On Friday, September 27, 2024, a ceremony was held at the Copernican Academy headquarters to present Letters of Congratulations to the Olympiad winners. The Copernican Academy sponsored and supported the participation of these young scientists in IOAA 2024.
“Astronomy is one of the most dynamic scientific fields today. I am full of admiration for the talent and perseverance that led you to this impressive success. The Copernican Academy was able to support this initiative and contribute to your success in returning from Brazil with such achievements. It was wonderful!” said Professor Krzysztof Górski during the ceremony.
The 17th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics took place from August 17-27, 2024, in Vassouras, Brazil. The Polish representatives had to demonstrate not only extensive knowledge but also practical skills. The participants faced 11 complex tasks, for which they had 5 hours to solve. The problems included topics such as black holes, satellite orbits, and galaxy clusters. In the practical portion, participants conducted observations using a Galileoscope.
Representatives from Planetarium Śląskie, Professor Marek Sarna from the Polish Astronomical Society (PTA), and Professor Ivona Grzegorczyk from California State University also attended the ceremony.
PTA President Professor Marek Sarna said that astronomy is associated with passion and beauty, adding, „Money is important in life, undoubtedly, but being able to follow your passion is the most important thing. I hope some of you will become astronomers in the future. As a token of this, I would like to present you with a commemorative medal for the 100th anniversary of our society.”
The Deputy Director of Planetarium Śląskie in Chorzów, Mr. Damian Jabłeka, stated, “For 68 years, we have been organizing the national Astronomy Olympiad. Poland was one of the initiators of the international astronomy Olympiad in 2011, and last year we hosted it in Poland. I would like to sincerely thank the Copernican Academy, which co-financed this great endeavor. This year, thanks to the financial support of both the Copernican Academy and the Polish Astronomical Society, we were able to travel to Rio de Janeiro, where our students won four silver medals and one honorable mention, which is a shared success.”
The students who won silver medals at the Olympiad are: Dawid Chudzik and Andrzej Maroń from XIV LO im Staszica in Warsaw, Michał Jagodziński from XIII LO in Szczecin, and Piotr Jędrzejczyk from V LO im. Witkowskiego in Cracow. An honorable mention at IOAA 2024 was awarded to Krzysztof Nadulicz from II LO im. Księżnej Anny z Sapiehów Jabłonowskiej in in Białystok.
During the ceremony at the Academy’s headquarters, they received Letters of Congratulations and awards from the Secretary General of Copernican Academy, prof. Krzysztof Górski.
