Source: https://www.astrouw.edu.pl/staz-naukowy-dla-laureatow-i-finalistow-olimpiady-astronomicznej/
The science of today needs change on the scale of the Copernican Revolution.
It needs bold minds – it needs a new Copernicus.
That is why we applaud initiatives that allow the most talented young people to develop their aptitudes under the guidance of top-of-the-line researchers and gain their first experience in real scientific work.
From June 9th to 12th, the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Warsaw was host to a research internship for the winners and finalists of the 69th Astronomy Olympiad. Antoni, Oliwier, Michał, Jakub, Bartosz, Zofia, and Artur worked on topics related to black holes, gravitational lensing, and multiple-star systems under the supervision of Dr. Przemysław Mróz, Prof. Łukasz Wyrzykowski, and Dr. Radosław Poleski.
The program also included a lecture by Prof. Dorota Rosińska on the topic of gravitational waves and by Prof. Andrzej Udalski on the achievements of the OGLE project. It also encompassed observations conducted at the Research and Teaching Station in Ostrowik.
In a comment provided to us, Dr. Przemysław Mróz emphasized that the goal of the internship was not only to familiarize the Olympiad participants with the research conducted at the Observatory, but above all to involve them in actual scientific work:
“We are very pleased that the winners of the Astronomy Olympiad participated in a research internship at the University of Warsaw Astronomical Observatory. We wanted the Olympiad participants not only to learn about the research conducted at the Observatory but also to take an active part in it. We proposed three different research projects; for example, the group I supervised was involved in preparing a request for observation time on the telescopes of the European Southern Observatory (ESO). I hope, therefore, that this small project will continue and result in the collection of valuable observational data that will allow us to test a hypothesis regarding the formation of binary star systems containing black holes.”
Also speaking on the value of such initiatives was Dr. Radosław Poleski:
“The research internship for winners of the Astronomy Olympiad at the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Warsaw gave participants a unique opportunity to familiarize themselves with the research topics and tools used at a leading scientific center.”
The Nicolaus Copernicus Academy is a partner of the Silesian Planetarium, which has been organizing the Astronomy Olympiad for 69 years. We are also proud to note that Prof. Andrzej Udalski – director of the Observatory of the University of Warsaw and a world-renowned astronomer – is a member of the Academy’s Chamber of Astronomy.
We are convinced that the opportunity to complete an internship under the guidance of such outstanding specialists as Prof. Andrzej Udalski, Prof. Dorota Rosińska, Prof. Łukasz Wyrzykowski, Dr. Przemysław Mróz, and Dr. Radosław Poleski, guarantees the highest quality of education and, above all, provides invaluable experience for young Olympiad participants embarking on their journey across the world of science.