The 8th Silesian Science Festival Katowice is just around the corner! This annual celebration of science will take place from December 7–9 at the International Congress Center. This year’s edition, one of the largest popular science events in Poland and Europe, will also serve as the culmination of a yearlong celebration of Katowice being named the European City of Science 2024.
The program includes 20 thematic stages. For the first time, the Fulbright Commission will participate as an event partner, hosting the “Fulbright Stage.” This special stage will feature presentations from over a dozen Fulbright grantees from both Poland and the United States, who will share their research, passions, and experiences with international academic exchange. Our participation in the event has been made possible through the initiative and unwavering determination of our Fulbright Ambassador in Katowice, Agata Stronciwilk.
On the “Fulbright Stage,” visitors will have the opportunity to meet current Polish and American Fulbright Poland grantees, as well as Fulbright Poland alumni from the Silesian region. During talks and lectures, the guests will discuss their research, their time as grant recipients, and how their academic experiences in the United States have shaped their careers.
Saturday, December 7th
Full agenda is available in Polish here: slaskifestiwalnauki.pl/hol-dolny-mck-dolina-rawy-scena-fulbrighta.
Kasper Hanus: The Anthropocene from an Archaeological Perspective
Climate change is one of the most significant challenges of our time. However, the interactions between humans and their environment are as old as human history itself. Fluctuations in temperature or changes in water availability have brought ancient civilizations periods of glory as well as dramatic collapses.
Using the examples of two archaeological sites—one from ancient Central Asia and the other from medieval Cambodia—we will explore the universal lessons archaeology offers us about climate and environmental resilience.
Dominika Wojcieszek: Ocean Literacy – What Every EU Citizen Should Know About the Blue Planet
Ocean Literacy is the concept of understanding the interconnections between humans and the ocean, encompassing both the ocean’s impact on us and our impact on the ocean. This idea emerged in the United States in 2004 through the collaboration of scientists, teachers, and educators concerned about the marginalization of marine education. Its goal was to define the essential knowledge about the oceans that society should possess and to launch a nationwide educational campaign.
The concept quickly spread across Europe, gaining increasing recognition. The European Commission emphasizes that public awareness of the oceans is essential for effective and sustainable management of marine resources. Without this awareness, it will be difficult to ensure proper ocean governance, allowing their resources to remain accessible for future generations.
Anna Fiń: Migration Photography and the Production of Knowledge
Michał Choiński: From Beinecke to the New York Public Library – Behind the Scenes of Working in the Archives of The New Yorker
I began work on a book about the history of The New Yorker, one of the most recognizable magazines in the United States, during my Fulbright scholarship at Yale University in 2022. At that time, I conducted stylometric research at the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, while in my spare time, I explored the archives, examining the correspondence of authors with the New Yorker editorial office. The subsequent stages of working on the manuscript involved conducting over fifty interviews and working in the collections of the New York Public Library as well as in the internal archives of the magazine at World Trade Center One in New York City. In my lecture, I will give an insight into the behind-the-scenes work in these archives and discuss the challenges of properly interpreting documents that shed new light on the history of literary publications in The New Yorker, including works by Sylvia Plath, James Baldwin, and Truman Capote.
Zoey Grant: Witold Gombrowicz in translation
My research focuses on the significant differences between Polish and Spanish works by Witold Gombrowicz, which (though they were written by Gombrowicz himself), are surprisingly often forgotten about. At its core, my presentation addresses a larger, universal question: how do we depict a faithful image of life in literature? That is, how can we make such the ungraspable, individual topic of life into something that is conveyable worldwide or across borders? My research identifies that Gombrowicz’s answer to this question actually lies in his Spanish works, and it explains that Gombrowicz’s answer to this lies in music. By exploring this question, the presentation touches on broader issues of cultural communication and artistic interpretation according to this core figure of the Polish literary canon
Stephen Proski: Blindness as the Medium for Vision
In questioning the differences presented by visual images and vision itself, as well as what blindness brings to the discourses about vision and spectatorship in the arts, my work invokes “blind visuality,” a concept that Mary Bunch has developed to refer to crip ways of seeing/sensing that disrupt modern western scopic regimes. Blind visuality challenges the way that vision orders the world; it is a political concept that disputes the socially constructed hierarchies that privilege vison and normative ways of seeing.
I paint blindness itself as the medium for vision, focusing on the distortions, mist, and floaters through which the image appears and presents itself. Conjuring lived experiences of blindness, I challenge the dominance of sight in the making and understanding of art. Through my interdisciplinary practice, I celebrate ‘blindness gain’
and foreground its emancipatory potential. My work is physical to make and, ultimately, tactility prevails.
Devon Stackonis: Scraping the Surface: Printmaking in Response to Extractive Industry
My visual work over the last decade has dealt conceptually with ancestral lineage, resource extraction, and the psychological, environmental, and socioeconomic impacts of an obsolete industry. My own patrilineal ancestors emigrated from Poland in the late 19th century, leaving the coal mines of Poland to settle and work in the anthracite regions of Central Pennsylvania. Through printmaking and book arts, I work to recover histories of my ancestors, connect through an antiquated process involving the removal of another mined material, copper, and invest hours of physically demanding labor. During my grant period in Poland, I am spending time in Upper and Lower Silesia, documenting and responding visually to mining operations and communities as they shift away from coal towards clean energy.
During my presentation I will highlight a few past works from my MFA graduate thesis exhibition, current research and printmaking projects.
Lynn W. Zimmerman: AI and Education: Navigating the New Normal
Since ChatGPT launched in November 2022, the educational landscape has changed. Teachers have access to tools that streamline lesson planning and assessment, while students can use these same tools to enhance their work and learning. However, generative AI has also created possibilities for students to “game the system.” This presentation will explore some advantages and drawbacks of AI in education, addressing ethical concerns along the way. Finally, it will offer some strategies for how teachers and students can use AI to foster critical thinking and improve the overall learning experience.
(This description was created with some assistance from Gemini.)
Cherise Northcutt: Childhood Maltreatment Resulting in Maladaptive Behavior
Childhood maltreatment is a global problem with possible life-long consequences. According to the World Health Organization, nearly 3 in 4 children between the ages 2 to 4 years regularly experience physical punishment and/or psychological violence at the hands of their parents and caregivers. One in 5 women and 1 in 13 men report experiencing sexual abuse between the ages of birth to 17 years. Consequences of childhood maltreatment can last a lifetime and interfere with development, relationships, and physical and mental health. In addition, trauma can be passed down through generations of descendants who were not born at the time of the original trauma.
My presentation for the Silesian Science Festival in Katowice will be to present how maltreatment can erode a child’s sense of safety that can lead to a style of responding to the demands of daily life in a nonadaptive manner.
Andrzej Ślązak: Californian Impressions
A musical recital featuring works by Bronisław Kaper, Wojciech Kilar, and Wojciech Stępień.
Sunday, December 8
Full agenda is available in Polish here: slaskifestiwalnauki.pl/hol-dolny-mck-dolina-rawy-scena-silesian-hall-of-fame.
Agata Daszkowska-Golec: Game of Genes & Minnesota Nice: A Story About a Dream
Can plants win in a world full of challenges brought by climate change? In a world where water is becoming a luxury, plants take their adaptation to the next level, saving every drop as if it were the final level in a video game. But even the most refined strategies are not always enough, so I am studying which genes and metabolic pathways at the molecular level allow plants to survive where every mistake costs… life.
My research was conducted at the University of Minnesota thanks to the Fulbright STEM Impact Award – a scholarship that has been my dream for as long as I can remember, so deeply that it permeated every cell of mine and became part of my DNA. I invite you to a story about dreams, inspirations, and discoveries that accelerate the heartbeat and fuel the vision of the future, new scientific projects, and plans.
Michał Kania: The American Perspective on Public Procurement. Reflections from a Stay in Washington
In his presentation, Prof. Kania will share his experiences from his time at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and the benefits of participating in the Fulbright Program, focusing on:
- Conducting research at an American university,
- Collaborating with the external environment of the university,
- Exploring the American approach to linking scientific research with the economy.
Beyond these topics directly related to his stay, Prof. Kania will also discuss broader insights gained from his Fulbright experience and the impact it has had on his professional development.
Leszek Drong: From Katowice to Chicago – A Space Odyssey 2004
This brief presentation will cover the circumstances of my journey on a Fulbright Advanced Research Grant to Chicago from August 2004 to February 2005. It aims to achieve two goals: to showcase the context of the candidate selection process in Poland during the early 21st century, and to examine the impact that my time at the University of Illinois at Chicago had on the development of my academic career.
Referring to the political and economic situation in the early years after 9/11, I would like to highlight the cultural and civilizational shock that a Polish researcher experienced when traveling to the United States in 2004. I will discuss the procedures and living conditions, the biggest surprises, and the multidimensional benefits of my time in Chicago. I will also reflect on the execution of my research project, collaboration with some of the most prominent American humanists (including Stanley Fish, Walter Benn Michaels, and Gerald Graff), and the lasting impact this collaboration had on my professional career, both at home and abroad.
Anna Malinowska: Technologies of Emotions
During the talk, I will present my project HYPNOTIC AI, developed in collaboration with artist Przemysław Jasielski. The project combines art research and scientific experimentation, contributing to the development of a new model of artificial intelligence. Using this work as a foundation, I will discuss the inspirations drawn during my time at The New School, where I conducted research as a Fulbright grantee. I will particularly focus on the need for interdisciplinary collaboration and the experimental crossing of scientific boundaries, which seem essential in light of the numerous changes brought about by the “technological revolution.”
Event website
Fulbright grantees will also appear outside of the dedicated stage, where they will discuss topics such as whether video games are part of cultural heritage and how to find a black hole.
The Fulbright Stage will be available in the Lower Hall of the International Congress Center on Saturday, December 7 and Sunday, December 8. In addition, over the weekend, you can visit the Fulbright booth and learn more about our scholarship offer. We will be located in the Humanities and Social Sciences District in the Multipurpose Hall.
Registration for the Silesian Science Festival is open, and more details about the program segments are being added to the event’s website – we encourage you to participate!
