organiser Docs sciences, long-term strategies in sity. The Discovery Park hosted Against Gravity Festival. The science and technology, and pop workshops, lectures and a fair theme recalled humankind’s rela- culture and the internet. In their where visitors could sample tionship with the environment, battle of arguments the teams food prepared by various culi- rapid urbanisation, living condi- found opponents’ weak points nary initiatives in the Małopolska tions in different places around and answered many questions region and buy fruit and vegeta- the globe, and modern food from the public. bles grown by local farmers. The production technologies. participants learned about early “Anthropocene, or how has varieties of cereals and ways of “Design an epoch” – creative it come to this” – an impro- obtaining seeds, locality in cui- workshops vised performance by Klub sine, and diets of the future. The Komediowy event was accompanied by live The meetings were a platform music. for dialogue between designers, The Oxford-style debate was scientists and representatives parodied by Klub Komediowy, of branches of new technolo- beloved by Warsaw audiences. gies. The event’s partners were The performance featured the Association of Graphic improvised sketched and songs Designers, Centre of Advanced inspired by scientific conferences Materials and Technologies and and people associated with the the Startup Poland Foundation. world of science.

Upcycling + 3D printing – lec- Przemiany Live! ture and workshops The concert presented the most What is upcycling? Is segregating interesting developments in con- waste the only thing we can do temporary electronic music. with our rubbish? How can 3D printing help us combat the del- uge of trash flooding our planet? During the workshops participants made everyday objects using household waste and elements made using 3D printing.

Oxford debate

Two teams, six speakers and a single argument, with the two Deputy Mayor of Warsaw Michał Olszewski during groups presenting opposing the festival opening 89

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 visitors certified their brand new India – a journey to the Moon Summer skills and journeys by acquiring (25–26 July) stamps in their festival diplomas. at the The myriad attractions and ex- In 2008, India launched its first cellent weather meant very high space probe, Chandrayaan-1. Discovery attendance. Its aim is to chart maps of the Moon and search for radiation Park Throughout the summer, we on its surface. We approached received over 6,500 visitors. the matter from a practical angle: How can you travel the world we launched rockets powered by without setting foot outside UK – renewable energy sourc- hairspray and raced Mars rovers. Warsaw? Just spend the sum- es (4–5 July) mer with us at the Discovery Singapore – Smart City Park! During nine summer Just like Fogg himself, we started and modern skyscrapers weekends, the space around our journey by the Thames. (1–2 August) Copernicus was transformed Visitors constructed Volta piles into different countries, from and learned how to segregate Singapore is one of the most the UK to Japan. This year’s waste. densely populated places in the Summer at the Discovery Park world. The country leads the way was inspired by Jules Verne’s France – incredible inventions in using smart technologies to “Around the World in Eighty (11–12 July) improve life in the city. During Days”. We invited families to the weekend, we looked at travel in the footsteps of Phileas Jules Verne’s books frequently contemporary architecture. The Fogg, conduct experiments and described incredible inventions architecture workshop explained discover the latest inventions and phenomena. During the how it is possible to construct from countries visited by the weekend we learned about the ever-taller buildings, how net- novel’s protagonist. importance of free imagination works of sensors measuring air in scientific progress. We also pollution, temperature, humidity The programme was mainly discovered that we all have a and traffic density work, and how aimed at families with kids. The science streak. Together with the to build a vertical garden. key element was the hugely Thinkatorium we constructed popular workshops, devised by submarines and hovercraft. Hong Kong – dense city experts from the Thinkatorium, (8–9 August) laboratories and Robotics Egypt – water engineering Workshop and other Copernicus (18–19 July) In some districts of Hong Kong, explainers. There was the tra- population density reaches as ditional games and magazines We discovered some of the se- many as 40,000 people per library, and a brand new stand crets of water by building a water square kilometre. We approached selling dishes typical of the Goldberg machine and learning the problem seriously as well as countries visited each week. The how to change the course of a with a bit of humour. relaxation zone screened films river. related to the topics at hand, prepared by the Planete+ channel, sponsor of the event. The 91

Japan – precision (15–16 August)

In Japan we slowed the pace of our journey to practice precision and accuracy. We tried our hand at calligraphy and origami, and constructed Japanese kites.

USA – under pressure (22–23 August)

Our travels with Phileas Fogg took us to San Francisco, where we studied the phenomenon of atmospheric pressure.

UK – the future of transport (29–30 August)

We spent the weekend experimenting and discussing the future of transport.

Summer observations of the sky

An additional attraction at the Discovery Park were summer observations of the sky, held on all Saturdays in August. The weekly event attracted crowds of astronomy fans.

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 Repertoire: Life Above All, dir. Oliver Schmitz Summer (7 August) Chocolat, dir. Claire Denis Special guests: Cinema (3 July) Dr. Ewelina Wierzejska and Special guest: Dr. Aleksander Waśniowski (spe- Film screenings on Friday nights Wojciech Tochman (reporter and cialists in public health and global have become a permanent author of books including Eli, Eli medicine) fixture of calendars of Warsaw about life in the Philippines) summer events. But the meet- Captive, Brillante Mendoza ings are more than just cinema: Singapore Dreaming, dir. Woo (14 August) the films were selected to have Yen Yen, Colin Goh (10 July) Special guest: an educational as well as artistic Special guest: Bartosz T. Wieliński (journalist) element. Additionally, screen- Dariusz Rosiak (radio and press ings were introduced by experts journalist) Mardi Gras: Made in China, including scientists, reporters dir. David Redmon (21 August) and social activists. The dis- Paradise: Love, dir. Ulrich Seidl Special guest: cussion introduced the topic, (17 July) Jędrzej Czerep (publicist, Open presented different points of Special guest: Joanna Granier Dialogue Foundation) view and encouraged reflec- (co-founder of the La Strada tion – and there was plenty to Foundation) Xenia, dir. Panos H. Koutras think about. This year’s Summer (28 August) Cinema introduced topics Birdwatchers, dir. Marco Bechis Special guest: which are usually conveniently (24 July) Marta Gorczyńska (lawyer with overlooked: the excluded, the Special guest: the Helsinki Foundation for marginalised, the forgotten. Jacek Żukowski (ethnologist) Human Rights)

Each film took us to a different Abu Haraz, dir. Maciej Drygas corner of the globe. We exam- (31 July) ined manufacturing facilities in Special guest: Asian countries, access to ba- Krzysztof Wiatr (Polish sic resources and healthcare in Humanitarian Organisation) Africa, and problems of migra- tion, security and sex tourism. Each screening was preceded by a discussion with journalists Olga Woźniak and Andrzej Szozda. There was no shortage of fans of ambitious cinema: the Summer Cinema was visited by close to 4,000 people. 93

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 In spite of the competition Together with the British Council FameLab format, FameLab is not about (co-organiser of FameLab in ruthless rivalry. On the contrary: Poland), we invited institutions This international competition it is an opportunity for partici- expanding the event’s range of provides a platform for dialogue pants to develop their skills and experiences. We involved the between scientists and the start an adventure with popular- Kulturalna Café, hosting a cycle public, and encourages popu- ising science. Scientists wishing of events in the city centre with larising science in a way that is to perfect their skills in speaking a format based on Hyde Park fresh, modern and accessible clearly about their subject partic- Corner debates, and the Klub to everyone. Poland’s edition ipate in workshops including the Komediowy comedy ensemble, of FameLab 2015 was ground- MasterClass (science commu- which hosted a workshop on im- breaking: not only did we re- nication and presentation) and provisation techniques and joined ceive twice as many entries as in Science Spokespeople (bringing Copernicus to hold Poland’s first previous years, but the competi- together scientists and journal- science stand-up show. For the tion also brought together an ists), and they appear as experts first time, we also created social engaged community of scien- during After Hours sessions at media accounts especially for tists and the public. FameLab Copernicus. the finalists. Szymon Drobniak’s reaches for new forms of ex- video showing a tit chick hatch- pression and inspires science ing in his hand went viral after it journalists. The competition is was posted as part of the cam- becoming a year-round initia- paign “Copernicus’ Facebook in tive, with a close community of the hands of scientists”. FameLabbers keeping in contact and supporting and motivating one another.

This year’s FameLab attracted 90 entries. The semi-finals saw scientists from a range of disci- “You can’t fool genes – or, plines, from neurobiology, psy- scheming wives” was the title of chooncology, immunochemistry the winning performance by Dr. and genetics, through polar biol- Szymon Drobniak, evolutionary ogy, epidemiology and forensics, biologist from the Jagiellonian to elementary particle physics, University. The talk about cheat- software engineering and tel- ing tits captivated the hearts of ecommunications. Researchers the jury and the public. Drobniak came from Warsaw, Kraków, admits that he found it easier to Poznań, Wrocław, Gliwice, Lublin, explain the intricacies of evolu- Toruń, Białystok, London and tion by appealing to the audi- Milton Keynes. ence’s emotions. 95

Poland’s first science stand-up show

Participants in FameLab had the use of a stage and microphone, and the occasional sharp word from the judges. Stand-up goes another step further. It is personal and at times poignant; it entertains, yet the humour is often aimed at the performer or a subject close to their heart. The audience response is powerful, and it is the only judge. The format tests whether the performer can form a connection with the audience. FameLabbers worked with Antek Syrek Dąbrowski from Stand-Up Poland for three days, and finished by performing live.

Science Spokespeople the beginning of the year during a speed-dating-style meeting at We created this programme the Copernicus Science Centre. in 2014 to complement the The first event was a success: the FameLab Poland competition. It programme included 17 scientists brings together finalists from all and nine journalists including years of the competition, science Poland’s best science journalists journalists for the press, radio from respected media. The pro- and TV, and authors of popu- gramme will continue in future lar science blogs. We connect years. the groups to encourage them to inspire and learn from one another. The teams are formed at

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 laboratories ran stands for con- 19th Science Festival. Since Other events ducting experiments. 2007, the Copernicus Science Centre has been a regular par- Valentine’s Day (14 February) Inverted Science Café. We held ticipant in the Warsaw Science organised by the Copernicus the pilot event as part of the Festival. During the 19th festival, Science Centre and BBC Earth European SPARKS project. One we hosted film screenings at the was an alternative way of spend- of our aims is to prepare a plan planetarium and workshops during a romantic afternoon. We for an Inverted Science Café to ing which students experimented hosted a meeting with Miles be used by other project partners with light and colour. The young- Barton, BBC producer and from 29 countries in Europe. The est guests attended the Little long-term friend of David “inversion” means that experts People’s Science Festival (25 and Attenborough. He talked about pose questions to the audience 27 September at the Lecture love in the animal kingdom, instead of vice versa. The pilot Hall of the Faculty of Physics and illustrated his fascinating meeting (6 December) brought at the Warsaw University of stories with excerpts of nature together five experts in different Technology) where they learned documentaries he worked on. To fields and 25 participants. the secrets of sound. finish, participants watched an episode of the BBC series “Life Events we participated in: Winter and Summer in the City Story: The Full Circle” on animal campaigns. During the cam- courtship. Museum Night. By joining the paigns Winter and Summer in national campaign once again the City (in January, and July How do we avoid allergies? (15/17 May), we provided plenty and August respectively), we Spring and the ubiquitous pollen of attractions for night owls in once again distributed vouchers are a real nightmare for hay- Warsaw. We opened the doors for free entry to our exhibitions. fever sufferers. The only relief to all our galleries, the tempo- The total of 3,400 vouchers is brought by rain – although rary exhibition Microworld, the were distributed to children from it brings in pollen from higher Thinkatorium, the laboratories all of Warsaw’s districts by the layers of the atmosphere, it also hosting special programmes, Office of Education of the City clears the air. We talked about and the Heavens of Copernicus of Warsaw – coordinators of the allergies during the weekend Planetarium. There were also campaign. meeting (11–12 April) co-hosted events outside the building. with our partner Polpharma. During Museum Night we welcomed 5,574 visitors. Best present for St. Nicholas Day? Discover the Copernicus Club! This was our motto on 5 and 6 December, when we held a cycle of free, open events for people wishing to discover the benefits of club membership. We presented the science cabaret “In the fumes of the absurd” and science demonstrations, and our 97

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 We launched the conference Office, Piotr Całbecki, Marshal Local Interaction – Integration in of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian 2007, marking the beginning of Voivodeship, and Zbigniew partners integration of circles which had Fiderewicz, Deputy Mayor of created the Society and Science Toruń. As usual, the confer- Copernicus is not an island. Agreement (SPiN) in 2013. It is ence hosted the meeting of the We are active participants in a network of 37 science centres Board of the Society and Science the lives of science centres and and other institutions in Poland Agreement (SPiN). Since the institutions working on devel- working in informal educa- meeting marked the end of the opment based on education, tion. We continue participating term of office of SPiN’s Secretary science, technology and innova- in the conference organised General, it provided an oppor- tion. We build links within the by a different member of SPiN tunity to sum up the organisa- group, work towards common each year. Between 11 and 13 tion’s first two years as well as goals, exchange experiences March 2015, it was hosted by the discussing plans for the future. and plan long-term collabora- “Młyn Wiedzy” Science Centre Board members held a vote for tion. We also build partner- in Toruń. The gala opening was the Secretary General’s post, ships, and this year we started attended by representatives of re-electing Robert Firmhofer, di- conducting research alongside local and central authorities, rector of the Copernicus Science leading scientific institutions in including Prof. Włodzisław Duch, Centre. Poland. Deputy Minister for Science and Higher Education (he also On 18 June, the Copernicus delivered the inaugural lecture), Science Centre hosted a meet- Marta Czapińska, Advisor at the ing of the Board of SPiN with Education Minister’s Political the Education Minister Joanna

Members of the board of the the Society and Science Agreement (SPiN), together with Education Minister Joanna Kluzik-Rostowska 99

Kluzik-Rostkowska. The aim of through the centre, while the the meeting was to determine Thinkatorium prepared experi- the position and role of SPiN ments during which participants and its members in improving looked for new uses for ordinary the formal education system, in paperclips. The SPiN Day project particular ways of working with was initiated and coordinated students. SPiN’s competences by the ExploRes Association in can be used to support teachers Rzeszów. in implementing the core curriculum with a stress on natural sciences.

In 2015 we took the next step towards building a strong science communication network in Poland. The national campaign SPiN Day was the association’s first project on such a major scale. On 12 September, 29 locations in Poland hosted numerous exhibitions, workshops and science demonstrations. Copernicus held SPiN workshops and unveiled a SPiN path

2015 was a breakthrough year in terms of building our partnerships with the academic circles. On 2 July, Robert Firmhofer and the rector of the Warsaw University of Social Sciences and Humanities (SWPS) Prof. Andrzej Eliasz signed a science and research agreement between the two institutions. We signed a similar agreement with the University of Special Education. In November, we joined forces with the University of Warsaw to host an international academic conference Cognitive Adventures.

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 Every month, we send out a European projects International Russian-language newsletter informing our partners of the ESERO (European Space Partners latest news from Copernicus Education Resource Office) and European science centres Subjects such as climate change, and museums. We also seek The European Space Education energy supply problems, threat to present the most interesting Resource Office (ESERO) is a of pandemics, privacy protec- events organised by our partners project by the European Space tion, scientific research, the abroad. Agency (ESA) supporting teach- digital revolution, state-of- ing science by presenting it in the-art technologies and new You can read about the Young the context of our understand- methods of teaching and learn- Explorer Club programme and ing of space. The project aims to ing are increasingly present in its growth abroad on p. 53. inspire young people to choose public debate. Science centres careers in engineering and tech- are perfect venues for discourse Science Picnics abroad are cov- nology. ESERO was launched in on the problems and challenges ered on p. 74. 2006 and it has been expanding faced by humankind globally. to new countries ever since. It The Copernicus Science Centre On 20 September, the has offices in Belgium, Ireland, provides just such a platform, Copernicus Science Centre the Netherlands, Scandinavia, holding a significant position signed an agreement with the Portugal, Romania and the UK. in the global science centre Beijing Association for Science The Polish office opened in 2014 movement. and Technology on build- at the Heavens of Copernicus ing closer ties and exchanging Planetarium. More about the In 2015 we signed a partnership experiences between organ- ESERO programme on p. 54. agreement with the Stanford isers of science festivals and University. The experimental institutions popularising science SPARKS is a project promoting programme FabLab@School. around the globe. We have also and improving the understand- pl will be created alongside become members of the Beijing ing of responsible research and the Transformative Learning International Science Festival innovation (RRI) in Europe. In Technologies Lab (TLTL). It will Round-Table Conference. December we conducted the be one of the most innovative pilot event; the discussion format centres studying learning pro- tested at Copernicus will be cesses in the world. More on rolled out in 29 European coun- p. 48. tries. More on p. 96.

Throughout the year, we hosted KiiCS (Knowledge Incubation studio visits from representatives in Innovation and Creation for of institutions and circles inter- Science) is a three-year pro- ested in our activities, from high gram financed by the European ranking politicians seeking new Commission and implemented solutions on the systemic level by the European Network of to groups of teachers looking for Science Centres and Museums inspiration for their day-to-day Signing of the agreement with the Beijing ECSITE. It brings together sci- Association for Science and Technology activities. More on p. 102. Source: http://bisfrc.kpzy.org/index.html entists, technologists, artists, 101

constructors, designers and en- The Copernicus Science trepreneurs from all over Europe. Centre is a member of ECSITE The project fosters partnerships (European Network of Science between different sectors, sup- Centres and Museums; Joanna ports interactions between sci- Kalinowska sits on the Annual ence and the arts, and acts as an Conference Programme incubator of new ideas. In 2015, Committee) and EUSEA a guide was prepared collecting (European Science Events conclusions on effective incuba- Association) tion of innovative projects and recommendations for the future. Heavens of Copernicus planetarium is a member of IPS SYNENERGENE – Responsible (International Planetarium Research and Innovation (RRI) in Society; Robert Firmhofer is Synthetic Biology is a four-year a member of the IPS Vision project aiming to facilitate dis- 2020 Advisory Group) and ILDA cussion on synthetic biology and (International Laser Display disseminate knowledge on this Association) branch of science. The project has been joined by the biology laboratory; workshop plans will be prepared together with the “GENESIS” Synthetic Biology Science Club at the University of Warsaw.

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 Education Minister Joanna Our guests Kluzik-Rostkowska visited the Copernicus Science Centre on The head of Poland’s Supreme 18 June to meet the Board of the Audit Office (NIK) and a del- Society and Science Agreement egation from the European (SPiN). More on p. 98. Court of Auditors (20 April). The visit of the ECA delega- Minister of Science and Higher tion and its president Victor Education Jarosław Gowin vis- Caldeira included a meeting at ited Copernicus on 4 December Copernicus. The head of the to view the temporary exhibition Supreme Audit Office (NIK), “Mirrors”. He also attended the Krzysztof Kwiatkowski, selected Planetarium where he watched the Centre as an example of ef- our multiple award-winning fective use of European funds. production “Dream To Fly”, and Following a short meeting with visited the Robotics Workshop Robert Firmhofer and Deputy and the workshops where we Major of Warsaw Jarosław build and repair exhibits. Jóźwiak, the 30 guests had a tour of our exhibitions and We also hosted 40 study visits laboratories. from Poland, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway and China.

The head of Poland’s Supreme Audit Office (NIK) visiting with a delegation from the European Court of Auditors 103

Prof. Łukasz Turski, Minister of Science and Higher Education Jarosław Gowin, and CSC Executive Director Robert Firmhofer

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 In 2015 we have also worked with This year’s Science Picnic at- Sponsors Supporting Partners. RWE Poland tracted Samsung, Toyota, Grupa has been supporting us once Azoty, Polish Security Printing The Copernicus Science Centre again on the PowerBox RWE Works, National Forests, works closely with some of the programme introducing modern Valeant and the Ministry of the best companies in Poland. Our educational tools to students Economy. sponsors provide us with finan- and teachers throughout Poland. cial support and help us develop We conducted training sessions our potential to the full by join- for teachers on using research ing us in implementing projects. methods using our educational Such partnerships help us learn kit on generating and using elec- more about the needs of Polish trical energy. Polkomtel supports businesses. As a result, in our us financially and has been the work with educational circles patron of Family Workshops since we can pay close attention to 2014, helping us develop science the skills and attitudes which workshops for our youngest will best serve young peo- visitors. ple in their professional lives. Together with our sponsors we In 2015 we started working with create a space in which young Boeing. The company, an active people can develop their skills supporter of STEM education, in innovation and use state-of- took part in the Young Explorer the-art technologies. We make Club Forum. In 2016 we are plan- tools which foster creativity and ning to work together to imple- teamworking skills, and look ment projects for the Club and to for new areas which will help us devise educational tools. develop increasingly effective educational tools. Our Laboratories have once again been supported by LNG Since our opening, we have and BASF Poland. We work with been supported by Samsung our Partners to develop engag- Electronics Poland, which ing formats of presenting phys- Sponsors and participants in was also our Strategic Partner ics and chemistry. BASF also the Friends of Copernicus pro- this year. We have created a supported us in the FameLab gramme in 2015: space in our galleries where project in 2015. Together with visitors learned the basics of Polpharma, our patron for Samsung Electronics Poland, Scratch programming as part of health-themed exhibitions, we RWE, Polkomtel, BASF, LNG Samsung’s “Masters of Coding” organise events dedicated to Poland, Polpharma, Planete+, project. The galleries and the disease prevention. H&M, Toyota, Grupa Azoty, Polish Robotics Workshop are fitted Security Printing Works, National with Samsung equipment, which The programme of Summer in Forests, Valeant, Ministry of the allows us to create state-of-the- the Discovery Park was support- Economy, IVO Software and RS art exhibits and prepare labora- ed by Planete+. Components. tory lesson plans. 105

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 Administration and Digitalisation. such as unemployment among Copernicus The aim of the conference is to young people and low levels of foster an environment of individ- motivation for learning, which Conference uals and institutions supporting has a negative impact on peo- women’s leadership in STEM and ple’s ability to make decisions Centre to create a forum for exchanging concerning their professional good practice. lives. They also worked on devis- Some of the events we hosted at ing a new model of collaboration our Conference Centre: The 20th Conference “Patent between employers, teachers information for science and and school directors as impor- The inauguration of the new industry: Tools and strategies of tant mentors for young people EU Financial Framework 2014– managing innovation” was held seeking inspiration for their fu- 2020 was held on 26 February. on 23 and 24 June. It was or- ture professional lives. The event Guests at the ceremony included ganised by the Patent Office and was held between 30 November the Prime Minister of Poland Ewa Warsaw City Hall. The confer- and 1 December. Kopacz, Minister of Infrastructure ence was aimed at representa- and Development Maria Wasiak, tives of SMEs, patent information European Commissioner for centres, technology transfer Regional Policy Corina Crețu, centres, science and research European Commissioner institutions and patent offices. for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs The 1st New Democracy Forum Elżbieta Bieńkowska, and the was an international event focus- marshals of several of Poland’s ing on the dynamic changes in voivodeships. the employment market and issues of adapting the educa- The Personal Democracy Forum tion system to the rapid trans- is one of Europe’s largest and formations taking place in our most important events dedicated social and economic reality. to technology, democracy and Participants discussed issues civic engagement, bringing together NGOs, activists, civil serv- ants and journalists from over twenty countries. The organiser was the ePaństwo Foundation. The motto of the forum held on 16 and 17 April was “My Country. Open. Digital. Civic”.

The Lean in STEM conference (31 May – 1 June) was organised by the Educational Foundation “Perspektywy”, the U.S. Embassy in Poland and the Ministry of 107

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 Media

25 326 2 820 178 hits on the 110 760 Facebook fans of Copernicus Science Centre the Copernicus Science Centre publications website in the media 17 818 Facebook fans of 143 883 hits on the the Heavens of Copernicus including: Heavens of Copernicus plan- planetarium etarium website 10 769 on Facebook 6943 online 12 600 Facebook fans of the 2492 on the radio 21 010 hits on the FameLab Science Picnic 1608 in the press competition website 1164 on Twitter 882 on TV 8500 Facebook fans of the 597 on online forums 2718 hits on the Przemiany Przemiany Festival 264 in blogs Festival website

2800 Facebook fans of the Przemiany Festival

3000 followers of the Copernicus Science Centre on Instagram

130 followers of the Copernicus Science Centre on Pinterest 109

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 Awards

Copernicus Science Centre: Heavens of Copernicus Team: Planetarium: Sunflowers 2015 in the “Nature” Populariser of the Year 2015 category for the Buzz! gallery Best Movie Award for “Dream to in the “Individual Popularisers” for children under five years old. Fly” produced by the Heavens of category for Karol Wójcicki from The “Nature” category supports Copernicus Planetarium. It was the Heavens of Copernicus initiatives helping children learn awarded during the 2nd Central Planetarium and populariser of about the laws of nature, develop European Fulldome Festival in astronomy. Our colleague joins their sensitivity to environmen- Brno in the Czech Republic. the ranks of other Copernicus tal protection and hone skills in winners during previous years: research and classification. The Best 3D for “Dream to Fly”. competition is organised by the Awarded during the Immersive (1st festival) Prof. Magdalena CzasDzieci.pl portal. Film Festival in Espinho in Fikus, member of the Programme Portugal. Board, in the “Scientist or scien- Special Prize from the Art tific institution” category Gersonica Polish Art Foundation Third prize for “Dream to Fly” for the Copernicus Science awarded during the Russian (3rd festival) Copernicus Science Centre’s roof garden. It was Fulldome Festival in Yaroslavl. Centre in the “Journalist, editorial awarded as part of the “Green office or non-scientific institu- and blooming Warsaw” competi- First prize in the “Planetarium” tion” category tion organised annually by the category for the laser display Friends of Warsaw Association “Dark Side of the Moon” awarded (4th festival) Jacek Błoniarz- and the City of Warsaw. by the International Laser Display Łuczak and Błażej Dawidson, Association. employees at the Copernicus Special prize for our Science Centre – Distinction for Demonstration Team for out- Distinction at the Jena FullDome best festival presentation standing science demonstra- Festival. The film studio at tion during the Science Show the Heavens of Copernicus (6th festival) Irena Cieślińska, International Cup in Estonia. Planetarium is currently working Deputy Director – Distinction for on its latest production. A short best festival presentation Certificate of Excellence 2015 teaser shown during the festival awarded to the Copernicus was unexpectedly entered into (7th festival) Prof. Łukasz Turski, Science Centre by users of the the competition and earned a Chairman of the Programme TripAdvisor portal. distinction for “whetting the au- Board – Special Prize dience’s appetite for a fulldome film currently in production”. It is the only trailer which has ever received a distinction so far at the festival. 111

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 At the Copernicus Science public, assertive communication Our Team Centre we are currently prepar- and presentation skills. ing internal programmes for our Spontaneous, creative, bold employees interested in scien- We increased our staff from ap- and great team members – tific research and hoping to gain prox. 236 full-time slots in 2014 Copernicus employees are all PhDs in the area. As part of our up to 242 in 2015, and signed this and more. The innovative partnerships with universities, we 208 annual contracts with “ex- ideas emerging from this crea- have already presented our staff plainers” recruited during the first tive melting pot are just one of members with a specific post- quarter. The team now includes the reasons for the Copernicus graduate study programme. 150 explainers who had already Science Centre’s success. We are worked at Copernicus, plus 58 driven by curiosity; we ques- We continue to learn as an recent recruits. tion, we doubt, we search for organisation and develop as a new solutions. Experiments team. We continued a series of as problem-solving tools have internal seminars open to all been officially introduced into members of staff. The manage- our strategic planning process. ment team has participated in It means that before making any an internal Manager Academy decisions, our team is able to training scheme, while other test a range of solutions. And we employees and explainers have barely need encouragement – the option to take part in cyclical experiments are our lifeblood. workshops on working with the 113

“A disproportionately large share of our staff members at the Copernicus Science Centre were the kind of kids who used to wreck our toys. Instead of simply using them the way they were meant to be used, we wanted to find out what was inside, what really made them tick. Our parents got irritated to see such ‘nice toys treated in such a way’, but we were happy explorers. We’ve never grown out of that.”

– Robert Firmhofer in an interview “We learn everywhere” with Justyna Suchecka, published in Gazeta Wyborcza on 21 August

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 Our team

Management of the Copernicus Science Centre

Robert Firmhofer – Director

Jolanta Brzywczy – Deputy Director, Chief Accountant

Irena Cieślińska – Deputy Director

Przemysław Wielowiejski – Deputy Director

Programme Board

The Programme Board has Prof. Łukasz Turski – Chairman an advisory role in oversee- of the Board ing that the statutory objectives and activity programme of the Prof. Aleksander Bursche – Copernicus Science Centre are Deputy Chairman met. The Board includes between eight and 16 members, Prof. Jerzy Axer appointed for a term of six years and representing scientific, Irena Cieślińska educational and artistic circles, public administration and indus- Prof. Magdalena Fikus try from Poland and abroad. The role of the Programme Board Prof. Dariusz Jemielniak is to ensure the Copernicus Science Centre fulfils its obliga- Prof. Krzysztof Konarzewski tion to the community, in particular meeting its goals outlined Maria Mach in the Statute and advising the Director General. Prof. Henryk Skarżyński

Prof. Tadeusz Skośkiewicz

Hanna Wróblewska 115

Laboratories PR Department Workshop Department Department Planetarium Exhibitions Department Department

Operations Research Department Department PROGRAMME DIRECTOR

Tickets Marketing and and Sales Information Department Department

DEVELOPMENT Science SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR Conference

and AND and Events

Art Events ARTISTIC EVENT Management Lab DIRECTOR EXECUTIVE Department DIRECTOR

EU Projects Organizational and Donations Department EDUCATIONAL Team DIRECTOR

HR and

Professional ADMINISTRATIVE Education Lab Development DIRECTOR Department

Legal and Public Expansion Tenders Projects Department Team Financial IT Department Accounting Facility Department Department Management Department

As a result of adopting a new set And so, starting in 2016, the Wiktor Gajewski – Scientific and of Statutes, as of 1 January 2016 Copernicus Science Centre’s Artistic Event Director we are operating under a new Management Board now organizational structure, rede- includes: Joanna Kalinowska – fining the scope of activities of Development Director different operational units at the Robert Firmhofer – Executive Copernicus Science Centre. This Director Ewa Kloc – Administrative new organisational structure is Director illustrated above. Deputies: An “Investment Director” may Irena Cieślińska – Programme also be appointed when ma- Director jor investment projects are underway Anna Dziama – Educational Director

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015 The pricing policy for entrance world to show our production Finances tickets to the Centre aims to “Dream to Fly”) and also from the ensure the broadest possible ac- lease of building space and the The Copernicus Science Centre cessibility, while at the same time Copernicus Conference Centre. is a public cultural institution, ensuring the greatest possible The overall revenue taken in by able to function thanks to subsi- security and comfort for visitors. the Copernicus Science Centre in dies from our organizing bodies: This sort of policy would not be 2015 was 54,600,000 PLN. the City of Warsaw, the Polish possible without the additional Ministry of Science and Higher commercial activity conducted From the very beginning, we Education, and the Polish by the Centre and other ways of have been working with spon- Ministry of National Education. obtaining funding. sors and securing funding from European sources. All told, the We are very proud that in addi- latter accounted for 7.5% of our tion to the subsidies we receive budget in 2015. We are extremely and ticket revenue we take in, we grateful to all our grant-awarders also manage to earn additional and partners for supporting revenue from various com- our mission. Such thanks in this mercial activities (for instance, regard are particularly due to from leasing out our travelling Samsung, our strategic partner. exhibitions and from licensing planetariums around the

Sources of revenue of the Copernicus Science Centre

44.4% Operational subsidies from organizing bodies 28.6% Entrance tickets 0.8% Travelling exhibitions 2.2% Licensing revenue 2.8% Leasing of space 2.9% Leasing of restaurant and service areas 5.2% Sponsoring 22% Targeted subsidies and other funding 11% Operational and financial revenues 117

The overall costs of the Moreover, apart from direct spending nearly 1.5 million zlotys Copernicus Science Centre in costs, the Copernicus Science on this. The results will be visible 2015 came to 53,600,000 PLN. Centre also made outlays on to visitors to the Centre already in Most of that money was spent capital expenditure (not included March 2016. All told, our capital on preparing as diverse, valu- in the above table). This ex- expenditure comes to slightly able, and comfortable an experi- penditure was mainly related to more than 8,500,000 PLN. ence as possible for visitors to the improvement of exhibitions, the Centre (75% of costs were shows, and the production of related to maintaining the build- new exhibits. The process of re- ing and exhibitions and bringing arranging the exhibitions, which in interesting temporary exhibi- began in 2014, led to the opening tions). The remaining funding is of a permanent exhibition at the allocated to educational activity planetarium (at a cost of close to and organizing science-related 2 million PLN), the purchase of and artistic events. 19 interactive exhibits (worth 1.5 million PLN), and the purchase of three artistic exhibits (170,000 PLN). We also began work on reconstruction, modernization, and producing our own exhibits,

Costs of ongoing activity of the Copernicus Science Centre (not including capital expenditure)

32.6% Maintenance of building and infrastructure 42.6% Exhibitions 14.7% Organizing programme events 8% Educational activity 2.3% Maintenance of the Copernicus Conference Centre

Copernicus Science Centre — Annual Report 2015

The Copernicus Science Centre is a cultural institution. Text: Patrycja Strzetelska (CSC)

Its organisers are: Design: The Capital City of Warsaw, Michał Romański (CSC) The Polish Minister of Science English translation: and Higher Education, Sax Translations (D. Sax, C. Stupnicka) The Polish Minister of National Photos by: Education Filip Klimaszewski: pp. 32, 47, 50, 93, 99, 103, 107 Robert Kowalewski: cover, pp. 17, 30, 45, 52, 53, 63, 83, 91, 95(1), 97(2), 101, 113 Legal basis Adam Kozak: pp. 8, 18, 19(1), 27, 28, 29, 31, 33, 34, 38, 42, 51, 54, 56, 57, 59, 60, 61, 68, 70, 71, 72, 77, 84, 85(2), 87, Agreement from 1.06.2005 88, 89, 94, 95(2), 97(1), 118 on establishing a joint cultural Michał Krauze (CSC): pp. 32 institution named Copernicus Agata Steifer (CSC): Science Centre, with annexes pp. 11, 14, 19(2), 23, 24, 36, 46, 49, 80, 81, 82, 85(3), 98, 102, 105, 109, 111, 112 dated 21.06.2006, 26.07.2010, Wojciech Surdziel: 24.06.2014 and 3.11.2015. pp. 6, 33, 35, 78, 85(1) Inna Uwarowa (CSC): pp. 55 Granted the status of a cultural Krzysztof Wojciewski: pp. 106 institution on 1.06.2005, with Anna Woźniak: amendments dated 21.06.2006, pp. 74, 75 26.07.2010, 24.06.2014 and 3.11.2015.

The Polish Act of 25.10.1991 ISSN 2083-2486 on organizing and implementing Numer of copies: 300 cultural activities

Organisers Supporting Partners Strategic Partner Cover illustration: Can tiles be arranged in such a way that the pattern will never, ever, repeat itself? In 1973, the British physicist and mathematician, Sir Roger Penrose, found a solution that requires just two tiles. Two tiles, yet an infinite diversity of arrangements. Puzzles, mosaics, and stained- glass windows of never-repeating patterns.

For more about the meeting with Sir Roger Penrose at Copernicus, and about a series of lectures by preeminent scientists inspired by his book, see p. 80. Copernicus Science Centre 20 Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie st. 00-390 Warsaw, Poland www.kopernik.org.pl

ISSN 2083-2486