Main Page > Current Affairs > Wrocław Academic Hub > Scientific workshops for college students – highlights
2010-11-24 10:59:06
This means the kidnapper's identity will soon become public. Reaching him is only a matter of time. No surprise, as the team of young and eager to work Wrocław college students is working on the case.
One floor below, Dr. House-style heated discussion and speculations on the patient's health is going on. Young microbiology enthusiasts are analysing the features of the bacteria that may have influenced the sick man's state. The results are going to be published in a couple of weeks.
Practice instead of theory
The series of ten meetings began in October 2010 and was divided in four independent subject groups. The issues given could only be resolved when each of the team members did their best and collaborated with the others as this is the best way to learn. Asking questions, inquiring, and, last but not least, discussion with the people who share our hobbies. Only then, the truth can be reached.
'As regards learning in Poland, its major part is too theoretical and based on lectures. We still lack hands-on initiative requiring constructive discussion and co-operation. Now, it is not only the knowledge that counts but also what you're capable of learning, mere ability to think counts', explains Małgorzata Cebrat, one of the workshop leaders.
Polish reality shows that young people could have done better in teamwork.
'The project has been initiated by the Academy of Young Scientists and Artists as well as the Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences in Wrocław. The workshops' target group are Wrocław college students interested in environmental and life sciences. Their participation was conditioned on an essay competition 'Why anyone has not discovered it yet? Describe an idea/hypothesis/problem that interests you'.
'Our initiative received great response from Wrocław college students. We got 70 essays but only 25 people could have been accepted', recalls Mrs Cebrat.
As all students admit, they were incited to participate by the willingness to pursue with their knowledge and scientific hobbies:
'I like the practicality of these workshops, we work on theory at home by ourselves. It pays off to get prepared for the sessions so that you know what and how we should do. To the top of that, we have access to professional equipment here, there's no chance of running experiments of this kind at school', says Karol.
Another project's outcome is the 'CSI-WrocÅ‚aw' group working on the basics of molecular biology and related technologies. 'The Magic Bowl of Paul Ehrlich' creates and tests anti-cancer medicines. 'Searching for cancer cell hunters' recognises and characterises immunological cells that fight cancer while 'House's Microbiology: isolation – speculation – identification' examines bacteria features including those possessing particular morfological and biochemical traits.
'This year's workshops is a pilot but we're planning to run them in the future as well. We would also like to work in other fields and invite students from outside of Wrocław', says Mrs Cerbat.
Scientific workshops for college students – highlights
Investigation on the disappearance of the Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences employee is going on. Dr House's team keeps on discovering extraordinary bacteria features. Cancer cell hunters are nearly identified and the tests on anti-cancer medicines are over. All thanks to Wrocław college students.
'For our knowledge, the Institute's employee, Wiesław T., has been kidnapped. However, the kidnapper was careless enough to leave a trace, namely a single hair with his DNA. This will help us to find him', reports the member of CSI-Wrocław team.
This means the kidnapper's identity will soon become public. Reaching him is only a matter of time. No surprise, as the team of young and eager to work Wrocław college students is working on the case.
One floor below, Dr. House-style heated discussion and speculations on the patient's health is going on. Young microbiology enthusiasts are analysing the features of the bacteria that may have influenced the sick man's state. The results are going to be published in a couple of weeks.
Practice instead of theory
The series of ten meetings began in October 2010 and was divided in four independent subject groups. The issues given could only be resolved when each of the team members did their best and collaborated with the others as this is the best way to learn. Asking questions, inquiring, and, last but not least, discussion with the people who share our hobbies. Only then, the truth can be reached.
'As regards learning in Poland, its major part is too theoretical and based on lectures. We still lack hands-on initiative requiring constructive discussion and co-operation. Now, it is not only the knowledge that counts but also what you're capable of learning, mere ability to think counts', explains Małgorzata Cebrat, one of the workshop leaders.
Polish reality shows that young people could have done better in teamwork.
'The workshops should help young people to establish an interreaction. Giving them study problems, we want them to learn how to cooperate', says Małgorzata Cerbat.
'The project has been initiated by the Academy of Young Scientists and Artists as well as the Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences in Wrocław. The workshops' target group are Wrocław college students interested in environmental and life sciences. Their participation was conditioned on an essay competition 'Why anyone has not discovered it yet? Describe an idea/hypothesis/problem that interests you'.
'Our initiative received great response from Wrocław college students. We got 70 essays but only 25 people could have been accepted', recalls Mrs Cebrat.
As all students admit, they were incited to participate by the willingness to pursue with their knowledge and scientific hobbies:
'I like the practicality of these workshops, we work on theory at home by ourselves. It pays off to get prepared for the sessions so that you know what and how we should do. To the top of that, we have access to professional equipment here, there's no chance of running experiments of this kind at school', says Karol.
Another project's outcome is the 'CSI-WrocÅ‚aw' group working on the basics of molecular biology and related technologies. 'The Magic Bowl of Paul Ehrlich' creates and tests anti-cancer medicines. 'Searching for cancer cell hunters' recognises and characterises immunological cells that fight cancer while 'House's Microbiology: isolation – speculation – identification' examines bacteria features including those possessing particular morfological and biochemical traits.
'This year's workshops is a pilot but we're planning to run them in the future as well. We would also like to work in other fields and invite students from outside of Wrocław', says Mrs Cerbat.
