SCIENCE IS US! Outdoor exhibition on diversity in science

27.05.2025

Gender is only one expression of diversity; there are others, such as age, geographical origin, cultural identity… This year’s temporary outdoor exhibition at the Hevelianum deals precisely with this dimension of science. For one month, the SCIENCE IS US! exhibition will be on display at the Jan Heveliusz Square in Gdańsk. The opening is scheduled for 25th May 2025. Two of the protagonists are the MUG scientists. The exhibition will feature portraits of Prof. Elżbieta Senkus-Konefka and Maciej Bobowicz, M.D., Ph.D.

Twelve people are the protagonists of the exhibition. They conduct research and educate students at six universities in Gdańsk – the Medical University of Gdańsk, the Academy of Fine Arts, the Academy of Music, the Gdańsk University of Physical Education and Sport, the University of Gdańsk and the Gdańsk University of Technology. Their disciplines are as far apart as typography and oncology or music and engineering. The exhibition provides an opportunity not only to open the doors of the laboratories and take a peek at their individual work, but also to find answers to questions about passions and motivations, values and dreams.

– We looked at diversity in science because it is very creative. It gives birth to new ideas, unconventional concepts and, consequently, breakthrough solutions – says Paweł Golak, the Hevelianum Director. – The protagonists of our exhibition are people with passion, great curiosity about the world. We believe that thanks to initiatives such as our exhibition, more people, especially young people, will perceive the beauty of science, and in scientific careers their future.

This is the second edition of the project. In 2024, it was inaugurated by the FEMALE SCHOLARS exhibition, which was seen by more than 13,000 people.

–The exhibition SCIENCE IS US! beautifully demonstrates that science is not just about laboratories and publications. Behind every important discovery are people – with their passion, determination and curiosity about the world comments Prof. Anna Żaczek, Vice-Chancellor for Cooperation and Development at the MUG. – It is particularly important to me that the exhibition so strongly emphasises the value of diversity – not only in research areas, but also in the experiences, identities and career paths of scientists. It is this diversity – of people, experiences and ways of thinking – that makes science not stand still. The clash of different perspectives is the driving force behind innovation and the source of ideas that have the power to change the world. It is a great honour for the Medical University of Gdansk that our scientists are among the protagonists of this initiative. They are not only excellent researchers, but also people who shape the future of medicine and healthcare every day – for the benefit of patients, students and society as a whole. I hope that this exhibition will inspire – especially young people – to courageously seek their own place in the world of science and to believe that every voice counts.

The initiative came from the Hevelianum, but it was an inter-institutional activity bringing together the academic community. The curators and content supervisors of the exhibition are members of the Programme Council, chaired by Prof. Ewa Łojkowska of the University of Gdańsk.

The visual layer of the exhibition is the responsibility of: Joanna Czaplewska – graphic design and Magdalena Czajka-Cardoso – photography. The project is coordinated by the Hevelianum team as part of a series of events popularising science in 2025.

The SCIENCE IS US! exhibition at the Jan Hevelianum square will be on display throughout June. Admission is free.

Protagonists of the exhibition:

Eugenia Tynna | Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, Faculty of Graphics, Architecture and Design
Prof. Elżbieta Senkus-Konefka | Medical University of Gdańsk, Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy
Anna Rocławska-Musiałczyk | Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk, Faculty of Choral Conducting, Church Music, Artistic Education, Rhythm and Jazz
Prof. Magdalena Rucka | Gdańsk University of Technology, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Alicja Mikołajczyk, Ph.D. | University of Gdańsk, Faculty of Chemistry
Katarzyna Lewandowska, Ph.D. | Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, Department of History and Theory of Art
Maciej Bobowicz, M.D., Ph.D.| Medical University of Gdańsk, Faculty of Health Sciences with the Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine
Assoc. Prof. Anna Szumilewicz, Ph.D., D.Sc. | Academy of Physical Education and Sports in Gdańsk, Faculty of Physical Culture
Assoc. Prof. Karolina M. Zielińska-Dąbkowska, Eng. Arch., Ph.D., D.Sc. | Gdańsk University of Technology, Faculty of Architecture
Grzegorz Grabe, Ph.D. | Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and GUMed, Department of Structural Biology
Assoc. Prof. Mateusz Ciechanowski, Ph.D., D.Sc. | University of Gdańsk, Department of Ecology and Assoc. Prof. Zoology of Vertebrates
Prof. Danuta Popinigis | Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk, Professor Emeritus

Concept: Dorota Cieślicka, Ph.D., Agnieszka Rek

Programme council:

Chairperson: Prof. Ewa Łojkowska | University of Gdańsk
Assoc. Prof. Monika Zawadzka, Ph.D., D.Sc. | Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk
Assoc. Prof. Aleksandra Mielewczyk-Gryń, Ph.D., D.Sc. | Gdańsk University of Technology
Prof. Anna Żaczek | Medical University of Gdańsk
Assoc. Prof. Mariusz Czepczyński, Ph.D., D.Sc. | University of Gdańsk
Prof. Beata Możejko | University of Gdańsk
Assoc. Prof. Wojciech Glac, Ph.D. | University of Gdańsk
Assoc. Prof. Agnieszka Maciejewska-Skrendo, Ph.D., D.Sc. | Academy of Physical Education and Sport in Gdańsk
Prof. Elżbieta Frołowicz | Academy of Music in Gdańsk

More information can be found at https://hevelianum.pl/plenerowa-wystawa-czasowa-nauka-to-my/