Biologists' Night

CO-FUNDED WITH
STATE FUNDS

Task name:
Biologists' Night

Co-funding:
PLN 166 772.00

Total value:
PLN 188 252.00

Task description:
The Biologists' Night aims to promote and provide knowledge concerning natural sciences and the results of scientific research conducted at the Jan Kochanowski University at various levels – from basic knowledge of natural sciences to problematic issues affecting contemporary biology and biotechnology.

Every year, the Institute of Biology of the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences of JKU actively participates in following editions of the Biologists' Night organised in academic centres throughout Poland. The aim of the Biologists' Night is to show and convince participants that science is fascinating and that complex biological processes and phenomena can be presented and explained in a very simple way, i.e. follow the motto: "only what we don't know is complicated - then everything is simple".

The offer is aimed at the youngest participants, schoolchildren, as well as adolescents and adults - in short, everyone who finds biology to be an interesting science. Activities are prepared in the form of presentations and lectures, as well as practical activities, workshops, laboratory demonstrations, and intriguing competitions. Every participant of the Biologists' Night can become a researcher, a naturalist, or even a detective. During the Biologists' Night it is possible to, for example, learn the secrets of our birds up close, discover the bizarre world of fungi and lichens, get to know how plants react to temperature, and what hides in the abysses of the sea. The researchers will explain what a person suffering from allergies has to deal with and whether it is worth to get vaccinated, they will refer to microorganisms as well as epidemics and their impact on various aspects of human life. During a series of open lectures, visitors will be able to learn about bacteria, longevity and malaria, but also about the spruce bark beetle and discover how forests grow. In addition, the current topic of coping with stress is going to be discussed – participants will learn how structures in the human brain change when long-term relaxation methods are applied. One of the aims of the cyclical nationwide Biologists' Night is to instil a belief in the crucial role of life sciences in the existence of the human population on Earth, as well as the significance of the bioeconomy in regional development in south-eastern Poland.