What happened at our University over the 12 months of last year? It was an intense year for us, marked by changes and significant, sometimes even groundbreaking projects. We celebrated successes, shared moments of joy, but also faced challenges brought about by reality.

On the International Stage

2023 we will certainly be remembered thanks to Professor Maciej Trusiak, who became the first WUT researcher to receive the prestigious ERC grant – the scientific Oscar. Professor Trusiak's project focuses on the use of lensless holographic microscopy and deep ultraviolet radiation in high-throughput imaging of living cells.

Once again, a project developed by WUT representatives won the Polish stage of the James Dyson Award. This marked the third Polish edition and the third victory for our university. This time, the jury recognised the pdmeds team and their innovative system for pulmonary rehabilitation called Boreas, which also made it to the strict finals of the international stage.

Our students continued to shine on global stage, particularly in the field of aircraft construction. At two of the most renowned competitions in the United States, the WUT team won a total of 12 medals.

We also had representatives in the Martian rover competition, with WUT students participating in both the University Rover Challenge and the European Rover Challenge.

Our researchers were actively involved in one of the most prominent space projects of recent months – the development of the unmanned JUICE spacecraft, which aims to provide information about Jupiter and its moons. They were responsible for material testing and processing of components.

It was a successful year for the WUT’s school of architecture and design. Our students and graduates consistently received accolades in competitions worldwide, including projects for a grounded house, cinema, olive grove guesthouse, refugee camp, and a digital assistant for conceptual solutions. The Polish pavilion "The Poetics Of Necessity" at the London Design Biennale was also awarded, with one of the curators being an architect-urbanist from Warsaw University of Technology.

Our Graduates - Our Pride

In 2023, we welcomed our graduate and researcher from Carnegie Mellon University, Professor Andrzej Strójwąs. His visit was exceptional, as this globally renowned specialist in statistical methods for the design, control, and diagnostics of VLSI/ULSI integrated circuit production received an honorary doctorate from Warsaw University of Technology.

Our graduates continue to make us proud, achieving success in various fields, not only related to science. For instance, a graduate Tomasz Wiktorowski received the Coach of the Year award in Poland, followed by guiding Iga Świątek to further tennis successes and being recognized as the best coach by the WTA – the largest organisation in women's tennis.

Another graduate, Grzegorz Piątek, celebrated literary triumphs. His book "Gdynia obiecana. Miasto, modernizm, modernizacja 1920-1939" (‘The Promised Gdynia. The city, modernism, modernisation 1920-1939’) earned him the Paszport Polityki and the NIKE Readers' Award.

Let's rejoice in the fact that individuals who graduated from WUT continue to collaborate with the University, such as through the Mentoring Program, which concluded its fifth edition in 2023.

We do Care

In recent months, our students and doctoral students have repeatedly demonstrated what it means to be an engineer today – being close to people and their needs. Projects such as an application facilitating movement for people with disabilities in the Warsaw Metro, a device detecting sudden infant death syndrome signals, spinal glasses, a system to aid drowning, and a solution to shorten the rehabilitation period after a limb fracture are testament to this.

WUT researchers think innovatively. Some are busy working on projects like obtaining synthetic fuel from carbon dioxide and hydrogen, others – on removing toxic elements, and utilizing artificial intelligence in psychotherapy.

In 2023, we showed that we are not indifferent to the world around us – addressing social issues such as noise (hence the project :W CENTRUM and HA-LAS installation) and responding to tragedies like the war in Ukraine (resulting in the Freedom Pavilion and auctions: Architects – for Ukraine).

And that's not all. We played alongside the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity and joined the Noble Box initiative. We conducted the second edition of the "Dogs at WUT" campaign, searching for homes for needy dogs. This year, we also added an educational meeting on adoption and a collection of items for the shelter. Once again, we organised the University Christmas Fair, conducting a fundraiser for scholarships for our talented students and doctoral students.

We are constantly evolving. In 2023, changes occurred in recruitment (broader implementation of the IRK system), communication with new students (thanks to the WUT Starter), visual identification of the University. All of this is happening thanks to the hard work of many individuals, not always visible at first glance. And Warsaw University of Technology is made up of people – people who, as we emphasize, are #alwayscurious. Always ready to take on challenges.

Thank you for being with us in 2023. We wish ourselves and you a year ahead full of new energy and joy.