The KENER Jubilee Symposium was held
The Jubilee Symposium of the Department of Power Electronics, Electrical Drives and Robotics of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering is behind us. On June 5th and 6th, employees of the Department and the Faculty of the Silesian University of Technology, but also friends of the Faculty from other institutions, met.
The history of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the Silesian University of Technology includes many changes and reorganizations of its internal structure. From the point of view of the Department of Power Electronics, Electrical Drives and Robotics (KENER), the most significant change took place in 1973. At that time, the Department of Electrical Drives and Power Electronics was established within the Institute of Fundamental Problems of Electrical Engineering and Power Electronics, later transformed into the current Department, which as organizational units of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering remained uniform until today. This year marks the 50th anniversary of this event. At the same time, in 2023, the 100th anniversary of the birth of prof. Zygmunt Kuczewski, distinguished professor of the Silesian University of Technology, who led to the intensive development of power electronics and electric drive at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the Silesian University of Technology and raised a large group of followers.
Both of these anniversaries motivated KENER employees to organize the KENER Jubilee Symposium on 5th -6th June of a historical, scientific and didactic character. The authorities of the University and the Faculty were represented at the Symposium - Vice-Rector for Infrastructure and Promotion dr hab. Eng. Tomasz Trawinski, prof. SUT, chairwoman of the Discipline Council of Automation, Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Space Technologies dr hab. Eng. Monika Kwoka, prof. SUT, the Dean prof. dr hab. Eng Marian Kampik and vice-deans of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering (dr hab. Eng. Erwin Maciak, prof. SUT, dr Eng. Marcin Szczygieł, dr Eng. Rafał Setlak), as well as heads of departments (prof. dr hab. Eng. Stefan Paszek and dr hab. Eng. Henryk Kokot, prof. SUT. It was also attended by friends and people associated with KENER - 14 representatives of national universities (Warsaw University of Technology, Wrocław University of Technology, Poznań University of Technology, AGH University of Science and Technology, Łódź University of Technology, Lublin University of Technology, Gdańsk University of Technology, Nicolaus Copernicus University), 8 representatives of industry and cooperating units (Rockwell Automation, Nexteer, ITG KOMAG, Łukasiewicz - Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals, Central Mining Institute, Łukasiewicz - Instytut Spawalnictwa), 10 former and 20 current KENER employees and 5 graduates - doctors.
On behalf of the Rector of the Silesian University of Technology, the Symposium was opened by dr hab. Eng. Tomasz Trawinski, prof. SUT, wishing further success and the use of current opportunities as part of the implemented pro-quality programs of the Initiative of Excellence - Research University project. Then the guests were greeted by the head of KENER - dr hab. Eng. Zbigniew Kaczmarczyk, prof. SUT.
On the first day of the symposium, dr Eng. Krzysztof Bodzek gave an inaugural lecture on electroprosumerism, i.e., the bright future of power electronics, and then professors Kazimierz Gierlotka and Zbigniew Kaczmarczyk presented a paper on the 50th anniversary of KENER's activity. The lecture referred to the history of KENER, the person of prof. dr. hab. Eng. Zygmunt Kuczewski and more contemporary activities of the Department.
An important point of the symposium was the jubilee session and the speeches of the invited guests. Acknowledgments were presented in the form of diplomas, addressed to former employees and doctoral students of KENER. The invited guests offered congratulations and wishes for further development and significant achievements in scientific research and teaching.
Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the Warsaw University of Technology prof. Dr. Eng. Lech Grzesiak announced that the Department of Power Electronics, Electric Drive and Robotics of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the Silesian University of Technology was awarded the Medal of the 100th Anniversary of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the Warsaw University of Technology.
The second day of the symposium began with a scientific and didactic session, during which two papers were presented. The first scientific - entitled ” Power electronics in scientific works and projects” (dr hab. Eng. Marcin Kasprzak, prof. SUT and dr Eng. Bernhard Strzałkowski), concerned the results of the project financed by the European Coal and Steel Fund with the acronym HEETII - Innovative high efficiency power system for machines and devices, increasing the level of work safety in underground mining excavations and additionally presented current trends in power electronics from the perspective of Analog's activity devices.
The second didactic lecture on innovation in the education of power electronics through didactic projects (dr hab. Eng. Mariusz Stępień, prof. SUT), presented selected results of an international project with the acronym RELABEMA - Digital platform supporting remote laboratory classes in electrical engineering, mechatronics and automation. The aim of this project is to enable education with the use of remote access to appropriately adapted stationary laboratories. The last point of the symposium was the presentation of KENER research and teaching laboratories.
The two-day symposium was an opportunity to look into the past and present the current achievements of the Department of Power Electronics, Electric Drive and Robotics. According to the participants of the symposium, it was a valuable event and should be an inspiration for further active development of KENER.
