Dr. Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski – a Polish astronaut and participant in the IGNIS mission at the International Space Station was the special guest of the Final Gala of the 28th Lower Silesian Science Festival. Scientists from our Faculty also participated in the event. The festival at WUST started on Saturday, 13th September and lasted until 19th September.

The festival programme included over 200 events at Wrocław University of Science and Technology. Throughout the week, visitors to our university had an opportunity to explore the technical laboratories and lecture halls, meet with scientists and students during workshops, and learn about the achievements of modern science. Our Faculty also participated in the event. We offered lectures and workshops conducted by our scientists and one of the strategic research clubs. The discussed topics included, among other things, how to protect oneself from hacker attacks and why computers and artificial intelligence go hand in hand with linear algebra.

Firewall – how to protect your network from hacker attacks?

During the lecture, Michał Stojke, M.Sc. from the Department of ICT and Telecommunications spoke about cybersecurity, particularly about firewalls – devices that protect networks from unauthorised access 24/7, every day of the year. The participants could learn how to operate such systems and what threats to avoid.

Why do computers and artificial intelligence go hand in hand with linear algebra?

Workshops conducted by Dr. Jarosław Drapała from the Department of Computer Science and Systems Engineering were an interactive introduction to linear algebra. When we play, the image on the screen constantly changes: it shifts, rotates, decreases, or increases. If we ask a dedicated artificial intelligence tool, we will receive a machine-generated image or text that meets our needs as described in the query. The majority of calculations performed by computers for the mentioned applications are methods of linear algebra, taught at every technical university.

The role of symmetry in particle physics

The lecture was given by Dr. Adrian Lewandowski and Dr. Ewa Frączek from the Department of ICT and Telecommunications. They used simple mathematical models to discuss the requirements that the known symmetries of physical laws impose on existing elementary particles and the interactions between them.

Nieskończony wszechświat czy pączek z dziurką? Infinite universe or a doughnut with a hole?

For centuries, humans have gazed at the stars with longing and curiosity. Before we set off into space, we must first answer the question: How vast is the Universe? How to overcome vast distances in interstellar space? Perhaps the Universe is curved, and we won't have to travel long through its emptiness. During the workshops led by Dr. Ewa Frączek from the Department of ICT and Telecommunications, the participants were able to construct an infinite universe themselves and learn about its topology. The workshops also presented other problems of topology – mathematics without numbers and its applications.

Solvro Talk: How to teach computers to think? Artificial intelligence from scratch

Daniel Borkowski from our Solvro Strategic Student Research Club invited the participants of his lecture to discover how to force a mindless machine to write a poem about our pet, solve a homework assignment, recognise a fake clip with a celebrity, or help doctors diagnose cancer. During the lecture, he discussed the fundamental concepts of artificial intelligence methods, along with the opportunities and risks associated with their development and applications.

After the local edition, the Lower Silesian Science Festival will visit various cities in the region: Legnica, Głogów, Jelenia Góra, Wałbrzych, Lubin, Zgorzelec, Bolesławiec, Ząbkowice Śląskie and Dzierżoniów.