Global Capstone Design 2026 have been announced
Silesian University of Technology as a leader of Project Based Learning (PBL), for the third time hosts representatives of universities from South Korea at the international workshops Global Capstone Design 2026. Students worked together on innovative solutions that have the chance to revolutionize industry and respond to the challenges of the modern world.
Global Capstone Design is a unique event aimed at developing international cooperation between European and Asian universities. Interdisciplinary project teams have been working on practical engineering challenges since the beginning of this semester. The implementation of the projects was preceded by a visit of academic teachers of the Silesian University of Technology in partner universities of South Korea: Tech University of Korea, Kookmin University and Sun Moon University. The issues on which the students are working have been proposed by the supervisors of teams from the Silesian University of Technology and accepted by the academic staff of Korean universities.
- We are working on a line follower project, i.e. a robot that tracks the line on the ground using reflective sensors and optical systems. Our goal is to achieve high speeds and be able to control them dynamically ,- explained Hubert Jędrzejek, a second-year mechatronics student at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, who also took part in the workshops last year. – I believe that thanks to such projects we already gain valuable experience of working in an international team – emphasized the student.
From today, Polish and Korean students instead of working online, will work face to face, finishing their projects, which will compete in the competition. International Global Capstone Design workshops are implemented in the formula of Project Based Learning, a method of education of which the Silesian University of Technology is the undisputed leader in Poland.
– Our University drew on the experience of Western Europe and for over a dozen or so years of PBL project-oriented education, which was strongly reinforced during the IDUB program implementation period, we have refined this method almost to perfection – said Prof. Dr Hab. Eng. Marek Pawełczyk, the Rector of the Silesian University of Technology, adding that today the university willingly shares its experience with others. - South Korea works well with industry, but in a different formula, and our approach, especially in international cooperation is met with great interest, not only in Korea, but also in other countries, - he added.
During the inauguration ceremony of Global Capstone Design 2026, Prof. Kyung Soon Lee of Sun Moon University, which is the leader of Korean universities in this project, stressed that it is an initiative that brings our countries closer together.
- Poland and Korea are very distant from each other, Koreans are mainly associated with Chopin and Maria Skłodowska-Curie, and thanks to this initiative and joint work on engineering challenges, we have a chance to get to know each other better, - said Professor Kyung Soon Lee.
- This collaboration gives students valuable teamwork experience and helps them better understand cultural differences, especially in a European context that are less well-known in Korea than the American ones. For Korean universities, this is also an important opportunity for global development and expansion of competences, especially since the country is strongly focused on modern technologies and industry Kyu Jong Park from Kookmin University emphasizes that cooperation with Poland, apart from academic ones, also has industry related grounds.
The beginnings of cooperation between the Silesian University of Technology and Korean universities date back to 2019, when representatives of the universities met during workshops in Ostrava. Since then, Global Capstone Design has been visiting the Silesian University of Technology, and next year it is planned that students and professors will visit Korean partners.
– I think that structural solutions related to the implementation of PBL projects, which exist at the Silesian University of Technology , made it very easy for us to establish these contacts , thanks to which not only scientific employees who are team supervisors, but also students of the Silesian University of Technology are very experienced in the implementation of PBL projects and that is why this synergy and good cooperation came from – said Dr Eng. Dariusz Buchchik from the Faculty of Automatic Control, Electronics and Computer Science who coordinated the implementation of PBL projects at the Silesian University of Technology and co-organizes Global Capstone Design.
The cooperation of Polish universities with South Korea will be strengthened in the near future, because on the initiative of Prof. Marek Pawełczyk, Chairman of the Committee on International Cooperation of the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland, will launch a special program financed and implemented by the National Agency for Academic Exchange, focused on strategic partnerships with selected countries.
- Four countries were selected in the pilot stage, including South Korea, alongside with Turkey, Vietnam, and Uzbekistan. We already have confirmation from the director of the National Agency for Academic Exchange that the institution has taken up this challenge and is working on launching the program. Preliminary proposals have already been made, which is why initiatives such as ours can count on additional support and further development - said Prof Pawełczyk.
The Global Capstone Design 2026 workshops ended with the presentation of joint projects, which were evaluated by a team of the Polish-Korean experts. The GRAND PRIZE was won by the “V2V Based Arduino Car Platooning” project implemented by students: Jinyeong Go, Chanhyeong Kim, Sanghyun Kim, Geonsoo Lee, Patryk Narożnowski, Maciej Kowalski, Igor Kawka, Szymon Swaczyna, Szymon Michalak and Stanisław Bujak. The team’s scientific supervisors are: Wojciech Skarka, Piotr Przystałka, Roman Niestrój and KYoungsoon Lee.
zdjęcia: M. Mutwil, M.Huć
