|text: Agnieszka Nowak-Brzezińska|
|fotos: Agata Kołodziejczyk|
On November 14, 2024, the Faculty of Science and Technology organized an event dedicated to science and women in science. The event was divided into two parts, both of which provided a lot of excitement and valuable information. The event was inspired by the recent publication of Maria Goeppert-Mayer’s biography, titled. “Tańcząca z gwiazdami,” a Nobel Prize winner in physics, born in Katowice. The meeting was attended by high school students from Katowice, Chorzow and Bytom. The guests were welcomed by Prof. Michał Daszykowski – Vice-Rector for Finance of the University of Silesia.
In the first part of the meeting, we had the opportunity to listen to a conversation with the author of the biography, Prof. Tomasz Pospieszny of the Adam Mickiewicz University, and the Nobel Prize winner’s trail guide and teacher Bożena Kubiak. The conversation was led by the editor of Radio Katowice, Beata Tomanek, who passionately introduced us to the world of life and achievements of this remarkable woman.
The second part was a panel discussion conducted in English. The panelists were physicists and chemists from the Faculty of Science and Technology:
- Professor Monika Musiał – chemist
- PhD, DSc Aneta Słodek, Associate Professor – chemist
- PhD Mesude Zeliha Arkan – chemist
- PhD Katarzyna Schmidt, Associate Professor –physicist
- PhD Lakshmi Sandhya Mohan – physicist
The moderator of the meeting was the Vice-Dean for Promotion and Development at the Faculty of Science and Technology: Agnieszka Nowak-Brzezińska.
The scientists shared their passion for science. They talked about their work in centers around the world, their experiences and their love for working in laboratories. Their enthusiasm was contagious!
They emphasized how important what they do is to them – not only to themselves, but most importantly to the world. They talked about their adoration for working with students, because teaching is a real joy.
Each of the participants in today’s meeting emphasized that teaching is a lifelong passion, that it is worth having dreams and doing in life what you want, what you enjoy and are passionate about.
This event showed how beautiful and inspiring science can be, and how many opportunities await young people who decide to follow this path.
