During the three-week internship, 14-year-old Maks Brandt from Bolesławiec and 17-year-old Dariusz Jarzębski conducted the same experiments as scientists at the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences. “The boys are mathematically gifted, and the internship is meant to show them that mathematics is useful everywhere, including in chemistry. Moreover, by working every day in an international environment, they can get a close look at the world of science, which may perhaps become their world in the future,” says Prof. Robert Hołyst, who proposed that the Bank Zachodni WBK Foundation organize the internship. In the professor’s view, practical classes are often lacking in the education system, even though learning should begin with them if we want to build a knowledge-based society.
The boys were able to discover for themselves that theory alone is not enough. The scholarship recipients can already operate an electronic balance and a Langmuir–Blodgett balance, as well as determine the viscosity of polymers in liquid. The internship gave them an opportunity to learn that being a scientist means hard work every day and hundreds, if not thousands, of experiments whose results are sometimes difficult to predict.
“We hope that this visit will instill an even stronger passion for science in the boys, show them new horizons and motivate them to develop their talent,” says Ewa Rżysko of the Bank Zachodni WBK Foundation.
More than 200 scholarship applications were submitted. The best candidates were selected, among others, by Katarzyna Grochola, Andrzej Krzywy, Paweł Nastula and Pola Dwurnik. Most of the laureates come from small towns such as Witoszów Dolny and Górowo Iławeckie.
Scholarships from the Bank Zachodni WBK Foundation have been awarded for five years. In selecting scholarship recipients, their academic results are taken into account in addition to exceptional talent. The Foundation’s priority is to equalize opportunities for children from less affluent families.
Although Maks is only 14, his knowledge of science subjects is at the level of a secondary-school graduate. As he admits, he does not yet know whether he will become a scientist, but he does not rule out that possibility. At Municipal Gymnasium No. 3 in Bolesławiec, the boy follows an individualized course of study in science subjects. In his further education, he is supported not only by the Bank Zachodni WBK Foundation but also by the Children’s Fund.
“Like Maks, I am very happy that he is taking part in the internship at the Polish Academy of Sciences,” says Marzena Skowrońska-Brandt, the scholarship recipient’s mother. “The Foundation’s idea of organizing this type of practical training is amazing; it allows my son to broaden his horizons even further and gain invaluable practical knowledge,” she adds.
To take part in the internship, Maks gave up a bridge camp. But, as he admits himself, it was worth it.
(information: www.highlite.pl/Gerard Augustyn)