| Emilia Mielaniuk |
On 13 October 2025, the six-month-long EXPO 2025 World Exhibition ended in Osaka, Japan. The University of Silesia was among the prestigious group of 13 higher education institutions that represented Polish science as part of the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange programme ‘International Scientific Event at the EXPO 2025 World Exhibition in Osaka’.
The main objective of the project was to promote our University by presenting its research, teaching and science communication potential. At the invitation of the Marshal’s Office of the Silesian Voivodeship, some of the activities proposed by the University of Silesia were included in the so-called regional programme and took place as part of the Silesian Voivodeship Week between 4 and 10 May. Prof. Ryszard Koziołek, Rector of the University of Silesia, participated in the events.
On 7 May, the Polish-Japanese Economic Conference was held in Osaka under the slogan ‘Land of Opportunities’. The presentations shared with Conference participants revolved around issues related to pharmacy and technologies supporting the medical industry. It was also an opportunity to present innovative research on amorphous drugs conducted by Prof. Marian Paluch and Żaneta Wojnarowska, PhD, DSc, representing the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Silesia. An important aspect of the presentation was the emphasis on cooperation with the Japanese partner – Prof. Kohsaku Kawakami from the National Institute for Materials Science (Tokyo). The conference was organised by the Marshal’s Office of the Silesian Voivodeship and the Katowice City Hall.
In the spaces of the Polish Pavilion, scientists associated with the Silesian Science Festival Katowice: Aneta Szczygielska-Łaciak, PhD, Assoc. Prof., and Marcin Łaciak, PhD, Assoc. Prof., from the Faculty of Science and Technology, offered workshops in the ‘ŚFN on Tour’ format (including the construction of makeshift musical instruments to explore acoustics and sharing stories about different forms of carbon while creating paper models of fullerenes). Visitors could also learn about the concept behind the Green Science Zone and build a mini-pumping station out of building blocks, thanks to workshops prepared by Marcin Lipowczan, PhD from the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the University of Silesia. Exhibition visitors were particularly interested in the interactive Polish language lessons conducted by lecturers from the School of Polish Language and Culture of the University of Silesia: Agnieszka Tambor, PhD, Barbara Morcinek-Abramczyk, PhD and Anna Gawryś-Mazurkiewicz, PhD. Learning basic communication phrases was a great addition to the Polish Pavilion experience. Interestingly, the entire prepared offer met with interest from both young and older audiences.
A separate part of the University of Silesia’s presence at the Expo was the presentation of the prestigious Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters programme ‘Digital Creativity Art&Science’, coordinated at our University by Adrian Robak, PhD, Assoc. Prof. It was also an opportunity to present the potential of the Faculty of Arts and Educational Science of the University of Silesia: the ‘Chopinteractive’ concert proposed by the faculty staff, combining classical music with modernity (Fryderyk Chopin’s preludes performed live by A. Kopińska, PhD, DSc, Assoc. Prof., interspersed with contemporary electronic compositions by Krzysztof Gawlas, PhD, DSc, Assoc. Prof., with graphic design by Kaja Renkas, PhD, DSc and Iwona Pomianowska, PhD), was enthusiastically received by visitors.
A potentially long-term result of the project for our University is the renewal and strengthening of cooperation with Japanese partners.
Tokyo University of Technology School of Media Studies: a delegation from the University of Silesia, including Prof. Tomasz Pietrzykowski, Vice-Rector for International and Domestic Cooperation, and Aleksandra Pieniążek, Vice-Chancellor, had the opportunity to visit the university and meet with its authorities. Present at the meeting were, among others, Yutaka Kagawa, Rector and Prof. Sumi Katsura, Vice-Rector for International Cooperation. Representatives of the University of Silesia introduced the hosts to the prestigious offer of the Digital Creativity Art&Science degree programme – it was met with great interest, and the possibilities of engaging partner researchers to conduct classes as part of the programme were discussed.
University of Hokkaido: lectors from the School of Polish Language and Culture of the University of Silesia visited the university and conducted Polish language lessons for students of the Polish programme. The visit strengthened the long-standing cooperation between School of Polish Language and Culture and the Sapporo university.
National Institute of Materials Sciences: Prof. Kohatsu Kawakami, who regularly collaborates with USil physicists from the research team of Prof. Marian Paluch, took part in a presentation of research on amorphous drugs, which was presented to guests of the Polish-Japanese economic conference ‘Land of Opportunities’. At the same time, work was carried out on extending the Cooperation Agreement between the universities, which constitutes the formal basis for relations in the research field.
Implementation of the project ‘Science will give us the future’: The University of Silesia’s participation in the Osaka Expo 2025 was an excellent opportunity to present what our University has to offer in the dynamically developing world of technology, while also sharing the richness of our cultural and linguistic attributes, and all this topped with the concept of the social responsibility of science as a mission of a university involved in local affairs.
Materials of the University of Silesia in Katowice