photo Andrzej Sprzączak

On 19 September, during the XVth New Year’s meeting organized by the Olsztyn City Hall, the Competition Chapter headed by the President Piotr Grzymowicz, awarded prestigious Saint James’s Prizes for special merits for the City of Olsztyn. The prizes were awarded within six categories: culture, science, sport, business, charity, and outstanding merits for the City.

The Statue of Saint James in the category „Outstanding merits for Olsztyn” was awarded to the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn. Institute was recognized for the organization of the biggest and most important popular science event in Europe – Researchers’ Night.

European Researchers’ Night is the initiative of the European Commission implemented with the Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie. It is held at the same time in around 300 cities across Europe, which compete to win the possibility of hosting the event in their area. Two times in a row, Institute’s proposal for the project has been recognized by the EC experts and Olsztyn became the venue for over 600 popular-science workshops, demonstrations and experiments ran by the researchers of different specialties. In 2014-2017 around 50 000 guests could explore the curiosities of science and learnt the role of research achievements in people’s everyday life. Youngsters were inspired to embark on scientific careers in the future, while school children tried their hands at mind-exciting and edutaining activities that proved science can be fun.

 

Among the laureates awarded St. James’s Prize for outstanding merits for Olsztyn in the past are i.a. Georg and Maria Dietrich, charity activists and honorary citizens of Olsztyn, and Joanna Szymankiewicz-Czużdaniuk, director of the Municipal Hospital Complex in Olsztyn.