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October at the Faculty of Applied Sciences of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen (FAV UWB) was marked by lectures not only for its students and staff but also for members of the public, which drew about 200 people. “The organised seminars show that our faculty is aware of the social importance of key topics and also provides public outreach in the form of seminars. Terms such as cybersecurity and quantum technologies are at home at FAV,” said the dean of FAV UWB, Miloš Železný.

For example, on 16 October at FAV, Miloslav Lujka, founder of the Digital Fortress project, explained how creative hackers can be, why humans are the weakest link in network security, and how artificial intelligence and quantum computing will fundamentally change cyberspace. During the interactive lecture, he described the most common threats that await users, as well as new technologies that can either protect or threaten data.

On the topic of quantum technologies, Zdeňka Koupilová from the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Charles University led a workshop. High school teachers and pedagogy students tried out in practice how principles of quantum physics can be explained using games and experiments. “Our goal is to show that quantum technologies can be understandable and attractive to students when approached in a playful way,” Koupilová said.

A week later, listeners learned about the current state of research in quantum computing. Martin Friák from the Czech Academy of Sciences outlined the development of quantum technologies from their beginnings to today’s applications and presented possible directions for further development. Petr Kavalíř from the NTC research centre at ZČU described how international centres are involved in research and what funding opportunities exist. Šimon Kos from FAV focused on the philosophical foundations of physics and reminded listeners that Isaac Newton already saw mathematics as the key to understanding nature. 

“According to Newton, nature behaves according to mathematical principles, and he expressed this general claim in the very title of his founding book. Quantum physics, built roughly a hundred years ago, further expanded the mathematical structure of physics. Mathematics thus appears as the very essence of reality,” Kos said.