Over three thousand participants visited five campuses of our university during the latest edition of the Wroc Tech Night. They had a chance to participate in 120 events, along with many attractions and surprises. Some of them were prepared by scientists and students of our Faculty. We offered a visit to the Electromagnetic Compatibility Laboratory and a chance to answer the question: would artificial intelligence defeat dinosaurs in Pac-Man?

Dr. Monika Szafrańska, Dr. Zbigniew Jóskiewicz, Artur Florek M.Sc., Marek Michalak M.Sc., and Damian Kaliszuk, M.Sc. from the Department of ICT and Telecommunications showed visitors to our Electromagnetic Compatibility Laboratory. During the lecture titled “Security and Electromagnetic Threats”, which took place there, the participants could learn what consequences electromagnetic attacks or bloodless terrorism have for people and what the effects of such an attack might be. Our scientists explained the technology behind it, trying to predict whether we are safe, and to what extent. They also presented selected electromagnetic security measures.

Our TK Games Research Club, in collaboration with Szymon Wojciechowski, M.Sc. from the Department of Systems and Computer Networks prepared a lecture titled “Pixel Frenzy: Could Artificial Intelligence Defeat Dinosaurs in the Pac-Man Game?” The answer to this question lied in time travel. As emphasized by the members of the club: “There was a time when games were less than 100 GB, and you used a cable to play with friends. Your parents, contrary to appearances, played games, although they probably didn't expect that Pac-Man's ghosts would have their own personalities, and artificial intelligence would replace the player even in the most complex rounds of the game Civilization.” TK Games also conducted a workshop titled “Pixel Frenzy: Did Dinosaurs Play Games?”

Visitors could, with the help of Dr. Arkadiusz Grzybowski and Dr. Przemysław Ryba from the Department of Systems and Computer Networks, step into the role of an engineer-detective and attempt to unravel the mystery of invisible connections between network devices. During their workshop titled "Detective Network – Discover the Hidden Topology!", the participants had the opportunity to uncover how computers in the laboratory really "communicate" with each other and understand how a computer network operates – to learn the basics of communication between devices and the concept of network topology. It was a chance to learn how to use simple network diagnostic tools and discover how to uncover connections between computers and routers. 

What is the link between weather forecasts, research on new drugs, and artificial intelligence? All of them are possible owing to supercomputers! Dr. Sebastian Sitkiewicz invited the participants of the Wroc Tech Night to a unique tour of the Wrocław Centre for Networking and Supercomputing dedicated to the daily processing of vast amounts of data. One could see for their own eyes the LEM supercomputer, currently ranked 121st in the TOP500 list of the world's fastest supercomputers, as well as Odra5, the first quantum computer in Central and Eastern Europe. Enthusiasts could peek into their inner workings, discover how they operate and what they are made of, and learn how such machines are built. It was a great opportunity to learn why computing power is the key to the development of science, technology, and... our future.

Record-breaking night!

The fourth edition of the Wroc Tech Night turned out to be record-breaking both in terms of the number of planned events and participants. On Friday evening, the campuses buzzed with scientific life. For the first time, the event took place not only on the Main WUST Campus and on the Na Grobli Campus, but also in laboratories located in Gdańska, Prusa, and Długa streets.

This year, the participants could travel in time and discover the secrets of ancient discoveries, modern technologies, and visions of the future. They could also look into the acoustic chamber, as well as into chemical and medical laboratories.

You could play laser chess, listen to a live lecture by Prof. Maciej Mulak (host of the podcast "Physics Without Dulling"), participate in workshops on the mysterious life of pollinating insects, discover algaeMagic, or learn how to outsmart AI. The hosts also spoke about modern medicine, the history of the development of space technologies, and the chemical aspects of our food.

Wroc Tech Night in numbers:

• Approximately 3,000 people visited WUST.
• 121 prepared events, including: 29 lectures, 34 family sessions, 58 workshops.
• 153 people (students, Ph.D. students, researchers) conducted classes,
• 2,000 fudges with the university's logo went to participants.

Thank you and see you next year!