– Look at your studies as an opportunity for self-development and a time that is supposed to prepare you for a career, not a profession – said Prof. Andrzej Kucharski, Dean of the ICT Faculty to first-year students.

The new academic year 2024/2025 was officially inaugurated on Thursday, 10 October. The ceremony in the Wrocław University of Technology main auditorium hall was attended by representatives of the faculty authorities, heads of departments and students, mainly those who are starting their studies at our Faculty. They were welcomed by Prof. Andrzej Kucharski, Dean of the Faculty, who in his welcome speech asked the young people to think about why they came to the University.

– So as to land a good job? This is also not enough. Nowadays, our classes, our knowledge, our skills that we are trying to pass on to you will quickly become outdated. The world will soon move forward, especially the industry you are entering, which is changing very quickly. By the time you finish your studies, everything will be different than it is now. Therefore, expecting that your studies will prepare you for a specific job, for a specific profession, is doomed to failure. First of all, you have to develop and learn to think. – Look at your studies as an opportunity for self-development and a time that is supposed to prepare you for a career, not a profession. All the best!

Invariants in a changing world

Professor Paweł Wachel, Vice-Dean for Student Affairs, spoke about how the University specifically supports students on their path to self-development. – I would like to draw your attention to two invariants in the context of studies, i.e. things that do not change, even though the world is changing. The first concerns the social sphere and focuses on building true, healthy, authentic interpersonal relationships – explained Prof. Paweł Wachel.

– In addition to gaining knowledge, during your studies you have the opportunity to build real, authentic, healthy interpersonal relationships – and I strongly encourage you to do so. We will try to help you as much as we can. The second invariant, independent of technology and the changes that are taking place in the world, is the pursuit of a deeper understanding of the tools that you will use in the future. There is a temptation to use an artificial intelligence algorithm: write, execute, forget. I believe that you should strive to understand the tools that you will use and that you will create.

The „Neuron” student research club is waiting for you

Traditionally, the inauguration of the academic year at our Faculty was an opportunity for students to get to know one of the student research clubs at the Faculty. This year, Paweł Dzikiewicz presented the „Neuron” Neuroinformatics Research Club. He presented the group's goals, successes and projects that it implements, including: Bore no More, MindStride, BrainBoard or Neurobeat.

–  I mentioned our projects and achievements, but the club is not only about work, the club is also a place where we can make new acquaintances, new friendships, meet people who share our passions,” said Paweł Dzikiewicz, president of „Neuron". – We care about the work in the club as much as about integration, in order to create a harmonious and friendly community.

The head of „Neuron" also mentioned that the club is now recruiting: “We invite you to join our club. We are especially looking for graphic designers for the promotional team, artificial intelligence enthusiasts, but also people who are interested in robotics or computer games – enumerated Paweł Dzikiewicz. – We especially invite first-year students, we provide an introduction period. We only require basic programming, and we will run trainings on artificial intelligence and the operation of brain-computer interfaces.

Call for challenges

Szymon Matyja, the chairman of the Student Government at our Faculty, also encouraged first-year students to use their time at the University for personal development. First, he noted that Wrocław University of Science and Technology is an exceptional university.  

– If I were to divide the educational process, I would say that it has two components: the hard one and the soft one. The hard part is everything we can write about in the curriculum, and in this respect we are incredibly lucky – noted the chairman of the self-government. – We have the privilege of learning together with our lecturers, lab technicians who are true enthusiasts and people who function in the world of science and use its methods. What does it mean to us? When I compare what we have here with what my friends and acquaintances from other technical universities have, it means that every second of our real effort put into our studies counts twice, thanks to these people. Why do I start my speech like that? In order to point to an actual contrast. Because what we get from the university is a big thing that we should learn to use, but apart from that there is a whole other world that we as students can immerse in.

Szymon Matyja also appealed to his younger colleagues to do more than just learning.

– The second, soft sphere of the educational process is the whole space in which we can immerse ourselves and get to know ourselves through the lenses of new hobbies, new friends, new places – explained the chairman. – Today I am speaking here to encourage you to be active in our student government, but also to invite you to take on new challenges and difficult decisions yourself. To learn new things, cross boundaries that previously seemed impossible to cross and meet new, valuable people. There is no better time in life for this than now. Let's take advantage of it!

Students with awards

During the inauguration, Dean's Awards were also presented for commitment and contribution to the development of the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology in the academic year 2023/2024. They went to:

•    Miłosz Chojecki (Algorithmic Computer Science)
•    Bartłomiej Gawryszuk (Technical Computer Science)
•    Paulina Korus (Technical Computer Science)
•    Miłosz Mosur (Cybersecurity)
•    Jakub Piotrowski (System Engineering)
•    Wiktor Sadowy (Artificial Intelligence)
•    Mateusz Zubrzycki (Information Technology in Automation Systems).

The Dean's Distinction for commitment and contribution to the development of the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology in the academic year 2023/2024 were given to:

•    Hubert Burzyński (Applied Computer Science)
•    Piotr Dębicki (Cybersecurity)
•    Paweł Dzikiewicz (Applied Computer Science)
•    Konrad Karanowski (Artificial Intelligence)
•    Jakub Karpowicz (Cybersecurity)
•    Magdalena Kochańska (Cybersecurity)
•    Damian Raczkowski (Technical Computer Science)
•    Paulina Szulc (Information Technology in Automation Systems).
•    Joanna Turkiewicz (Cybersecurity)

Congratulations to the awarded students.

Something for the body, soul and mind

The inaugural lecture entitled „SLEEP – a key element of good health and the path to success" was delivered by Aleksandra Karykowska, MD, PhD, from the University of Environmental and Life Sciences in Wrocław. The insomnia therapist reminded us how sleep is important for health and the learning process.  

The lecture can be watched on our  YouTube account.