Everything about Copernicus Science Centre

Flaga i godło Polski

Area of Imagination, Discovery, and Activity (AIDA)

The creation and implementation of AIDA – Area of Imagination, Discovery and Activity initiatives, is possible thanks to the cooperation of the Minister of Science, the Copernicus Science Centre and local partners who host the exhibition in their institutions and cooperate within the educational network. 

AIDA are local science centres where Copernicus Science Centre shares its best educational and exhibition experiences. They operate in smaller and medium towns across Poland. They are created in institutions whose statutory or program activities include popularising science, technology, education, art and culture. 

The initiative aims to enrich local communities with new educational environments – providing access to exhibitions and activities of the Copernicus Science Centre and building a network of committed educators who, thanks to cooperation with the CSC and establishing larger communities, can collaborate and exchange experiences. 

The Copernicus Science Centre has consistently promoted the idea of learning based on independent exploration and discovery, i.e. experimentation. This method not only allows you to expand your knowledge but also supports the development of future capabilities, inspires, encourages cooperation, and awakens curiosity, creativity and a sense of agency through: 

  • discovering the phenomena and rules governing the world by interaction with exhibits (Exhibition), 
  • solving construction and logical tasks (Thinkatorium), 
  • participation in various workshops and classes based on proven educational solutions developed by the Copernicus Science Centre. 

What does each AIDA include:

Copernicus Science Centre provides each institution with: 

  • Exhibition – an assortment of engaging exhibits illustrating the experimental nature of science and providing an opportunity to experiment independently. 

  • Thinkatorium – expert tips and necessary furniture for creating a unique workshop space, kits containing instructions for the visitor to complete the task and boxes with the necessary materials. 

All institutions hosting AIDA Areas can count on support, cooperation and help with networking from the Copernicus Science Centre. We provide each AIDA with materials containing the project description and recommended solutions for its implementation – we share our know-how. We provide training for technical staff (technical manual for the use of exhibits, rules for operation, warranty and implementation of potential repairs), explainers and supervisors. We visit our partners as part of the program cooperation, thanks to which mobile exhibitions of the Science For You program are also presented in the DIAZ Area; we organise intercultural workshops and initiate online broadcasts of special events held in the Copernicus Science Centre, such as Evenings For Adults. 

Wizualizacja wystawy SOWA
Exhibition
Trzy osoby przy zestawie Dmuchawa puszczają w dużej tubie zabawki
Thinkatorium
Elementy z zestawu z Majsterni
Good practices set
Dwie osoby układają Niesamowitą Maszynę
Wsparcie, współpraca, sieciowanie

The aim of the AIDA initiative 

The initiative aims to enrich local communities with new, engaging educational environments that significantly change how children and young people from smaller urban and rural towns learn and increase resources shaping their scientific capital. We want this initiative to: 

  • Increase our society’s interest in science and motivate students in their choices of educational paths and scientific careers; 
  • Boost engagement in science and raise awareness that science is not just a set of facts but a way of acquiring knowledge and learning about the world; 
  • Develop a sense of agency, strengthen self-confidence, awaken creativity and change the attitude from passive to active (from being a witness to being a creator, etc.). 
SOWA w Końskich - wizualizacja
SOWA w Końskich
SOWA w Łomży - wizualizacja
SOWA w Łomży
SOWA w Rybniku - wizualizacja
SOWA w Rybniku
SOWA w Sanoku - wizualizacja
SOWA w Sanoku

The “AIDA – Area of Imagination, Discovery and Activity” (SOWA – Strefa Odkrywania, Wyobraźni i Aktywności) project is financed under the grant of the Minister of Science, based on the agreement No 1/CNK-SOWA/2021 of March 2, 2021 on the launching by the Copernicus Science Centre of 50 local Discovery, Imagination and Activity Areas in the years 2021-2028. 

Bloom