Science Zone
Science Zone
The partner of the Science Zone is WSB Merito Universities
(formerly WSB Schools of Banking)
If you think Pyrkon is all about fantasy-related attractions, it’s a sure sign that you haven’t been to the Science Zone yet! This is the place on the Pyrkon map where you will find answers to your questions and discover the many riddles and mysteries that the universe hides from us.
Are you curious whether it is possible to travel at the speed of light or teleport? Are you fascinated by other beliefs? Or do you find yourself wondering how the aurora borealis is formed? You will find answers to these – and many more – questions in the Science Zone!
Scientists, well-known popularizers and lovers of science will visit Pyrkon Fan Convention to explain scientific theories, intricate equations and other issues that leave science-fiction fans tossing and turning at night, in a simple and comprehensible way.
The Science Zone is not only about lectures! You’ll also find the Science Station there, where you’ll have the opportunity to talk to speakers and ask questions that you didn’t have enough time or courage to ask. There will also be other accompanying events – from exhibitions to demonstrations.
What awaits you at Pyrkon 2024?
The Science Station
The Science Station is an amazing venue in the Science Zone that first appeared at Pyrkon in 2019 and received a warm welcome. It will provide you with an opportunity to meet and talk to invited guests and speakers – specialists and enthusiasts in a wide variety of scientific fields.
If after the lecture you are still bothered by any questions, and for some reason you did not ask them during the lecture, now you will have an ideal opportunity to exchange a few words with the speaker. So, if – like Hermione Granger – you want to learn the answers to questions rankling you and expand your knowledge in the field that interests you, be sure to stop by the Science Station and don’t be afraid to talk to our guests!
Accessible Pyrkon
At Pyrkon – as part of the “Accessible Pyrkon” campaign – the Science Zone will take us on an educational journey, during which we will have a chance to look at the world through the eyes of people with disabilities. This is a unique opportunity to understand what challenges life presents and how incredibly creative and strong people are coping with various disabilities.
At this year’s Pyrkon, you will not only be treated to a lecture conducted by representatives of the Labrador Foundation, but also workshops on sign language and the deaf culture prepared in cooperation with the Association of the Deaf “TON”.
It will be a special moment full of inspiration, learning and mutual understanding that is sure to leave a lasting mark on our hearts and minds.
Invisible Street
Invisible Street is a unique place with an interactive exhibition placed in total darkness, where blind or visually impaired people guide and mentor visitors. It is one of the few such places in Poland, and the only one to house a real streetcar.
A walk down the Invisible Street stirs up great emotions in every visitor, which remain in the memory for a long time. Stepping “into the shoes of a blind person” is a great experience for anyone and sensitizes them to the needs of the visually impaired. At the heart of the place is a specially prepared exhibition that can be experienced with all the senses except sight. Visitors have the opportunity to penetrate the world of the blind.
The exhibition in total darkness allows one to face the obstacles that blind people encounter on a daily basis such as entering a bus or streetcar, getting round an electric scooter left on the sidewalk, etc. It introduces the reality in which visually impaired people function every day.
This year’s Pyrkon will feature two initiatives prepared by members of the Invisible Street that will help Pyrkon-goers understand how visually impaired people perceive the world – “Stop in the Dark” and “Performance in the Dark” entitled The Polynesian Woodpecker.
Copper Smelter
At the Copper Smelter you will follow a copper path from the geographic distribution of the geological ores of this element, through the smelter where you will have the opportunity to perform an almost alchemical transformation of green stones into red metal several times a day, to the making of not only bronze castings, but also copper jewelry (and with methods similar to those used in prehistoric times!).
This year, once again you will have an opportunity to learn jewelry-making techniques from real artists, benefit from the experience of a talented historical reenactor and make a small bellows for yourself, as well as talk to a real space engineer and make a dynamo from wire and magnets under his guidance.
You will be able to take your creations home, but in order to sign up for the workshop you will first have to prove yourself in geological prospecting, work your time off in the quarry and copper smelter, demonstrate dexterity in making metallurgical tools, and prove your knowledge of copperology before a bloodthirsty dragon.
The knowledge and skills you will acquire here will not only allow you to find yourself in the Bronze Age past, but will also prepare you for any potential post-apocalyptic scenarios! Conan the Barbarian and Mad Max rolled into one!
You’re invited by the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences Wrocław center, the Institute of Geological Sciences of the University of Wrocław and the students of the Institute of Geology of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań!
[The photograph above was taken by Michał Robert Przemyski]
The “Pyrkon Science Zone” competition
This year marked the third year of the “Pyrkon Science Zone” competition, in which brave daredevils – who had not only the knowledge, but also the courage to try their superpowers – could compete for the opportunity to join the Science Zone speakers at the upcoming Pyrkon.
This year’s edition turned out to be exceptional – two participants received the same number of votes, and we will hear the two winning speakers at Pyrkon 2024:
- Maja Rosińska “The psychology of clothing – that is, what clothes say about us and is it really not worth judging a person by the way they dress.
Clothing psychology is a field that studies why we wear what we wear and how clothes affect us. During this lecture, we will consider what our clothes say about us – what stylists say, what we think, and what scientific research says about us. - Karolina Szybińska “Will humans fight in future wars, or how AI development affects international security?”
For a few years now, business leaders and politicians around the world have been portraying artificial intelligence in terms of national power projection. While we are thinking about how AI will help us do our homework or replace us at work in the future, around the world at the same moment research is being conducted on how to increase a country’s military power through AI. If you’re wondering if and how international organizations are going to legally regulate AI and how it will help change the direction of conflicts, you’ve come to the right place. The lecture will be updated on a regular basis from the time of the idea for it sprouting until Pyrkon itself, to show the latest information and to see if indeed “the one who becomes the leader [of artificial intelligence] will be the ruler of the world.”
If you want to get a closer look at the topic of the lecture, be sure to take a peek at the competition post, where we have posted the videos of our participants!
The Science Zone is a place where fantasy and science come together to popularize science in an interesting and enjoyable way. Come and immerse yourself in a fascinating world where the boundaries between reality and imagination become fluid.
