The exhibition entitled “Welcome to the Nanoworld” is an unique event in Polish museums. While usually exhibitions have one or several curators, several dozens of people participated in the preparation of this exhibition – students of lower secondary, upper secondary and vocational  schools, who not only developed and designed the exposition, but also made the interactive exhibits.

The jury composed of the project representatives (teachers, scientists, educators) and 3 representatives of the Krakow city’s science museums selected a few exhibits that would represent the Polish edition of the IRRESISTIBLE project at the international event in Kiel.

The first place went to an exhibit named NANOSILVER, which is composed of three elements forming a coherent whole. They include:

  • a quiz on the application of nanotechnology in medicine – by Marek Piędel and Kacper Szewczyk;
  • descriptions and results of the experiments concerning the production of colloidal silver at home and the comparison of its effect on microorganisms to the effects of silver available at a pharmacy – by  Klocek and Karolina Sarzyńska;
  • an animated video depicting the destruction of viruses and bacteria by a ”silver bullet” and spatial nanosilver models – by Sylwia Kolano and Mateusz Sałęga.

Before "Nanosilver" appeared at the Jagiellonian University Museum, it underwent a lot of changes. At the very beginning, the project called "Nanosilver" did not exist at all. Instead, there were 3 separate works based on that remarkable substance. We became very interested in the bactericidal effect of this element, and we wanted to present it somehow, but it was not easy. We thought about creating a model using magnets. Ultimately, however, we agreed that a better way would be to create an animation, which would show the unusual method of the colloidal silver’s “attack” on viruses and bacteria. After several meetings, we realized that the creation of an animated video would not be easy either – namely, the work using a free video wizard was very laborious and did not deliver much effect. Then we asked a friend who was also involved in the project to help us. Marek Piędel, as the best school computer science specialist, gave us advice that proved to be crucial for increasing the efficiency of our work. After making the video, we found out that it would be worth enhancing our exhibit. Then the idea to create 3D models of colloidal silver emerged.      

                                                                                                                                                                        Sylwia & Mateusz

After a long search and a moment of breakdown, we came across a video on YouTube, which showed how to obtain colloidal silver at home. We became interested in the topic, but in our heads immediately popped the question “and what next?” We decided that we would present and compare the effect of colloidal silver obtained at home to the effect of the silver purchased at a pharmacy. We checked the effect of the two substances on fungi and bacteria that we had grown on the agar medium. When we began growing the bacteria and fungi, we had some concerns that we would not have enough time to carry out the experiment to meet the deadline. The date of the exhibition was approaching rapidly, and, to make matters worse, no microorganisms were growing on our medium. After about two days, the mould and bacteria awaited by us appeared on the medium. In order to document the effect of silver on those microorganisms, we took photos of the media every 6 hours, which was associated with getting up in the night at 2:30. At the same time, we checked whether nanosilver would stop the growth of fungi and bacteria on tomatoes, which resulted in the fact that in addition to the agar media, we also sprinkled and took photographs of tomatoes.

Once all participants finally buttoned their parts of the experiment up, we were all proud of our exhibit. We liked it in terms of content and visual effect. It formed an impeccable whole.

                                                                                                                                                       Ania & Karolina

Together with my friend Kacper Szewczyk, we came up with the idea of creating a quiz. Despite the fact I am much interested in computer science, it turned out to be quite a challenge. The initial vision was different from the final result. Originally, the quiz was to be played on youtube.com. For technical reasons, we had to change our concept, and I had to expand my computer skills. My cousin’s hint concerning the programmes that we could use turned out to be the key. Finally, I used two programmes (Camtasia Studio 8 for video editing and Notepad++), and the website is written in three languages: CSS, JavaScript, Html. After the computer struggle, it was time to record Kacper’s narration. In addition to fatigue and momentary discouragement, the work also offered us good fun. We are happy that our work “Nanotechnology in Medicine” has contributed to the success of the whole group, and we have expanded our knowledge, learned patience and teamwork. Great thanks to all those whose advice and a kind word accompanied us in this “nanotechnological adventure.”

Marek & Kacper