They disenchanted material engineering
For the second time at the Silesian University of Technology, the National Materials Engineering Day was held. This year 15 universities and 6 research institutes from all over Poland took part in it. As part of the event, the Polish record was broken in the “Biggest materials engineering lesson.” At our University, 657 pupils participated in it.
The second National Materials Engineering Day took place on March 22, 2024. The aim of the event was to raise public awareness of material engineering and the role it plays. It is also a great opportunity to encourage young people to study this course.
“Without materials engineering, we won’t conquer space, the best surgeon won’t make a complicated operation, no car will go on the road, not even the hydrogen-powered one, the athlete will not achieve a high score at the World Cup – and finally, even the most charismatic environmentalist will not clean this planet from garbage. That is why it comes to a simple conclusion that materials engineering is the mother of all technical sciences – said at the beginning of the National Materials Engineering Day prof. Kinga Rodak, Dean of the Faculty of Materials Engineering in Katowice.
This year, as part of the event, apart from workshops and presentations, the Polish record was broken in the “Biggest lesson in materials engineering” for the second time. At our university, a lesson entitled: “Materials inspired by nature” took place at the Faculty of Materials Engineering in Katowice and at the Education and Congress Centre of the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice. The lesson was attended by 657 secondary school pupils – about 145 in Katowice and over 512 in Gliwice. In Katowice, the lecture was delivered by dr hab. Eng. Grzegorz Moskal, prof. of Silesian University of Technology from the Department of Materials Technologies.
The lesson was divided into theoretical and practical parts. After the lecture, pupils solved the test using a slide calliper and the event itself was recorded in photographs and on film. Then, all the record-breaking documentation was passed to the records office – said dr Eng. Agnieszka Szczotok from the Faculty of Materials Engineering of the Silesian University of Technology, organizer of National Materials Engineering Day in Katowice.
In addition to the participation in the largest materials engineering lesson, pupils could listen to the lecture entitled “Metallurgy and foundry in culture and art – from prehistoric times to the present” and learn “How to build a house on the moon.”
After the lectures, the participants of the event took part in workshops and presentations prepared by scientists and students from scientific clubs operating at the Faculty. The presentations were a good opportunity to encourage young people to study materials engineering.
“Materials are everywhere, they surround us, they accompany us in every aspect of our lives. From small, very precise prostheses or materials, which are used, for example, in aorta, to materials used in aviation, power engineering, aerospace. Thus, knowledge and science about materials will continue to develop” – said Filip Gajewski from SKN Mater-Techna at the Faculty of Materials Engineering.
This year, 18 people were involved in the organization of National Materials Engineering Day at the Faculty of Materials Engineering in Katowice, among them academic teachers, doctoral students and students. The Faculty was visited by pupils from Katowice, Zabrze, Sosnowiec, Mysłowice and Myszków.
Students from as many as 17 schools in our region appeared on that day in Gliwice in the Education and Congress Centre of the Silesian University of Technology. Among the guests from secondary schools in Bytom, Gliwice, Jaworzno, Katowice, Ruda Śląska, Rybnik, Raciborz, Tarnowskie Góry and Zabrze, there was also a group of 60 pupils from four grades of Primary School No. 8 from Gliwice Bojków. In Gliwice, the host of the Second National Materials Engineering Day was the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.
Last year, almost four hundred people took part in an attempt to break the Polish record at the Silesian University of Technology. This time we wanted to increase this result – explained dr hab. Eng. Janusz Mazurkiewicz prof. SUT, deputy head of the Department of Engineering Materials and Biomaterials at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, organizer of the 2nd National Materials Engineering Day in Gliwice. - It's great fun with materials engineering - many workshops and meetings with interesting people. We wanted to encourage pupils to take a positive look at the fields of study related to the technology of materials production.
In Gliwice, meetings in twenty-seven workshops were prepared for all participants, which concerned, among others, 3D printing, integrated production systems or high-speed tracked vehicles. The youngest ones had presentations in the field of robot construction, materials research, and programming. Previously, everyone took part in the attempt to break the record – the lesson was led by dr Eng. Anna Kloc-Ptaszna from the Department of Engineering Materials and Biomaterials.
- I saw that the young people were interested in the lecture and listened to it with great attention - said Mateusz Paluch, a student and volunteer during the Second National Materials Engineering Day. - Knowledge at university is presented in an accessible form, so I can confidently recommend studying in this field to anyone who is simply interested in the world, because material engineering can be found in any field.
The event in Gliwice was supported by 54 volunteers and 32 employees of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.
- This year in Gliwice a recruitment for the First degree in Engineering and Materials Technologies at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, which is strictly related to materials engineering and manufacturing technologies is launched - says prof. Janusz Mazurkiewicz - Thanks to the involvement of students and academic and didactic staff, the degree of success of completing education is one of the highest at the Silesian University of Technology. Studies in this field are not the easiest, but the current equipment of research and technology laboratories at our University, together with the industrial facilities in the region, allows for interesting, effective education and allows for obtaining future education and well-paid work. After studying, for several thousand people, there are at least several dozen companies waiting for them to find employment. There are no specialists in this field.
- We were surprised by the turnout – boasted dr hab. Eng. Marek Płaczek, prof. of Silesian University of Technology, vice-dean for education at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering - The capacity of the hall has been fully used. We are happy because the field of materials engineering has not been as appreciated by candidates in recent years as it deserves. But I hope that such events will change this situation.
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We also invite all interested parties to the national competition accompanying Second National Materials Engineering Day, which starts on April 10th. Details can be found on: www.materialove.eu , in the competition tab.
The text was prepared by Jolanta Skwaradowska and Martin Huć
Photographs by Maciej Mutwil and Martin Huć
