From 18 to 20 February 2023, the first part of the World Copernican Congress was held at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń on the occasion of the 550th anniversary of the birth of the Polish astronomer. The event was attended by Prof. Ryszard Koziołek, the Rector of the University of Silesia in Katowice.
The main objective of the Congress is to present the state of research on the life and activity of the outstanding scientist and astronomer and its impact on the development of science, culture and art. The inaugural lecture was delivered by Prof. Phillip James Edwin Peebles – Canadian astronomer and cosmologist, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics for 2019.
The event is organised by the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn and the Institute of the History of Science of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The official opening of the meeting took place on 19 February 2023. The following parts of the Congress are planned to take place in Kraków, Olsztyn and Toruń.
During the World Copernican Congress on 20 February 2023, a meeting of the Conference of Rectors of Polish Universities (KRUP) was also held. The rectors talked, among other topics, about the evaluation of research units and the plans of the University Commission for Internationalisation. The Vice-Chair of KRUP is Prof. Ryszard Koziołek.
Rectors of Polish universities | Photo by University of Silesia