Bartosz Brejna, a student of Applied Computer Science, received the Ministry of Science and Higher Education scholarship for the academic year 2024/2025. It is a one-time support of 17,000 PLN awarded for significant achievements. The scholarship was awarded to a total of 13 students from WUST. Congratulations!

The laureate from our Faculty is in his second year of engineering studies in Applied Computer Science. He received the ministry of science scholarship for his achievements in the first year of studies. He performed scientific research on unsupervised machine learning.

– It can be compared to a doctor recognising whether someone has the flu. There is a set of symptoms in a group of individuals. The task of the program is to analyse these different features in such a way as to divide the set into groups with consistent characteristics – explains Bartosz Brejna, the scholarhsip holder.

The student presented his research at the 2024 International Conference on Computational Collective Intelligence (ICCCI). The results were also published by the German publisher Springer in the Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence series.

– The publication and the conference are significant, but the ministry's scholarship adds considerable prestige to that the work done. It is a great pleasure and honour. I think this is the best reward for my hard work and dedication. I will spend the money on my personal development. And life will show whether the scholarship will be a gateway to something. For now, I'm busy studying. For the summer holidays, I found an internship at Dropbox, which means a trip to the United States – says the scholarship holder.

According to Dr. Adrianna Kozierkiewicz, who is Bartosz Brejna's mentor in the "Exceptionally Talented at Wrocław University of Science and Technology" program, receiving the Ministry of science scholarship is a great honour and a good reason to be proud.

– It stands as proof of hard effort, resolve, and outstanding success. As a mentor, I am delighted that Mr Brejna's talent and dedication have been recognised at such a high level. This is also a motivation for further development and an inspiration for other students of our applied computer science course – adds the researcher.

Resting on laurels was not an option

The "Exceptionally Talented at Wrocław University of Science and Technology" programme offers opportunities for development to young and talented people. The participants have the opportunity for individual work with a tutor who introduces them to the world of scientific research. Bartosz Brejna joined the programme as a laureate of the Olympiad in Informatics.

– From the beginning, he showed a great interest in scientific work. I believe that our university's programme has significantly contributed to his current success. It is particularly noteworthy that Mr Brejna received it at an early stage of his education – notes Prof. Kozierkiewicz.

Bartosz Brejna was included in the Talents programme also in his second year of studies. With a younger colleague, he undertook even more advanced research aimed at developing a method for detecting Alzheimer's disease based on MRI scans. The Alzheimer's Association reports that in 2024 as many as 200,000 Americans under the age of 65 were suffering from the early stages of this disease. Other statistics show that the number of imaging tests ordered is constantly increasing. By 2033, healthcare systems are estimated to be missing up to 42,000 radiologists.

– I like doing something that works in practice and can help people. This is the main reason why I study computer science, why I’m involved in computer programming. It doesn’t matter whether it is a small application that helps accountants, or this year's research on diagnosing Alzheimer's disease. In this case, we also achieved success, which is still waiting to be subjected to academic evaluation – says Bartosz Brejna.

The results were used to prepare another scientific publication. It was submitted to the ICCCI conference, which this time will be held in Vietnam.

– We have submitted our paper to a special session that covers the development of such e-health solutions, that is the impact of technology on medicine – he adds.

Now we're waiting. If the conference organisers accept the submission, Bartosz will be invited to it.

The Magnificent Thirteen from WUST

As reported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, rectors have submitted 1101 applications for the scholarship for significant scientific, artistic, or sporting achievements for the academic year 2024/2025.

The applications were evaluated by an advisory board consisting of 55 members representing all scientific and artistic disciplines. To ensure equal access to scholarships for female and male students, a policy was adopted that no more than 18 scholarships would be recommended in a given discipline (except for the sporting achievements category, which has no more than 36 scholarships).

The minister awarded scholarships to 398 female and male students, including 13 from Wrocław University of Science and Technology. In addition to our student Bartosz Brejna, a one-time support of 17,000 PLN was received by:

•  Ignacy Berent (Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, field of study: biomedical engineering),
•  Wojciech Michalczuk (Faculty of Mathematics, field of study: mathematics),
•  Paweł Mordeja (Faculty of Architecture, field of study: architecture),
•  Konrad Niewiadomski (Faculty of Management, field of study: management engineering),
•  Nikola Rybarczyk (Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, field of study: technical physics),
•  Jakub Siuda (Faculty of Electronics, Photonics and Microsystems, field of study: electronics and telecommunications),
•  Natalia Stelmach (Faculty of Chemistry, field of study: biotechnology),
•  Barbara Sznyrowska (Faculty of Mechanical and Power Engineering, field of study: renewable energy sources),
•  Piotr Tokarczyk (Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, field of study: quantum engineering),
•  Paweł Wójcik (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, field of study: mechanics and machine construction),
•  Jakub Wroński (Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, field of study: technical physics),
•  Sara Zielińska (Faculty of Chemistry, field of study: chemistry and materials engineering).