NCU News
Events: February 2026
Exhibition: Between/Inter by Basia Sokołowska
Between/Inter by Basia Sokołowska is the title of an exhibition prepared as part of the Vintage Photo Festival at the Nicolaus Copernicus University Museum (M. Rapacki Square), the opening of which will take place on October 10, 2025, at 3:00 PM.
The exhibition will feature 30 photographs by Basia Sokołowska from four series: Interior/Apartment (1993), Beyond Surface (1994), Ars Moriendi (1998), and Tissues/Adaptation (2005). The works draw on the tradition of still life and explore the duality of the world of dreams and reality, crossing internal barriers and maturing, transience, the cyclical nature of life and death, and adaptation on many levels and in many contexts. They reveal the transformations taking place in the artist's life and psyche, the multi-layered nature of the world around her. Veiled and mysterious, they evoke curiosity and anxiety, resonating. They engage emotionally and physically. They create a mood, are honest, and open to interpretation. The artist uses collage techniques, creates spatial photographic compositions, highlights detail, color, and texture, and stages them.
All works in the exhibition are a gift from Basia Sokołowska to the University Museum in Toruń. The exhibition will be on view until February 13, 2026.
What do we wish for?
‘What do we wish for?’ is the title of a Christmas exhibition prepared by the Department of Graphic Design at Nicolaus Copernicus University, which will be on display in front of the Collegium Maximum building. The official opening of the poster exhibition is scheduled for 19 November at 11:30 a.m. at the University Museum in Toruń.
Students and lecturers from the Department of Graphic Design have prepared a series of posters that refer to one of the most characteristic Christmas traditions - making wishes. The entire exhibition is a collection of different voices, and each work is like a mirror, reflecting what we really want for ourselves. It reminds us that sometimes the best wishes are those that begin with ourselves.
The new exhibition continues the idea of the previous exhibition entitled ‘Everyone has their own Toruń’, which was very well received by the residents of Toruń and tourists. The works will be on display at Rapacki Square until 2 February 2026.
In the photo: Poster by Amelia Wilms, a student at the Department of Graphic Design at Nicolaus Copernicus University – one of the works that will appear in the exhibition ‘What do we wish for?’.
Erosion of Scientific Integrity - lecture
The NCU Faculty of Chemistry invites everyone to an open lecture entitled "Erosion of Scientific Integrity Fueled by Quantitative Evaluation Metrics," to be delivered by Johannes Gierschner (Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies – IMDEA Nanoscience), as part of the Faculty Seminar series. The lecture will take place on February 2 at 11:30 in the Faculty of Chemistry Library.
In his lecture, the speaker will address the highly topical and important issue of the erosion of scientific integrity resulting from excessive reliance on quantitative metrics in research evaluation. The talk will cover phenomena such as citation gaming, citation cartels, hyperauthorship, and the impact of a metrics-centred evaluation system on research quality, academic culture, and scholarly communication.
The lecture will also be available online via Microsoft Teams (Meeting ID: 396 470 448 671 49, Access code: b4q6ox3X).
Following the lecture, participants are warmly invited to an informal discussion with the speaker over coffee and cake.
The lecture abstract and a short CV of the speaker
Anniversary with a bang
On the occasion of the upcoming 25th anniversary of the NCU Alumni Programme, on Saturday, 7 February, the Academic Centre for Culture and Art ‘Od Nowa’ will host ‘Absolwencka potupaja’, a dance party with attractions. The event programme includes the premiere of the film ‘Na absolwenckich orbitach’ (‘In Graduate Orbits’) and a memory contest.
The anniversary event refers to the dances organised a decade ago to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. This time, Bartek Chodorowski, a graduate of sociology at NCU and former editor of Radio Sfera, will take the participants on a nostalgic musical journey. An additional attraction is the opportunity to request your favourite hits with a special dedication.
Submit a song with a dedication
Admission to the event is free, but due to the limited number of places, registration and admission are required upon presentation of an invitation. Invitations can be reserved using the form and will be available for collection from 7 to 23 January 2026 at the Alumni Programme office (ul. Reja 25, Toruń) during opening hours. Uncollected invitations will be distributed among those on the reserve list. Graduates may bring one accompanying person.
More information
Retrospective exhibition of Stefan Knapp
The Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, in cooperation with the Centre for Contemporary Art in Toruń, invites you to an exhibition entitled "Stefan Knapp - Alchemist and Visionary". The opening will take place on February 20 at 7:00 p.m. at the Centre for Contemporary Art (13 Wały gen. Sikorskiego St.). Admission is free.
Stefan Knapp, a world-renowned artist from Biłgoraj (Poland), donated a unique panel to the university in 1973, on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Nicolaus Copernicus' birth, which became a symbol of the Toruń campus. The installation on the wall of the NCU Auditorium consists of an enamelled sculptural composition symbolising the arrangement of celestial bodies with an integrated image of the Toruń astronomer and a sundial. It is one of Knapp's two largest and most important works in Poland.
The exhibition at the Centre for Contemporary Art is the culmination of the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, which took place in 2025. The exhibition will feature over 110 works by the artist (spanning several decades), including paintings on canvas, ink on paper, enamels on steel plates, and bronze and aluminium sculptures.
It will be the largest exhibition of Stefan Knapp's work in Poland since 1974, featuring works on loan from the British Stefan Knapp Estate Foundation and Paweł Sokołowski's collection. The exhibition will be accompanied by the first monographic academic publication on Stefan Knapp, focusing on the Polish publishing market, and the fifth edition of his autobiography, entitled "Kwadratowe słońce" ("Square Sun").
The exhibition will be open from February 21 to May 31, 2026.
Facebook event
Social engagement: YUFE training for students
On February 27, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., a training session from the “Civic Engagement Activities Intro Training Session for Students” series will be held for students of YUFE partner universities. The meeting will take place online in English. Registration will remain open until February 25.
This online training session will introduce you to the ideas behind the YUFE Civic Star and the rules for applying to it: why universities and YUFE are interested in community engagement; how to recognise and make visible the different competencies gained by attending civic engagement activities; principles & practicalities of obtaining the Civic Star, etc.
The training is for students who have already decided to obtain a YUFE Civic Star by attending either the YUFE Help Desks or the Community Volunteering Programme, or those just considering the opportunity.
To obtain the YUFE Civic Star, a commitment of at least 50 hours of work is required, including:
- participation in a training session,
- completion of a selected form of activity (Help Desk or volunteering),
- completion of two YUFE surveys available in the user panel on the Virtual Campus.
The event is open to students who know English at B2 level or higher. The training will be led by Prof. Bojana Ćulum Ilić from the University of Rijeka. The event link will be available after registration.
Contact: civic-yufe@umk.pl