Science Clubs presented their potential
In December, the Student Self- Government of the Silesian University of Technology organised the Conference of Science Clubs, which was an opportunity not only to show off their projects, but also to talk and acquire new skills.
This is the first Conference of Science Clubs organized by the Student Self-Government of the Silesian University of Technology. We wanted to create such an event so that our Student Science Clubs would have the opportunity to present their work this year, present themselves, learn something from each other and integrate - said Grzegorz Król, member of the board of the student self-government for science clubs.
Everyone gathered in the Education and Congress Centre of the Silesian University of Technology was welcomed by the Rector of the Silesian University of Technology, Prof. Dr Hab. Eng. Marek Pawełczyk.
- We are a leader in the country in terms of the number of Science Clubs, as well as their successes and commitment – said the Rector – During this conference, students present their achievements in the form of posters, as well as in the form of discussions. Some cooperate with various types of enterprises and other universities, including medical ones - for example, the Institute of Oncology. It is very encouraging that students find time for this, but I think that in this way they are working for their future.
During his speech, the Rector emphasized that it is important to motivate students to participate in science clubs and individualized learning paths so that they are tailored to the specific student. There was also no shortage of thanks for the students’ activities and their involvement in various projects.
- We will do even more to make your education more and more individual, so that when you graduate you can say that you have gained very unique competences. I hope that you will never run out of topics to work on, said the Rector.
Also present at the event was the Vice-Rector for Student Affairs and Education, Prof. Dr Hab. Eng. Anna Chrobok, who welcomed the gathered guests and emphasized how important it is to organize such events.
- This is an extremely important initiative that you have undertaken today. Congratulations on this first step. I believe that it will develop from year to year. I think this is a very important discussion forum. We live in interesting times, in times of great transformation, where the fate of sustainable development is in our hands (...) I think that today's meeting is important not only for your development, for the development of the university, but also for the development of the world - concluded the Vice-Rector.
During the event, participants had the opportunity not only to learn about the achievements of the Student Science Clubs of the Silesian University of Technology, but also to listen to the lecture "Why does an engineer earn more", the discussion panel "PoliSkills - polytechnic competences of science clubs and market expectations" and the presentation sessions "Materials of the Future" and "Process automation and Industry 4.0".
Grzegorz Czekała from Stevia Automation, during the lecture "Why an engineer earns more", emphasized how important soft skills are in the life of every person, regardless of their education. He added that the sooner one acquires them, the sooner one can achieve success.
- When I talk to job candidates in our company, they actually present and boast about what they can do in technical terms, and I notice that they are completely unaware that today we - as the company that employs them - attach equal importance to these soft skills. Why? We will discuss all this here - Grzegorz Czekała, an employee of Stevia Automation, encouraged to participate in his lecture.
Students from the Science Clubs presented their various projects in the form of posters. It was an opportunity to get to know each other, exchange views, and sometimes even initiate cooperation and joint action.
- At the conference, I am presenting a project to build a relaxation station where students and others will be able to relax, play, and fly on a simulator. It will be publicly available in the Faculty corridor - says Jakub Wieczorek from the Virtual Flying Student Club VFly.
- This event is a pleasant form of integration with other scientific circles, where you can get to know different circles, their projects, plans and talk - explains Franciszek Porgorz, representative of SKN Space Coffee.
The discussion panel "PoliSkills - polytechnic competences of scientific clubs and market expectations" was an excellent opportunity for all members of scientific circles to learn more, among others, about how to function effectively to gain cooperation with companies in various forms.
- We are leaders not only in the Polish but also in the European arena. There are over 200 science clubs registered at the Silesian University of Technology - said Nikodem Kuźnik, the rector's representative for science clubs.
During the presentations related to the topics of priority research areas, Łukasz Misztal and Marceli Matłosz presented the work of the Extraterrestrial Construction Student Science Club entitled “Research on space materials”, and Przemysław Wilk and Oskar Marek from the Safe Wall Student Science Club presented the works titled: “Virtual Reality in Mining” and “VR and AR Technology as the Future in the Field of Occupational Health and Safety Training”.
The Student Self-Government intends to make the conference a cyclical event in the future for all interested parties, not only for students of the Silesian University of Technology.
