SILESIAN SCIENTIFIC AWARD 2024

This year, the winners of the Silesian Scientific Award will once again be announced. As every year, this prestigious award will be presented as part of the Silesian Science Festival. It is awarded by the universities co-organising the ŚFN, and the winners are selected by the appointed Chapter of the Silesian Scientific Award.

The award is a distinction for those who significantly contribute to the development of science and present outstanding artistic achievements, as well as promote Silesian science in the national and international arena. This year's Silesian Scientific Award gala will take place on December 8 at 7:00 p.m. on the Scena Doliny Rawy (International Congress Centre in Katowice). 

The winners from seven Silesian public universities will be announced: the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice, the Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education in Katowice, the Silesian University of Technology, the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, the University of Economics in Katowice, the University of Silesia in Katowice and Jan Dlugosz University in Czestochowa. In addition, an award for the best PhD student and Special Prizes will be awarded.

In the category of Researchers, representatives of Jan Dlugosz University in Czestochowa were nominated:

• Professor Anna Wypych-Gawrońska
  A literary and cultural scholar with a musical education, in her scientific research prof. Wypych-Gawrońska deals with interdisciplinary topics related to musicality and sound phenomena in literature, theatre and culture. In several monographs, she compiled a full history of Polish opera and operetta theatres operating during the partitions in Warsaw and Lviv, emphasizing the importance of these theatres for the culture of the time due to the prestigious and ennobling nature of musical theatres. In the context of the relationship between literature and music, Professor researches works important for Polish opera, which are adaptations of the literature of the most outstanding Polish authors, Mickiewicz, Słowacki, Fredro and Kraszewski, as well as phenomena related to the literary elements of opera works, especially librettos. An equally important area of interest for her is the research of the theatrical and literary culture of Częstochowa, which allowed her to introduce figures important for the cultural development of the city. Both in her scientific work and organisational activities, prof. Wypych-Gawrońska cooperates with cultural institutions of the region, including the Częstochowa Theatre.

• Professor Elżbieta Napora
  She graduated in psychology, while working on her doctorate, she conducted research in the field of family psychology, specializing in the relationship between parent and child. For many years prof. Napora has been working as an academic teacher, educating new staff of psychologists at Jan Dlugosz University. In addition to working with students, she conducts scientific research related to the well-being of the family in various configurations and, above all, on relationships in the family of one parent. Work in this area involves combined family factors, the results of which fill a gap in the area and can be applied in practice, above all, in creating factors conducive to the improvement of conditions for single motherhood through the effective impact of family assistance. While on a foreign scientific internship, she was involved in research on young people. As the head of the Department of Psychology, prof. Napora conducted projects financed by the Ministry of Education and Science, and their main goal was to establish openness in adolescent relationships with peers, as well as psychological research and help, which was carried out in cooperation with a group of Polish scientists. The obtained effects strengthen preventive activities addressed to young people from families experiencing difficulties and are the beginning of a discussion on improving the quality of life of the elderly. Currently, together with her team, prof. Napora is running an empirical project focused on intergenerational relations involving the experience of loneliness and friendship in a group of people as grandparents. She perceives science as a mission to discover and search for new psychological ways to improve family life.

• Professor Błażej Cieślik
  Over 30 years ago, the American historian, Professor Melvin Kranzberg, formulated his famous first law of technology: "Technology is neither good nor bad; nor is it neutral." This sentence fits perfectly with the challenges faced by modern medicine, especially in the context of ageing societies and chronic underfunding. In the face of these difficulties, medicine is looking for innovative solutions that can support traditional treatments. This is the context in which my research activity falls. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of remote forms of therapy (telemedicine). Virtual reality, computer games and wearable technologies are also currently being intensively researched and increasingly used in clinical practice. Together with numerous research teams, mainly Polish-Italian, we focus on the use of these advanced technologies in the rehabilitation of geriatric, neurological and cardiac patients. Our research covers not only the impact of new technologies on improving functional efficiency, but also their application in supporting the cognitive abilities and psychological state of patients. We analyse both the potential benefits of new technologies and their limitations, such as side effects or the level of acceptance among patients. This makes technologies a flexible tool that allows you to tailor therapy to the individual needs of the patient. This approach makes medicine more personalised, which seems to be one of the key directions of its development in the future.

In the category of PhD students from Jan Dlugosz University in Czestochowa, the nomination was awarded to:

• Adam Kaczmarek, MSc, Eng.
  My research focuses on relativistic quantum information in the vicinity of black holes, taking into account the influence of geometry on correlations in quantum systems. The results of my research indicate that quantum information in the vicinity of black holes retains specific correlations, even in the presence of strong gravitational effects and a change in the origin of Hawking radiation. In addition, the research suggests that quantum systems do not completely destroy even under these extreme conditions, opening up new avenues for further research. In addition, I am also involved in cosmology and general relativity, studying the compatibility of modifications of Einstein's theory with current observations. My other research topics include interdisciplinary issues combining information theory and econophysics. I have shown that entropy can be used to detect upcoming economic shocks on the example of the WIG20.