Interference Patterns: Science and Culture in Dialogue – Summary of the International School

From 23 to 27 March, the international interdisciplinary school Interference Patterns: Science and Culture in Dialogue took place at the University of Zielona Góra. The event brought together around 50 students and staff members from partner universities in eight countries: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania, Turkey, and Vietnam.

The programme had a strongly interdisciplinary character. It included lectures, workshops, project-based activities, and meetings designed to allow students to explore different ways of thinking and to gain knowledge also in areas beyond their main field of study. This created an opportunity for participants to exchange experiences and to look at science, culture, and art from different perspectives.

The programme was implemented with the involvement of staff from the following institutes: Astronomy, Polish Philology, Philosophy, Physics, History, Mathematics, Music, Sociology, and the Institute of Sport, Tourism and Human Nutrition. This broad academic collaboration made it possible to combine perspectives from the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and the arts.

An important aspect of the programme was the continuity between subsequent schools. In the first days, students who had previously participated in the Polish-Romanian school organized earlier in March by Dr Magdalena Pokrzyńska (Institute of Sociology) and Dr hab. Sylwia Kondej (Institute of Physics) presented their science communication projects. On the final day, participants of the Interference Patterns school presented the results of their own work. In this way, the programme created a natural continuity, with one group of students passing on their experience to the next.

One of the highlights of the programme was a concert held on Wednesday, 25 March, at Piekarnia Cichej Kobiety. Students and graduates of the Institute of Music performed, and the event became an important and well-received part of the programme.

The entire event was part of the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the University of Zielona Góra.

The coordinators would like to thank the Głogowska Edukacja Kresowa Association for their cooperation and for the technical and logistical support, which was essential for the smooth organization of the event.

Special thanks are also extended to the staff of the International Relations Office: Krzysztof Pikul, Kamila Rabiko, Dr Paweł Truszkiewicz, and Katarzyna Krystek.

The coordinators would also like to thank the students who supported the organization of the event: Julia Jankowiak and Jakub Glapiński from Social Design (second cycle), João Silva — a student undertaking an Erasmus+ traineeship in Physics — and Justyna Bondaronok from Sociology (second cycle), who prepared the graphic materials.

Special thanks go to Wojciech Pruszyński, the concert coordinator, as well as to Jakub Osypiński and Seweryn Graniasty, who were responsible for the artistic preparation of the concert.

The international school Interference Patterns: Science and Culture in Dialogue was an important meeting point for students, lecturers, and partners from different countries and academic backgrounds. It demonstrated that interdisciplinary cooperation is not only valuable from a scientific perspective, but also essential for building relationships and mutual understanding. The mobility of students and staff was supported through short-term Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme mobilities and the PROM project.

Project coordinators: Sylwia Kondej and Magdalena Pokrzyńska