CO-FINANCED FROM THE STATE BUDGET

Social Responsibility of Science II

Organisation of the 19th and 20th editions of the national physics competition Physical Paths.

Amount of funding: PLN 212,000.00

Total value: PLN 255,000.00

Project implementation period: from 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2025.

The project envisages conducting and organising the 19th and 20th editions of the nationwide Physical Pathways competition. The Physics Paths competition is addressed to students of secondary schools and 7th and 8th grades of primary schools. Continuously since 2005, it has been organised by the National Centre for Nuclear Research and the Institute of Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Unlike subject competitions and olympiads, Physics Paths is a competition of works proposed by students, which naturally fosters creativity in young people. As part of the project activities to organise the 2 editions of the Competition, we expect entries to be submitted to the Organising Committee according to one of three categories: a scientific paper, a demonstration of a physical phenomenon or an essay. The scientific paper must have a research element and attempt to answer an independently posed question. The answer can be sought either experimentally - by performing an experiment - or through theoretical analysis. A paper in the demonstration of a physical phenomenon category is an unconventional demonstration of any phenomenon and its explanation. Many participants in the Competition choose to write an essay. This is a small literary work in which the student expresses his or her opinion on a topic related to physics, presenting the relationship that links this discipline of science to humanistic issues, to the development of civilisation, and to general human culture. In the case of the category of scientific paper and demonstration of a physical phenomenon, papers may be created individually, 

The next edition of the Competition is generally announced at the beginning of the summer holidays in the year before the closing date for entries, which is 31 January. The final of the Competition and its formal adjudication is organised in April. Each year, several dozen entries are received, which translates into approximately one hundred and several dozen participants together with their supervisors (mainly teachers). The authors of the best works are invited to the Final Seminar, where they have the opportunity to present their projects, experiments or read essays in front of a jury of experienced scientists and physics experts. This is an important opportunity to receive professional feedback, gain recognition and be rewarded for their achievements.

The title of the winner of the competition is honoured during the recruitment process for selected courses of the Partner Universities. These include the University of Białystok, Jagiellonian University, Warsaw University, Kielce University of Technology, Warsaw University of Technology.

To honour the memory of the inspirer of the Competition, Professor Ludwik Dobrzynski, the Competition organisers will award a prize named after him from 2022 onwards. This prize is a form of recognition for teachers and tutors who have shown exceptional commitment in preparing students for the Competition.

Detailed information on the Competition can be found at www.fizycznesciezki.pl.