Many young people visited the Faculty of Transport and Aviation Engineering
The Open Day of the Faculty of Transport and Aviation Engineering of the Silesian University of Technology, combined with the Day with the Employer, attracted hundreds of students and secondary school pupils on April 17. During the event, three petrol engines were handed over to the Faculty and a new simulator debuted.
The ceremonial inauguration of the event was attended by, among others, the Vice Rector for Collaboration with Civic and Economic Environment at SUT, Dr Hab. Eng. Marcin Staniek, Prof. SUT and The Dean of the Faculty of Transport and Aviation Engineering Dr Hab. Eng. Grzegorz Sierpiński, Prof. SUT.
- Cooperation between science, industry and local government is very important. I am pleased that companies have joined us on this day and are engaged in education. Only the combination of these three elements allows us to develop our cities, workplaces, the entire economic zone, and the potential of our region – said Vice-Rector Marcin Staniek.
- During the year we organize many events related to the promotion of the Faculty among candidates for studies and business practice in companies. This event is the one we organize every year. During the day with the employer, our students have the opportunity to talk with representatives of dozens of companies, as well as from the Metropolitan Transport Management Board. In addition, about 300 pupils from secondary schools came to us for the Faculty Days. We show them our research and teaching rooms, laboratories, and equipment, - explained Dean Grzegorz Sierpiński.
Among them is a full-cabin locomotive simulator, which was set up at the Faculty in March and was opened for a wider audience for the first time. Its purchase was carried out in cooperation with the city of Katowice.
It is a unique simulator. It simulates the full realism of about 8000 kilometres of railway tracks in Poland, but also abroad. The device consists of two key elements - an instructor's station, which allows for creating complex scenarios and simulating dangerous events on the tracks and faithfully reproduced interior of the cabin, fully reflecting the specificity of the train driver's work - explains Dean Grzegorz Sierpiński.
Numerous workshops took place in the Faculty corridors and in the teaching rooms. There was also an opportunity to meet and talk to the representatives of student research clubs from the Faculty.
- I like to participate in the Open Days. I think that when universities show their teaching facilities and equipment, talk about them, it helps in choosing the field of study. Every day I learn rail transport techniques in the classroom, and I associate my future with it, so I am glad that I could also try the latest simulator – said Michał Basiński from the Mechanical and Electrical School Complex in Rybnik.
A Day with an Employer was an excellent opportunity for students and not only to get acquainted with job offers, internships and work placements in the transport industry. The representatives of the companies were satisfied with the interest of the participants.
- We are happy to be able to participate in the event at this place, especially since there is a lot of interest. Our director Józef Tetla studied at this University. We have prepared a railway knowledge test for the participants and although it is difficult, most of the students solved perfectly well - praised Paweł Palacz from Polregio S.A., the Małopolska Plant in Krakow.
An important moment during the official opening of the event was the handover of three petrol engines by Stellantis to the Faculty.
- We want to support educational units, therefore, through the Katowice Special Economic Zone, we decided to hand over three engines that we produce in the Tychy plant – said Bolesław Pochopień, Industrial Master Plan Manager at Stellantis Gliwice Branch I Engine Production Plant Tychy Sp. Z o.o
- It is an invaluable research aid for us, and in particular didactic aid. Teaching students is not limited to books, the virtual world, but they have access to the real engines of a large company, containing the latest technologies. It is a signal that the automotive giant is investing not only in machine parks, but above all in people – young engineers, who will soon co-create the technologies of tomorrow – said the Dean.
