Thanks to SEPS, a centre for the popularisation of physics will be established in eastern Slovakia
The Slovak Electricity Transmission System (SETS) Endowment Fund at the Pontis Foundation will provide a grant of 30,000 euros to the Košice self-governing region for a project bringing natural sciences to children, youth and the wider public through practical and informal teaching.
The project “ScienceOpenLab – Centre for the Popularisation of Physics at the Pavel Horov Grammar School in Michalovce” received support from the grant programme titled “Building Centres for the Popularisation of Physics”. The call was announced with the aim of supporting activities focused on creating centres for the popularisation of physics in eastern and western Slovakia and bringing physics and natural phenomena closer to the general public, pupils, teachers, students, parents and others interested in these scientific fields.
An inspiration and example of good practice were the Centre for the Popularisation of Physics at the Viliam Pauliny – Tóth Grammar School in Martin, which a well-known populariser of physics in Slovakia led, Professor Jozef Beňuška had once led.
“Several surveys show us that physics is not popular in primary and secondary schools. We must introduce natural sciences to children, especially nowadays, when Slovakia lacks experts in this field. We are therefore glad that SETS, through its endowment fund, directed its support to build physics popularisation centres,” says Michal Kišša, executive director of the Pontis Foundation, which administers the Endowment Fund.
The Pavel Horov Grammar School in Michalovce is the largest in the Košice region, and according to the INEKO organisation’s ranking of the quality of education, it has long been ranked in the top places. From the beginning of April, a modern ScienceOpenLab – Centre for the Popularisation of Physics will be created in Michalovce, which will be a home for all interested parties and enthusiasts of physics and natural sciences. In the form of workshops, lectures, training, scientific shows and other activities, the space will offer students, teachers, and the general public the opportunity to learn about and understand natural processes, as well as the opportunity to develop a positive relationship with physics or to attract interest in the study of natural and technical sciences.
“Science and research go hand in hand with innovation. Discoveries in the field of electric power are the basis for future professions that we do not yet know today. The new centre for the popularisation of physics in Michalovce has the ambition to bring natural phenomena closer to students and the general public. It can thus play an important role in practical education and become part of the positive changes that the development in the electric power industry will bring. Thanks to this grant, we will have more enthusiasts and those interested in studying technical fields in Slovakia, from which a new generation of gifted and motivated young people will emerge,” says Peter Dovhun, chairman of the board and CEO of SETS.
