Another 78 students have qualified for the next edition of the “Exceptionally Talented at Wrocław University of Science and Technology” programme. The majority of them are students of our Faculty and the Faculty of Electronics, Photonics and Microsystems. Congratulations! During the conference "Novices in Science,” our students explained high school students why it is worth taking part in it and what benefits come from the cooperation with a tutor.

– Our programme "Exceptionally Talented at Wrocław University of Science and Technology" is an investment in the potential of students. From the first days of your studies, we offer you the opportunity to work with scientists, participate in research projects, and develop in the direction that you find truly interesting – said Prof. Kamil Staniec, vice-rector for education at WUST, who was invited to the event. – Collaboration with a tutor allows a faster integration into the academic environment, teaches independence and teamwork. Many of the students who participate in this programme later pursue academic careers or join the most innovative technology companies – he added.

This year, 78 students were recognised in the programme, with most winners studying at our Faculty and at the Faculty of Electronics, Photonics and Microsystems. All of them will receive support in the form of:

• a scholarship of PLN 500 to 900 per month,
• a place in a student dormitory,
• care of the tutor.

For young people, cooperation with a tutor from the beginning of their studies is one of the greatest advantages of the programme. It allows them to be quickly included in scientific and research work at the university. So far, over 400 students have taken advantage of this option.

Great opportunities from the first year of study

During the fifthe edition of the conference "Novices in Science", talented students who participate in the "Exceptionally Talented" programme talked about the results of their research conducted under the supervision of their tutors. They also shared their experiences with students from high schools cooperating with the University and talked about the benefits of individual work with a tutor.

Kacper Szmergała is studying at our Faculty in the field of Applied Computer Science. He has just one word to describe the project: worthwhile!

– Collaboration with a tutor, even in the first year of studies, offers great opportunities for development – says Kacper Szmergała.  – You can get involved in a serious research project straight from the very beginning. My work involves using machine learning to detect Alzheimer's disease. The programme not only expanded my knowledge but also made me confident that I want to develop in the direction of artificial intelligence applications in medicine – explains our student.

During the conference, he talked about 'A New Method for Early Detection of Alzheimer's Disease Using MRI Image Analysis.'

– My students – Mr Kacper Szmergała (1st year of tutoring) and Mr Bartosz Brejna (2nd year of tutoring) – developed this method as part of the "Exceptionally Talented at WUST" programme. The results were so interesting that we jointly prepared a scientific paper, which will be published in the prestigious Springer publishing house. Our results will be also be presented during the ICCCI 2025 17th International Conference on Computational Collective Intelligence, which will be held in November in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – says Prof. Adrianna Kozierkiewicz,  tutor from the Department of Applied Informatics, for whom this is already the third edition in the programme.

The tutor notes that the achievements within the programme, combined with a high grade point average, have allowed Bartosz Brejna to earn numerous scholarships, including the Minister of Science and Higher Education scholarship.

Students from high schools collaborating with WUST who gathered at the Congress Centre also listened to three other presentations. Wojciech Majchrowski from our Faculty (tutored by Katarzyna Białas, M.Sc.) spoke about “The Application of Machine Learning Methods in EEG Signal Classification for Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) in Educational and Entertainment Applications.”

– When I started my IT studies, I didn't know what my future career would look like, and my biggest dream was to join the neuroinformatics research club. Now, thanks to the tutor's support, I have several career development paths in IT ahead of me, and each seems equally attractive. I am a project leader in the Neuron research club. I actively participate in scientific research, mentored by the academic staff from Wrocław University of Science and Technology, and in my free time, I develop my own mini-projects. I am very grateful to have been chosen for the program. I never imagined that one could learn so much in a year – emphasizes student Wojciech Majchrowski.

Kajetan Ksiuk from the Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology (tutored by Dr. Michał Gawełczyk) spoke about the "Control of Spin Qubits," and Mikołaj Juszczak from our Faculty (tutored by Dr. Bernadetta Maleszka), gave a presentation titled "From Cubes to Complex Solids – A Voxel Engine from Scratch."

The event finished with a lecture by Dr. Piotr Jadwiszczak from the Faculty of Environmental Engineering titled "Eco-Design as an Innovation Strategy."