Science idols from Kraków

Marcin Zastawnik, a doctoral student at the Department of Mechanics and Vibroacoustics of the AGH UST Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics has won the second prize in the first edition of FameLab.

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FameLab is a competition for researchers and scientists who are not afraid to think in a non-standard way, have a bent for the popularisation of science, and in three minutes can present complex disciplines they deal with on a daily basis. The idea of the competition originated in Great Britain in 2004, and throughout the years the project gained appreciation and popularity by extending to 20 countries. The first Polish edition was entered by over 80 individuals from all over the country. Two young AGH UST researchers qualified for the final stage of the competition.

During the final presentations, which took place at the Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw on 19th May, 2012, Marcin Zastawnik presented the phenomena of odd sounds and noises that we can hear in confined spaces. During a three-minute presentation he used a music box as a device emitting noises, a tea glass and vibration isolation - soundproof sponge, which he all used to convince the jury that all sounds and noises that we can hear in our houses are scientifically explainable. Our keen sense of hearing, thanks to which we can hear, for example, water dripping from a tap is a result of more and more hermetic flats and houses, soundproofed by means of windows, doors, or special carpeting. Noises that we can hear are nothing else but sounds coming from other flats, transmitted by the structure of the building.

The first prize was awarded to Monika Koperska, a doctoral student at the Jagiellonian University, for a presentation concerning the nature of paper. The third prize was awarded to Michał Krupiński, a doctoral student at the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

Many congratulations to all winners - thank you for popularising science in such an approachable and attractive way!

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