Physicist Day is celebrated at Uepa with special programming

In celebration of National Physicist Day, celebrated on May 19, the State University of Pará (Uepa) will hold a special program with free activities open to the public next Monday (19). The date refers to the so-called "miraculous year" of 1905, when Albert Einstein published four articles that revolutionized Physics and the understanding of nature.

Promoted by the Coordination of the Physics Teaching Course at Uepa, the event will take place from 8:30 AM to 6 PM and will be divided into two moments: in the morning, at the Center for Social Sciences and Education (CCSE), and in the afternoon, at the Center for Sciences and Planetarium of Pará (CCPPA). Registration is free and can be done online.

The official opening will take place at 9 AM, in the Recital Room of Campus I of Uepa, with the panel "Physics in the Age of AI: possibilities for research and teaching," led by professors Erick Ribeiro, Frederico Bicalho, and Ítalo Di Paolo. Following this, Professor Waldomiro Gomes Paschoal Júnior from the Federal University of Pará (UFPA) will give a lecture titled "NanoAmazônia: Nanotechnology and Physics."

In the afternoon, at CCPPA, the program includes a round table on the 120th anniversary of the Theory of Relativity and the role of scientific dissemination; the presentation of the extension project "Exhibition of Experiments – Stations of Physical Nature"; and the interactive dome session "Recognizing the Sky of Belém."

In this last session, the audience will learn to identify stars and constellations visible in the sky of the capital of Pará. "It will be an opportunity to show how it is possible to map the sky during a night of observation, recognizing constellations such as the Southern Cross, Centaurus, Canis Major, Virgo, and Scorpius," explains Physics technician Gabriel Condurú.

The round table will feature the participation of the director of CCPPA, José Roberto Silva; the coordinator of the Physics course at Uepa, Erick Ribeiro; and professors Nelson Leite and Andrey Gomes. For Erick, the event is a way to value the profession and encourage future physicists. "It is a satisfaction to promote this reflection on the role of physicists in society. Our goal is to stimulate students and give visibility to the career," he states.

For the second consecutive year, CCPPA is one of the venues for the program. The director of the unit, José Roberto Silva, highlights the importance of the event. "This action reaffirms our mission to disseminate scientific knowledge and strengthen the relationship between the University and the Pará society," he points out.

Conceived by Professor Alessandre Sampaio, the event also aims to bring students closer to scientific practice. "We want to promote the integration of students and discuss how Physics is present in everyday technologies, in understanding the Universe, and in solutions to social and environmental problems. The idea is to inspire a new generation of physicists and science enthusiasts," he concludes.