These three people – who are involved in materials engineering, the popularisation of science and the promotion of study – wanted to take a step further and create something that would connect all enthusiasts of materials engineering and enable children, teenagers and adults to learn about the achievements of this field. This is how the idea of the National Day of Materials Science and Engineering (ODIM) was born in September 2022.

“ODIM is not simply a date. It is most of all a community that unites people with a common passion who want to share it with others by awakening interest in science in society and showing that we can find out and learn new things all our lives,” says Rafał Wróblewski, Vice-Dean for Student Affairs at the Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering of the Warsaw University of Technology.

ODIM enables all its participants to learn about the achievements of materials engineering and its applications in everyday life. Organising this day brings together the academic community. It is also an opportunity to integrate and strengthen the scientific community and the mission of popularising science in society.

ODIM is also a celebration of engineers, scientists, educators, students, doctoral students, as well as science enthusiasts. On the occasion of founding ODIM, a space for the exchange of experiences, good practices, thoughts and ideas related to the popularisation of science was created. At most universities, there are no professionals involved in the promotion or popularisation of science, so it is very important to participate in a community that shares proven ideas and investigates what has failed.

23 people, teams and institutions, selected from 94 applications, qualified for the finals of this year’s edition of the Science Populariser competition. The Science Populariser competition is organised by the Science in Poland portal. Prizes will be awarded in five categories: Scientist (for people who popularise science from the doctoral degree upwards), Animator (people conducting individual popularising activities, without scientific degrees or titles), Team (teams of people popularising science), Institution (e.g. institutes, university units, non-governmental organizations, science centres) and Media. The winners of the competition will be announced in December 2024.