The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is celebrated for the seventh time. The holiday was established by the UN General Assembly in 2015 at the request of several organisations promoting and implementing the idea of equal access to education and research for women and girls. The aim of the initiative is, inter alia, to emphasise the importance of research conducted by female scientists around the world for the development of science.
This special celebration is a great opportunity to present the activities of women associated with our university. They manage international and national projects, win many prestigious competitions, engage in social initiatives, patent their inventions, and finally – they are an inspiration for the next generations of girls who will be even more boldly involved in the development of all scientific disciplines in the future.
WOMEN SCIENTISTS ON THEIR PROJECTS
popular science articles in the Research University of Silesia series, the “No Limits” magazine and “Gazeta Uniwersytecka UŚ” (University of Silesia Magazine)
The results of the conducted research and the research interests of our scientists have been presented in the media of the University of Silesia for many years. On the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we have prepared a collection of articles from the Silesian Research series, the international popular science magazine “No Limits” and the monthly “University of Silesia Magazine”, which appeared in 2021 and presented the achievements of our researchers.
- Angelika M. Pabian, PhD: “Recruitment and selection of employees in the era of pandemic” | Report of UŚ scientists
- Olimpia Orządała: “Katowice, a future global city? | Interview with Prof. Elżbieta Zuzańska-Żyśko”
- Małgorzata Kłoskowicz, PhD: “Street of the University of Silesia in Katowice, or a short history of ul. Bankowa | Interview with Dr Aneta Borowik”
- Magdalena Ochwat, PhD; Anna Guzy, PhD: “Humanistic forecast for climate”
- Małgorzata Kłoskowicz, PhD: “History of listening to music. Interview with prof. Bogumiła Mika”
- Katarzyna Stołpiec: “Narcissism as a “peculiar” research gap”
- Mariola Paruzel-Czachura. PhD: “Publication in Nature Communications”
- dr Bożena Nowak, dr hab. Agnieszka Babczyńska, prof. UŚ (tekst: Katarzyna Stołpiec): „Świat z domieszką mikroplastiku”
- dr Monika Jędrzejczyk-Korycińska (tekst: Maria Sztuka): „Rośliny, którym metale niestraszne”
- dr Magdalena Pacwa-Płociniczak, dr hab. Tomasz Płociniczak, prof. UŚ (tekst: dr Małgorzata Kłoskowicz): „Rośliny i bakterie ratunkiem dla skażonej gleby”
- prof. dr hab. Jolanta Tambor (tekst: Maria Sztuka): „Stanisław Lem. Fantasta, który nazywał swoje marzenia”
- dr Agnieszka Tambor: „Pisarz, który nie cierpiał ekranizacji swoich książek”
- dr Agnieszka Podruczna (tekst: dr Agnieszka Sikora): „Science fiction nie mówi nam nic o przyszłości”
- prof. dr hab. Urszula Boryczka (tekst: Tomasz Płosa): „Owady społeczne i ptaki jako wzorce inteligencji rozproszonej”
- dr hab. Agnieszka Nowak-Brzezińska, prof. UŚ (tekst: dr Agnieszka Sikora): „Inteligentne systemy wspomagania decyzji”
- dr Karina Maciejewska (tekst: dr Małgorzata Kłoskowicz): „Badanie procesów pamięci w mózgu”
- dr Małgorzata Kłoskowicz: „Rośliny i bakterie oczyszczające skażone gleby.” Badania dr Magdaleny Pacwy-Płociniczak i dr. Tomasza Płociniczaka.
- dr Małgorzata Kłoskowicz: „Gotowe do agresji”. Badania dr Magdaleny Bolek-Kochanowskiej.
- dr Małgorzata Kłoskowicz: „Sekret Suchej Góry”. Badania dr hab. Marzeny Lamparskiej.
- Maria Sztuka: „Karol Szajnocha – człowiek, który stał się historykiem”. Badania dr hab. Doroty Malczewskiej, prof. UŚ i prof. dr. hab. Tomasza Pawelca.
- dr Małgorzata Kłoskowicz: „Nasze płuca staja się składowiskiem odpadów”. Badania dr hab. Marioli Jabłońskiej, prof. UŚ i dr hab. Beaty Smieji-Król.
- dr Małgorzata Kłoskowicz: „Humaniści stają do walki o przyszłość błękitnej planety”. Badania prof. dr hab. Bernadety Niesporek-Szamburskiej (Interdyscyplinarne Centrum Badań nad Edukacją Humanistyczną).
- Maria Sztuka: „Świat sztuki Nowego Jorku na przełomie XIX i XX wieku”. Badania dr Barbary Lewickiej.
- Katarzyna Stołpiec: „Jesteśmy świadkami ważnych zmian społecznych”. Badania dr Angeliki M. Pabian.
- Maria Sztuka: „Sztuka w czasach pandemii”. Badania dr Anny Wajdy.
- Maria Sztuka: „Listy z przedsionka piekła”. Badania dr hab. Lucyny Sadzikowskiej, prof. UŚ.
- dr Małgorzata Kłoskowicz: „Winnice zamiast stoków narciarskich?” Badania dr hab. Małgorzaty Falarz, prof. UŚ.
- dr Małgorzata Kłoskowicz: „PHELIX pozwoli lepiej poznać właściwości nanokompozytów”. Badania dr hab. Anny Bajorek, prof. UŚ.
Photo from the private archive
Elżbieta Zuzańska-Żyśko, PhD, DSc, Associate Professor from the Institute of Social and Economic Geography and Spatial Management answers questions such as: how Katowice is changing and why the GZM Metropolis is unique compared to other metropolitan areas. Interview “Katowice, a future global city?” was published as part of the Research series.
Photo by Tomasz Sobol
Anna Bajorek, PhD, DSc, Associate Professor from the Faculty of Science and Technology, together with an international team were the first to measure Res-PES resonance photoemission and XAS X-ray absorption on the PHELIX line on the SOLARIS synchrotron. She describes this process in the article by Małgorzata Kłoskowicz, PhD, “PHELIX will allow us to better understand the properties of nanocomposites”. The article was published in the December issue of “University of Silesia Magazine”.
The colonisation of the plastic surface by microscopic fungi, 250× zoom / Photo by Jagna Karcz, colourisation Bartosz Baran
Bożena Nowak, PhD, and Agnieszka Babczyńska, PhD, DSc, Associate Professor from the Faculty of Natural Sciences talk about the dangers of the increase in synthetic rubbish. The text “A world with an admixture of microplastics” was published in the popular science magazine of the University of Silesia “No Limits”.
RESEARCH EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE LAUREATES
The Research Excellence Initiative is a programme of the University of Silesia, under which activities aimed at developing and increasing the competencies of the University of Silesia’s academic community are carried out.
One of the initiatives was “Freedom of Research”. In the first edition of the competition, women constituted 58% of all people who received funding for various scientific activities, such as: research and consultation trips, queries, field studies, and the development of musical and artistic works.
You can read on the effects of the initiative in the series “Freedom of Research – science for the future”. In 2021, Anna Mrozek-Wilczkiewicz, PhD, DSc, Associate Professor; Katarzyna Malarz, PhD; Gabriela Besler, PhD, Dsc, Associate Professor; Anna Pyszkowska, Katarzyna Nowak, PhD, Natalia Stępień-Lampa, PhD, and Katarzyna Hilszczańska, PhD.
Last year, as part of the IDB programme, the two most important competitions for international interdisciplinary research teams dealing with the issues of ecology and climate protection as well as the functioning and development of the civilisation society facing the coronavirus pandemic were also announced. In the “Zielony Horyzont” (Green Horizon) competition, two of the six teams that received research funding are led by women: Agnieszka Babczyńska, PhD, DSc, Associate Professor and Iwona Jelonek, PhD, DSc, Associate Professor. In turn, in the “Horyzont Postcovidowy” (Postcovid Horizon) competition, four research teams were included on the list of laureates, the leaders of two are: Karina Leksy, PhD and Anna Jaworska-Wieloch, PhD.
At the end of November, an article by Olimpia Orządała “Towards ecological painting” presenting the research of Katarzyna Hilszczańska, PhD, from the Institute of Fine Arts, who promotes an ecological approach to creative work, was published as part of the series “Freedom of Research – science for the future” | Photo from the private archive
WOMEN CO-AUTHORS OF THE PATENTED INVENTIONS
“Patents of the University of Silesia” series
The University of Silesia in Katowice has for many years been ranked high in the reports of the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland in terms of the number of patents granted. This is the result of the inventive activity of our researchers. You can read about their activities in the series “Patents of the University of Silesia“.
Women are members and leaders of many teams that submit their inventions for intellectual property protection.
The author of the series is Małgorzata Kłoskowicz, PhD from the Media Communication Centre, who won the 3rd prize in the competition for media information on the protection of intellectual property, including industrial property organised by the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland.
We present articles from the series that were published in 2021 below. Each team whose results were presented last year has at least one female member.
- New compounds to support fight against colonic cancer, prostate cancer and myeloid leukaemia | Patent for the University of Silesia
- Development of organic electronics | Patent for the University of Silesia
- Detecting heavy metal ions in human and animal cells | Patent for the University of Silesia
- Patent to breathe cleaner air
- Two patents for system monitoring breathing frequency and strength
- Another patented compound for anti-cancer therapies
- Patent | Eco-friendly ceramics for the electronics industry
- Patent | “Green chemistry,” a new way of obtaining poly(ionic liquids)
- New solution for electronics industry | Patent for University of Silesia
- Patent | New antifungal preparation protecting precious literature antiques
- Patent | New fuel additives
- Patent | New solution that accelerates the breeding of new barley varieties
- Patents | Hand prosthesis, quicker diagnosis for lungs disease, new anti-inflammatory materials
- Patent | New pharmaceutical composition against heart diseases
- Patent | SPA for plants – a new composition enhancing the penetration of plant tissues
Monika Gajecka, PhD from the Faculty of Natural Sciences is, inter alia, co-author of the patent thanks to which it will be possible to speed up the growth of some barley varieties. You can read on the patented solution in the article by Małgorzata Kłoskowicz, PhD “SPA for plants – a new composition facilitating the penetration of plant tissues” | Photo from the private archive
WOMEN ON THE SCIENTIFIC PREMIERE STAGE
science communication
Scientific Premiere Stage is an initiative that attracts a growing audience interested in the scientific achievements and interests of people associated with our university. As part of the SPS UŚ, meetings with authors in the form of a scientific talk show, promotion of publications, interviews or small cultural events are organised. In 2021, six women took part in the series. We invite you to watch the meetings with:
- Monika Glosowitz, PhD from the Faculty of Humanities;
- Agata Hałat, PhD from the Faculty of Arts and Educational Science;
- Prof. Magdalena Rost-Roszkowska from the Faculty of Natural Sciences;
- Prof. Katarzyna Krasoń from the Faculty of Social Sciences;
- Milena Dutkowska, a graduate from the Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School at the University of Silesia;
- Anna Majer, PhD from the Faculty of Humanities.
All the meetings from the SPS series are available on the University’s YouTube channel:
SPS University of Silesia – season 2020/2021
SPS University of Silesia – season 2021/2022
“Love and robots” is the topic of the last meeting organised as part of the Scientific Premiere Stage, which took place on 14 February 2022 – traditionally at 6 p.m. Anna Malinowska, PhD, Associate Professor from the Faculty of Humanities talked about the development of modern technologies and their impact on the evolution of interpersonal relations.
JOLANTA WADOWSKA-KRÓL, MD
the honorary doctor
of the University of Silesia in Katowice
Jolanta Wadowska-Król | Photo by Prof. Witold Jacyków, University of Silesia
The paediatrician conducted research on exposure to lead to children who lived near Huta Szopienicein the 1970s. Thanks to the research results and her adamant stance, thousands of children who could fall ill with this dangerous disease were treated.
The ceremony of awarding the title of doctor honoris causa of the University of Silesia to Jolanta Wadowska-Król took place on Thursday, 21 June 2021.
“The mystery of poisoning children from Szopienice” documentary video
WOMEN LEADERS AT THE EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY
Transform4Europe Alliance
The University of Silesia in Katowice, together with six universities from abroad, forms a European university under the Transform4Europe alliance. We prepare joint study programmes, strengthen the mobility of students and university staff, as well as facilitate international cooperation, under which various, not only scientific projects are initiated.
Many women are involved in the implementation of these tasks. It is worth noting that the leader of the alliance is Cyntia Sandes Oliveira, PhD, from the University of the Saarland in Germany. The project manager at the University of Silesia is Małgorzata Myśliwiec, PhD, DLitt, Associate Professor. In the alliance, an important voice belongs to students and PhD students. Transform4Europe has in its structure the Student Council – a board supporting the work of the international project management board. Our representative, Emilie Szwajnoch, a PhD student, became the vice-chair of the board last year.
Next to the University of Silesia, the European University Transform4Europe consists of: Saarland University (consortium leader), University of Alicante, Estonian Academy of Fine Arts, St. Clement of Ohrid University of Sofia, University of Trieste and University of Vytautas the Great in Kaunas.
Prof. Małgorzata Myśliwiec, Associate Professor | Photo by Małgorzata Dymowska
The role of the leader of the Transform4Europe project on the part of the University of Silesia is performed by Prof. Małgorzata Myśliwiec, Assoc. Prof. Emilie Szwajnoch, a PhD student, became the vice-chair of the Student Council board last year.
Emilie Szwajnoch | Photo by Joanna Orzeł
WOMEN OF OUR ACADEMIC COMMUNITY AND THEIR SUCCESSES
Source: Newsletter | Information for the academic community | 2021
Last year, we could read about many successes achieved by our female students, PhD students and employees in the weekly “Information for the academic community”. We invite you to read the collected articles on this topic.
- Dr hab. Monika Ładoń uhonorowana przez Fundację Kobiety Nauki
- Dr hab. Katarzyna Wyrwas, prof. UŚ przewodniczącą Towarzystwa Miłośników Języka Polskiego
- Dr hab. Marlena Jankowska-Augustyn prof. UŚ członkiem jury tegorocznej edycji MArteLive Europe
- Dr hab. Joanna Nowakowska-Małusecka ekspertem Polsko-Amerykańskiej Komisji Fulbrighta
- Dr Agnieszka Jaworska nominowana w międzynarodowym konkursie fotograficznym
- Prof. dr hab. Jadwiga Glumińska-Pawlic uhonorowana medalem „Virtus est perfecta ratio”
- Książka Głosy z „Ostatniego kręgu”. Korespondencja z Konzentrazionslager Auschwitz Józefa Kreta i Zofii Hoszowskiej-Kretowej nominowana do Nagród Historycznych „Polityki”
- Dr hab. Anna Chorążewska, prof. UŚ ekspertem w programie mentoringowym TopMinds
- Prof. Joanna Warmuzińska-Rogóż laureatką Stypendium Międzynarodowego Towarzystwa Badań Quebeckich
- Prof. Dagmara Drzazga awarded by the Polish Journalists Association
- Dr Katarzyna Hilszczańska doceniona na dwóch konkursach
- Fryderyk 2021 dla „Cameraty Silesii” pod dyrekcją dr hab. Anny Szostak
- Prof. Urszula Myga-Piątek wyróżniona Medalem imienia Jerzego Kondrackiego
- Dr. hab. Katarzyna Gajda-Roszczynialska laureatką konkursu Granty Interwencyjne NAWA
- Magdalena Ochwat, PhD, the winner of the Roman Czernecki Award
- Dr Katarzyna Wilczok nominowana do nagrody „Nauczyciel na medal” 2021
- Sukcesy prof. dr hab. Danuty Gabryś-Barker
- Wystąpienie adw. Magdaleny Stryi na konferencji „Climate Change, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Law…”
- Dr hab. Katarzyna Gajda-Roszczynialska członkiem Europejskiego Instytutu Prawa
- National Science Centre grants for our employees and doctoral students
- Scientists from the University of Silesia among the winners of MINIATURA 5
- Nagroda jury dla dr hab. Natalii Pawlus, prof. UŚ w międzynarodowym konkursie
- Margret Grebowicz, PhD, Associate Professor, won Marc Sanders Foundation fellowship
- Dr Karolina Koc-Michalska, prof. UŚ stypendystką IV edycji Programu Bekker NAWA
WOMEN SCIENTISTS IN CERN
“CERN | My story” series
In 2021, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of cooperation between Polish science and the European Organisation for Nuclear Research. One of the initiatives of the University of Silesia was the series “CERN | My story ”, in which scientists could share their stories about research conducted at a Swiss research centre. The group included three women: Katarzyna Schmidt, PhD, Associate Professor, Marta Urbaniak, MSc, and Yuliia Balkova, MA.
The Globe of Science and Innovation | Photo by Julien Marius Ordan
CERN-PHOTO-201808-226_09 source: cds.cern.ch
WHY DID I CHOOSE THE PATH OF SCIENCE?
“Save the date” series on the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science
Faculty of Science and Technology
Seven women associated with the Faculty of Science and Technology answer the question of why they chose the path of science. Female students, PhD students and researchers share their stories in the “Save the date” series published on the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The article is available at: www.us.edu.pl/en/wydzial/wnst.
Photo by Julia Szymala
One of the women who talk about her scientific path is Prof. Marzena Dzida – coordinator of the project entitled “IoCarboNanoFluids (ICON Fluids) as a new class of design multi-ion systems…” on behalf of the Institute of Chemistry of the University of Silesia, chairman of the Thermodynamics Section of the Polish Chemical Society, member of the Senate of the University of Silesia.
WOMEN FROM SILESIAN UNIVERSITIES ON THEIR RESEARCH
European City of Science 2024
In 2024 Katowice will become the European City of Science! The enormous scientific and research potential of Silesia has contributed to the fact that various events devoted to scientific research and innovations of key importance for the future of the world will be held in Katowice.
On the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we asked researchers from several Silesian universities what they do in their daily research, what are their greatest achievements and whether they encountered any difficulties during their scientific careers. We also asked what advice they have for their female colleagues and who they consider being a “woman-science hero”.
We invite you to watch a short video!
“FEMALE” MURAL ON THE FACULTY OF NATURAL SCIENCES
Art connects with science
For several weeks now, on one of the walls of the building of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, you can admire a mural – this is the vision of the artist Pierre Migot, who sees curiosity, the desire to understand life and the surrounding world, and concern for biodiversity in this female face. The mural, decorating the building of the Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection at ul. Jagiellońska 28 in Katowice.
Photo by Agata Daszkowska-Golec
FACTS AND FIGURES
In the Gender Equality Plan published last year, a summary of the diagnosis of selected aspects of the functioning of our university, taking into account the gender criterion, was published. It shows, inter alia, that 67% of people studying at the University of Silesia are women. We also have more female PhD students (63%) than male PhD students. Among the people employed at the university, women also dominate (61.7%) – both in the group of academics and administrative employees. However, as we read in the document, “men more often than women perform the functions of a rector, dean, director of an institute […], women direct teaching and are deans’ deputies and plenipotentiaries, deputy directors of institutes and coordinators at departments”.
The data provided by the Project Department shows that in 2021, in various competitions, co-financing was received by:
- 58 national projects, 41 of them are led by women;
- 26 international projects – 14 of them are led by women.
It is also worth looking at people representing individual scientific disciplines at our university, taking into account the gender criterion. More women than men conduct research in the humanities (64%) and social sciences (61%). Gender balance is also visible in science (50% each). A smaller number of women is visible in the arts (41%), engineering and technical sciences (38%), and theological sciences (15%) – as of 31 December 2021.
At the University of Silesia, two of the four vice-rectors are women.
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| Prof. Ewa Jarosz, Vice-Rector for Staff Development | Katarzyna Trynda, PhD, Associate Professor, Vice-Rector for Education and Students |