Polish Science Day Date in the current year: February 19, 2025

Nicolaus Copernicus is probably the most famous Polish scientist. Active during the Renaissance, he is best known for developing the heliocentric model of the universe, which places the Sun at its center, with the Earth and other planets orbiting it. Published shortly before his death in Copernicus’s seminal work De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, it sparked the Scientific Revolution that marked the birth of modern science.

Of course, Copernicus is not the only Polish scientist to have made significant contributions to various scientific disciplines. For example, Maria Skłodowska-Curie, commonly known as Marie Curie, conducted pioneering research on radioactivity with her husband, Pierre Curie. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person to win a Nobel Prize twice, and the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two different scientific fields (physics and chemistry).

Another outstanding female Polish scientist was Wilhelmina Iwanowska. She was one of the pioneers of astrophysics in Poland and the country’s first professor of astrophysics. Iwanowska’s greatest achievement was the development of a new scale of distances in the universe.

The hormone adrenaline, also known as epinephrine, was discovered by Polish physiologist Napoleon Cybulski, who isolated and identified the hormone in 1895. He also performed one of the first EEG recordings of the cerebral cortex. Although Cybulski did not receive a Nobel Prize for his contributions, he was nominated three times, in 1911, 1914 and 1918.

Polish chemist Jan Czochralski invented a method for growing single crystals of semiconductors, metals, salts, and synthetic gemstones that was named after him. Invented in 1915, the Czochralski method is still used in over 90% of electronics that use semiconductors. Czochralski is also the most cited Polish scholar.

Polish mathematician, computer scientist, and nuclear physicist Stanisław Ulam participated in the Manhattan Project during World War II. After the war, Ulam and his Hungarian-American colleague Edward Teller developed the Teller-Ulam design, which became the basis for modern thermonuclear weapons (hydrogen bombs).

Polish virologist and immunologist Hilary Koprowski, who conducted much of his research in the United States, where he emigrated after World War II, developed the first effective live oral polio vaccine in 1950. Although his vaccine was not approved for use in the United States, it was successfully used elsewhere. Koprowski also helped improve the rabies vaccine.

Polish Science Day was officially established in early 2020 to highlight the achievements of Polish scientists who contributed to the intellectual, social and economic development of the Polish nation and state, as well as to the development of science and technology worldwide. Events on this occasion are organized by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) and various scientific and educational institutions throughout the country.