It was another year when we had to face unexpected challenges beyond the academic world we know so well. Again, we learned that the surrounding reality greatly affects how we function. We are all the more pleased with all the positive news, whose protagonists were our students, doctoral students, employees, graduates and the entire Warsaw University of Technology.

Science for health and climate

2022 definitely belonged to WUT scientists. Our PhD students won the international competition for the James Dyson Prize. Tomasz Raczynski, Piotr Walter and Dominik Baraniecki invented SmartHEAL, a smart dressing to help chronic wounds heal. The idea is already conquering the world and we hope it will soon be implemented. The winners of the Polish final of the previous edition of the competition, including WUT student Mike Ryan, presented their invention at the EXPO exhibition in Dubai. And this innovative project is a device that disinfects and recycles used 3-layer protective masks.

Piotr Walter, Dominik Baraniecki, Tomasz Raczyński - creators of the SmartHEAL

Topics related to health and climate have invariably kept our scientists vividly occupied.

The team of Agnieszka Gadomska-Gajadhur, PhD, from the Faculty of Chemistry, tested whether third teeth could be grown from stem cells located in the gums. How to treat brain tumours and eliminate the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy? This is what the group of Ewa Dłuska, PhD, professor at the University's Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering, worked on.

In 2022, we also reported on a miniature ECG machine, a holographic tomograph for examining cells, or a "Star Wars" lens that could help improve vision in the elderly. For the use of artificial intelligence in medicine, the POLITYKA Science Award was given to Żaneta Świderska-Chadaj, PhD, of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering.

Important honours also went to the spin-off company headed by Agnieszka Jastrzębska, PhD, professor at the University's Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering. The technology for the production of nanoparticle composites that destroy harmful microorganisms from virtually any surface was recognized in the Polish Product of the Future competition, and also received the Economic Award of the President of the Republic of Poland.

The production of pure hydrogen at low cost was handled by Marta Mazurkiewicz-Pawlicka, PhD, and Zuzanna Bojarska, MSc, from the Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering. On the other hand, Piotr Prochoń, MSc, from the Faculty of Civil Engineering, decided to look for building materials that are more environmentally friendly than cement. Could it be biomass ash? We are waiting for further research results.

Zuzanna Bojarska, MSc, and Marta Mazurkiewicz-Pawlicka, PhD, have developed a technology that will enable universal and less expensive production of hydrogen

Our students showed the world some ideas from the field of energy: a smart meter overlay, a microgrid project powered exclusively by renewable energy sources or the educational initiative "Energy Aware". A team from the Faculty of Architecture drew attention to the global water problem with its "Water Asylum" installation, and a group from the Faculty of Building Installations, Hydraulic Engineering and Environmental Engineering came up with a deposit system for kitchen waste and frying oil.

Look up and... watch your step

We've grown accustomed to the fact that employees, doctoral and undergraduate students at WUT are aiming high, up to the stars. The laboratory of the Aerospace Research Centre at the Przasnysz airport, opened in 2022, will certainly help in conducting such research even more effectively. We're hoping for even more news about planes conquering the American skies, student rockets or missions using high-altitude balloons.

Thinking about the space news of recent months, we have before our eyes the first "photo" of a black hole in the centre of the Milky Way. WUT graduate Maciej Wielgus, PhD, participated in the research that yielded such a spectacular result. And another of our graduates, Pablo Álvarez Fernández, was among the new astronauts selected by the European Space Agency. He is one of 17 people selected from more than 22,000 candidates.

Pablo Álvarez Fernández - one of the new European astronauts, fot. ESA

There are also unearthly reports on solutions for 6G technology and the Mobile Forensics Platform, questions about whether artificial intelligence will replace humans in composing and analysing music, and news about investigating fake news and hate speech. These are all topics that our scientists have addressed.

In turn, students built bridges out of paper, constructed autonomous vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems, turned a Polonez into an electric car, and even won the Student Nobel Prize.

Adding to the academic successes were athletic achievements. Our student and speed skater Marek Kania took part in the Olympic Games and won medals at the world and European championships. Magdalena Sudak, who studies at WUT, was third in the Academic World Championships in triathlon. A bronze medal, of the European Academic Games, was won by a PhD student and kickboxer Dominik Grzęda. We also enjoyed the successes of the WUT graduates: the world championship medal of cyclist Krzysztof Łukasik and the fourth place in the world and Polish record of athlete Damian Czykier.

Exceptional guests and ground-breaking projects

2022 was marked at WUT by important visits. In the spring, we hosted the Board of Directors and Steering Committee of the ENHANCE alliance of European universities, to which the Warsaw University of Technology belongs. In the autumn, we were visited by Nobel laureate in chemistry Prof. M. Stanley Whittingham. The scientist received an honorary doctorate from the Warsaw University of Technology, and also met with representatives of the University and gave an open lecture that attracted real crowds. Our University also hosted Jacqueline Van Ovost - a four-star general of the United States Air Force, who heads the US Transportation Command.

The Nobel Prize winner's lecture was very popular

In the past 12 months, we held the first mentoring conference and the first Science Film Festival at WUT. We also hosted the first Falling Walls Lab Warsaw competition.

In 2022, we inaugurated a new program for the most talented students - id studies. Its main idea is individual learning and development under the guidance of a tutor. For the time being, 14 people participate in this initiative - they are first-year students who have a track record of success in subject Olympiads. However, the program will be developed.

Ready to help

We are not indifferent to what is happening around us.

Recently, our neighbours from Ukraine, fleeing the war and its consequences, were in particular need of help. The Warsaw University of Technology has gone to help. We have made our dormitories and guest rooms available, organized collections of donations and money, workshops and activities for children, teenagers and adults, charity auctions and concerts, psychological and language assistance. Time and again, WUT students, doctoral students and employees have used their skills and experience, creating engineering solutions and sharing knowledge.

In 2022, we once again made our contribution to the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity and the Noble Parcel. We also organized a unique photo shoot in our Main Building. Its main characters were dogs waiting for adoption. WUT people posed with the animals: students, doctoral students and employees, including representatives of the University authorities. During the annual Charity Christmas Market, we collected more than 33,000 zlotys, which will be turned into Christmas Tree Scholarships - special awards for successful and committed students and doctoral students at the Warsaw University of Technology.

Winners of the Christmas Grant with representatives of the WUT Authorities

Thank you for the past 12 months. We hope that 2023 will bring us a lot of good emotions and news. We are already looking forward to it!