“Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Polish Scientists and Scholars in Europe: Legacy and the Present” is the title of an exhibition organized by the Polish Science Contact Agency (PolSCA), which was opened in Brussels. Now, the exhibition begins its European tour on starting October 17, 2025, at the Polish Academy of Sciences Scientific Center in Paris.
The event was opened by Prof. Aldona K. Jankowska, director of the Station in Paris, and Dr. Tomasz Poprawka, director of PolSCA. Lectures were then delivered by invited professors, who are also the ‘faces’ of the Exhibition. The five eminent scientists included Prof. Monika A. Kusiak from the Institute of Geophysics Polish Academy of Sciences ‘on the shoulders’ of Henryk Arctowski and Antoni Bolesław Dobrowolski. Other scientific disciplines were represented by: Prof. Andrzej Gamian from the Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy PAS; Prof. Maciej Górny from the Tadeusz Manteuffel Institute of History PAS, Prof. Janusz Lewiński from the Institute of Physical Chemistry PAS, and Prof. Paweł Olko from the Institute of Nuclear Physics PAS. Among invited guests was as well Deputy Director for Scientific Affairs, Prof. Rafał Junosza-Szaniawski.
The invited scientists also participated in a panel discussion on contemporary challenges facing science in the context of the achievements of outstanding Polish researchers. Topics covered included public trust in science, the role of international cooperation, the popularization of knowledge, and Poland’s position in the international scientific community. The diversity of scientific fields represented by the guests allowed for a diverse range of perspectives and interdisciplinary reflection on the challenges facing contemporary researchers. The panel was moderated by Dr. Anna Nawrocka from the Polonium Foundation.
Professor Kusiak, a geochemist and polar explorer, is one of the most distinguished contemporary Polish researchers of the Earth and the polar regions. Her work combines the legacy of pioneering Polish polar expeditions, Henryk Arctowski and Antoni Dobrowolski, with the latest research methods and challenges of modern science. She played a key role in the reactivation of the Antoni Bolesław Dobrowolski Polish Antarctic Station, becoming the first Polish woman to reach the Bunger Oasis. She currently heads the National Science Centre’s “MAESTRO” project, where she conducts research on paleogeographic reconstructions of the Bunger Oasis. Professor Kusiak discovered metallic lead in Antarctic zircon grains and co-authored groundbreaking studies on the evolution of the Earth’s crust. Her research includes the oldest rocks of our planet, Martian meteorites, and lunar samples from the Apollo missions. We are proud that Professor Kusiak from our Institute has been recognized as one of the most important researchers in this field.
Photos:
From the left sitting: Janusz Lewiński, Andrzej Damian, Paweł Olko, Monika A. Kusiak, Maciej Górny, Anna Nawrocka
From the left standing: Janusz Lewiński, Andrzej Damian, Christophe Klimczak, Monika A. Kusiak, Maciej Górny, Paweł Olko, Aldona K. Jankowska, Tomasz Poprawka
