History of the Department
History of the Department
The Department of Biomaterials and Medical Device Engineering at the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering has a long and colourful history. Its origins are related to the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Silesian University of Technology. In 1988, a new specialisation, “Biomaterials and medical equipment” was created at the Institute of Metallurgy and Welding, within the Metallurgy Department headed by Prof. J. Marciniak.
The diploma course, which was innovative in the country, filled a gap in the education of specialists, the lack of whom created many difficulties in undertaking the production of implants and instruments as well as hospital and rehabilitation equipment that was sought after in the health services.
Our origins
In 1990, the Institute of Metallurgy was separated from the Institute of Metallurgy and Welding, and within it the Department of Special Materials and Technologies headed by Prof. J. Marciniak. The staff of the department carried out research and teaching activities in the field of biomedical engineering. In 1995 Prof. J. Marciniak also initiated and became the head of the extramural doctoral course “Material Engineering of Plastics for Medicine and Biology” launched at the Faculty of Materials Engineering, Metallurgy and Transport, of the Silesian University of Technology. Further organisational transformations at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Technology resulted in the establishment of the Institute of Engineering and Biomedical Materials in 1997, in which the Department of Biomedical Materials Engineering was established under the direction of Prof. J. Marciniak. During this period, the scientific and educational staff of the department conducted courses in the specialisations “Biomechanics and medical equipment” for the field of study Automation and Robotics and “Biomechanics and engineering of rehabilitation equipment production” for the field of study Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Technology. These specializations were created in 1998 by Prof. E. Świtoński and Prof. D. Tejszerska from the Chair of Applied Mechanics. It is worth noting that several graduates of these specialisations started their professional activity in the Department of Biomedical Materials Engineering, and after obtaining their doctoral degree became employees of this unit (Witold Walke, M.Sc., Eng. Anita Kajzer, M.Sc., Eng. Wojciech Kajzer, M.Sc., Eng.).
A very important event in the Department’s history was the launch of the “Biomedical Engineering” course at the Silesian University of Technology (Faculty of Automatic Control, Electronics and Computer Sciences). Employees of the Department actively participated in running classes for students of this faculty. The great interest in education in this field has resulted in a proposal to create a new unit at the university – the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering. In 2008, the Rector of the Silesian University of Technology, Prof. A. Karbownik, appointed the Rector’s Plenipotentiary for the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Prof. J. Marciniak, who was also the Director of the Centre for Biomedical Engineering of the Silesian University of Technology. Under his direction, a team of faculty members from the Faculty of Automatic Control, Electronics and Computer Sciences and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Technology (including Zbigniew Paszenda, PhD, Eng.) prepared educational programmes, the organisational structure of the faculty and the configuration of the apparatus necessary for the realisation of the teaching process and research. On this basis, on 26/04/2010, the Senate of the Silesian University of Technology passed a resolution to establish, on 1/05/2010, the first in the country Faculty of Biomedical Engineering and to initiate, from the academic year 2010-2011, full-time studies of the first and second degree at the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering. Consequently, the department’s staff were transferred to the new unit as of 26/09/2011. On the basis of the existing organisational structures and scientific achievements in the area of biomedical engineering, the Council of the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering established internal organisational units, including the Department of Biomaterials and Medical Device Engineering Prof. J. Marciniak was appointed to the function of the Head of the Department.
The Department of Biomaterials and Medical Device Engineering was made up of staff from the Department of Biomaterials Engineering:
- Jadwiga Tyrlik – Held, Assistant Professor, PhD, Eng.
- Marcin Kaczmarek, PhD, Eng.
- Janusz Szewczenko, PhD, Eng.
- Anna Ziębowicz, PhD, Eng.
- Anita Kajzer, PhD, Eng.
- Witold Walke, PhD, Eng.
- Wojciech Kajzer, PhD, Eng.
- Marcin Basiaga, PhD, Eng.
- Marta Kiel, M.Sc., Eng.
- Magdalena Pochrząst, M.Sc., Eng.
- Sonia Jadacka, M.Sc., Eng.
- Barbara Zielonka – Secretary of the Chair
Employees of the Department of Biomaterials and Medical Device Engineering, 2011
The employees of the Department have an extensive research, publication and application output in the field of biomaterials engineering and rehabilitation, which has been crowned with monographs.
These studies were awarded successively with the Prizes of the Minister and Rector of the Silesian University of Technology. Prof. J. Marciniak is also the author of two chapters in the monograph “Biocybernetics and Biomedical Engineering 2000” published in 2003 and edited by Prof. M. Nałęcz from the Institute of Biocybernetics and Biomedical Engineering of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw.
The department also carried out numerous research and development projects, cognitive and applied, in the field of technology of production of metallic biomaterials with modified structure and specific mechanical properties (modulus of elasticity, shape memory and superelasticity) with surface layers (passive-diamond) of good physicochemical properties and biocompatibility, intended for reconstruction and flexible tissue anastomosis, as well as the construction of a new generation of stabilisers for bone anastomosis together with surgical instrumentation. These works have made a creative contribution to world knowledge in the field of biomedical engineering. They are used in all traumatology units in the country and in many foreign centres.
The works already completed in the Department were also awarded with the title “Innovator of Silesia 2011” for being ranked first for the implementation of “Plates for corrective osteotomy” in 2012 in the production and health care centres, and the title of “Innovator of Silesia 2013” for being ranked first in the category of Research and Development Sector Institution for the “Development and implementation of stabilizers for surgical treatment of deformations of the anterior chest wall of the “chicken breast” or “funnel-shaped” type together with instrumentation for production and clinical use, and monograph with information on surgical technique and risk of complications”.
Laureates of Innovator of Silesia 2013
The Department of Biomaterials and Medical Device Engineering at the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering
The department was located initially at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Technology.
On 23/02/2015, a ceremonial opening took place of the building for the needs of the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering located in Zabrze. The new headquarters had rooms for scientific and educational staff, administration, and teaching and laboratory rooms, which to a large extent met the needs of the implementation of the teaching process.
As of 1/09/2017, the head of the Department of Biomaterials and Medical Device Engineering Prof. J Marciniak was replaced by Prof. Z. Paszenda.
Employees of the Department of Biomaterials and Medical Device Engineering, December 2017
Since the beginning of the faculty’s existence, the staff of the department have been very actively involved in both its scientific and educational activities, as well as in its organisational activities by performing a number of important functions. In the year 2011-2012, Prof. Z. Paszenda was a deputy dean for science and industry outreach. In turn, in the years 2012-2016 and 2016-2020, he was a deputy dean for science. Marcin Kaczmarek, PhD, Eng. worked as a deputy dean for organization and development (2012-2016) and a deputy dean for development and cooperation with industry (2016-2020).
As of 1.09.2020, Prof. Z. Paszenda took over as a dean of the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering.
50th Anniversary of Prof. Jan Marciniak’s Professional Activity
From 17 to 19 October 2019, the 7th “Innovations in Biomedical Engineering” Conference was held at the International Congress Centre in Katowice.
One of the sessions was dedicated to “50th Anniversary of Prof. Jan Marciniak’s Professional Activity Prof. Zbigniew Paszenda, Head of the Department of Biomaterials and Medical Device Engineering, presented the professor’s profile, and then the Rector of the Silesian University of Technology, Professor Arkadiusz Mężyk, wished the professor well and thanked him for his great contribution in the activities undertaken for the benefit of increasing and maintaining the university’s recognition and awarded him a special medal of the Silesian University of Technology. Prof. Marek Gzik, in turn, as a representative of the Silesian Provincial Assembly, presented Prof. Jan Marciniak with the Golden Badge of Honour for Services to the Silesian Provincial Assembly. This distinction is awarded to people whose activities have contributed to the scientific, economic and social development of the Silesian Voivodship.
On that occasion, a special monograph was published, which presented the achievements of Professor Jan Marciniak and included opinions about him made by eminent professors from Polish universities and research institutes who cooperated with him.
Prof. Jan Marciniak during the anniversary ceremony
Monograph “50th Anniversary of Prof. Jan Marciniak’s Professional Activity”, 2018
