The main attraction for visitors to the Copernicus Science Center is the exhibitions. – The name refers to the language of the museum, although the exhibits are nothing like what we usually find in museums – says Katarzyna Nowica, spokesman for the Copernicus Science Center, in an interview with “Wprost”.
Copernicus Science Center: Science Through Experiment
There are hundreds of these interactive exhibits, or experimental stations, at the Copernicus Science Center. You can interact with them by pressing a button, turning a crank or moving your body in the right way, thanks to which visitors learn more about the world around you. All within one large display area.
– On the first floor there is a large area of \u200b\u200bexperiments, that is, a place where everyone, regardless of age, will find something for themselves. It is a space where you can learn about science from different points of view – explains the speaker. – For example, in the area devoted to magnetism, we can experiment with magnets, but also with ferromagnetic liquids, using magnetic forces. You can see the magnetic phenomena that occur in daily life. He adds that we are looking at one specific phenomenon through many exhibits.
Exhibits are also devoted to optics and optical illusions. – We can succumb to these illusions and look for an answer to the question of why we succumb to them at all, – says Katarzyna Nowica. – There are also biological exhibits. This is rare in science centers. We have real life here, for example, hydras that you can see, we have daphnia, we have all kinds of mushrooms – he lists them.
A large part of the exhibition is also related to physical phenomena, where we will find exhibits related to waves, current, liquids and chaos phenomena. There is also a high-voltage theater on the first floor dedicated entirely to electrical phenomena. Animators from the center make various kinds of science shows in which electricity plays the main role.
On this floor there is also a DIY space for self-experimentation, where you can take on various challenges without detailed instructions. These are geometric, scientific and logical challenges, in which everyday objects are used: paper, paper clips, balls, rubber bands or sticks. “You have to think and face your stress. By the way, you can get to know yourself, and this is a very interesting experience, – says a spokesman for the Copernicus Science Center.
This level also includes the laboratories: biological, physical and chemical (the automated laboratory can be found on the ground floor). – All those who want to feel like scientists are welcome in our laboratories. During the week we conduct lessons for school groups here, but on weekends you can come here and see if science work in the laboratory is something you want to try in the future – explains the speaker. We have four laboratories. Each has different scenarios and different ideas for classes. Of course, they change too. So it’s worth visiting us and checking it out regularly – he adds.
Copernicus robot and “adult” exhibition
On the first floor you can also meet and talk to the robot Nicolaus Copernicus.
– In connection with the 550th birthday of Nicolaus Copernicus, we decided to give him a new and cool robot body, as well as the artificial intelligence that he was equipped with. He is GPT-3, which allows him to speak and answer almost all questions, including the most unusual ones. It’s worth checking out how it’s done, says a Copernicus Science Center spokesperson, who leads us to a life-size robot. – The face and the clothes, the whole style is inspired by Jan Matejko’s painting. Nicolaus Copernicus has already found a huge number of friends, he is a unique person who will be with us forever, – he adds.
On the ground floor of the building, we can find more galleries.
– Downstairs we have a space for the smallest “BZZ” exhibition space. This place is set up with kids in mind. Everything is adjusted according to its development in terms of size and content, – explains Katarzyna Nowicka. – The younger ones will get to know the world there, we have hills, different textures, sounds, smells, sounds, you can go to the bridge. It’s all very safe, he adds, and is meant to support the development of children ages three to six.
The Copernicus Science Center encourages adults to visit, too.
– For balance, we have an exhibition for adults, and of course entry with children is not prohibited. The point is, the theme of the exhibition is very serious because it talks about the future. The exhibition is about what has not yet happened, but which begins today, which is why we called it “The Future is Today” – says the spokeswoman. – Here you can find exhibits related to technology development. They actually ask us questions that we need to find answers within ourselves. These are questions, for example, about whether we are ready to use self-driving cars, how much can we trust a robot, what can we say to artificial intelligence, can it fail us, and how can it harm us? We also have a part about Earth, where we look at our planet from a bird’s eye view – he recounts.
Sound Gallery and Planetarium
On the ground floor we can also visit the Robot Theatre, a place where robots give performances. It is also a space for temporary exhibitions.
– At the moment it is an exhibition about the music “GraMY – We will win”. The fair is aimed at elementary school students, but I’ve noticed many times that older people are having a great time here, too. We have tools here that aren’t actually tools. In practice, you can convince yourself that everything works, and that you can make music out of anything. And in this exhibition, we give proof of this, – the speaker confirms.
Another important space to visit at the Copernicus Science Center is the planetarium located in the adjacent building.
– The weather is always perfect in the planetarium, because what we see is a projection. A projection that very accurately reflects the current state of the sky – explains Katarzyna Nowica. – In the planetarium you can watch all kinds of films about space, you can take a space flight. But it is also a place where concerts, lectures, performances and various kinds of meetings related to current events take place, for example in the space sector – he emphasizes.
The Copernicus Science Center can be visited daily. It is worth buying tickets online in advance, because the place is visited by many tourists.
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The project is co-financed by the Ministry of Education and Science under the program “Social Responsibility for Science”
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We visit the Copernicus Science Center
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