Prof. Michał Tomczak - the new president of the Polish Astronomical Society

Prof. Michał Tomczak from the Astronomical Institute of the University of Wrocław has become the new president of the Polish Astronomical Society.

The Polish Astronomical Society (PTA) is an association of professional astronomers. It has approximately 300 members. It represents the Polish astronomical community, although it also has international members.

The organization's new leadership was elected during the 42nd PTA Congress in Warsaw. Prof. Michał Tomczak from the Institute of Astronomy, University of Wrocław, was elected president for the next four years, succeeding Prof. Marek Sarna.

Michał Tomczak (born 1960) studied astronomy at the University of Wrocław, where he defended his doctorate in 1994 under the supervision of Professor Jerzy Jakimiec. He obtained his habilitation in 2001 based on a series of papers devoted to the characteristic morphological features of solar flares in the X-ray wavelength range. Since 2012, he has been a professor of physical sciences in the field of astronomy.

From 2002 to 2020, he was the director of the Astronomical Institute at the University of Wrocław. He has also served as an expert and member of advisory boards for universities, ministers, and the Polish Academy of Sciences. Since 2020, he has been dean of the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Wrocław.

His research focuses primarily on heliophysics, particularly studying phenomena related to solar magnetic activity. He is also interested in space weather and the history of astronomy. He is the author of approximately 70 scientific publications, which have been cited over 600 times. He has supervised seven master's and two doctoral students in astronomy.

He is co-editor of the recently published "Biographical Dictionary of Polish Astronomers." He also edited Eugeniusz Rybka's "Chronicle of My Life," using materials on the history of astronomy.

The board also included Dr. Krzysztof Czart (Urania – Progress in Astronomy), Dr. Piotr Kołaczek-Szymański from the Astronomical Institute of the University of Wrocław and Dr. Paweł Zieliński from the Institute of Astronomy of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Prof. Dr. hab. Katarzyna Małek from the National Centre for Nuclear Research, Dr. hab. Joanna Molenda-Żakowicz from the Astronomical Institute of the University of Wrocław, and Dr. Milena Ratajczak from the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Warsaw.

The Polish Astronomical Society has existed for over 100 years (founded in 1923). It is a scientific society, but it also promotes astronomy in society, for example by publishing the journal "Urania – Postępy Astronomii," running the online portal www.urania.edu.pl , and producing the television series "Astronarium."

Science in Poland

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