Christmas meeting and decorating of the Christmas tree at Bialystok University of Technology
20-12-2022
On 19 December 2022, the traditional Christmas Eve meeting of the university’s academic community took place. In addition to the staff and students of Bialystok University of Technology, it was attended by chaplains: Father Michał Urban, chairman of the College of Academic Chaplains of the Białystok Archdiocese, and Father Włodzimierz Misijuk. Special wishes were addressed by Assoc. Prof. Marta Kosior-Kazberuk, DSc, PhD, Eng, Rector of Bialystok University of Technology, and Adrian Twardowski, President of the Student Parliament of Bialystok University of Technology.
– Let’s take care of our relationships, – asked Assoc. Prof. Marta Kosior-Kazberuk, DSc, PhD, Eng, Rector of Bialystok University of Technology, in her speech. – Many issues are beyond our capabilities and influence. We have to adapt to them, as a community and a university. But there are things that depend solely on us. Therefore, I ask us to take care of our own health and that of our loved ones first and foremost, and take care of relationships. Let’s talk to each other, let’s make time for each other, let’s be sensitive to each other. That will make it easier for us to function both at the university and in our homes. We are a large organisation, and a good working atmosphere depends only on us, – said Assoc. Prof. Marta Kosior-Kazberuk, DSc, PhD, Eng, and wished everyone Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.
Adrian Twardowski, President of the Student Parliament of Bialystok University of Technology, expressed his wishes. – I am delighted that we can meet during this festive time. May every wish we make to each other today be multiplied. – he said.
Michael Urban asked us to remember the true meaning of Christmas and rediscover it for ourselves. – Let us remember that God is born in difficulties in order to give us peace and take away fear. He is also born in each of us, in our hearts, our families and our daily lives. In these not easy times, I wish us all peace, joy and the feeling that He is here with us. – said Father Urban.
His wishes were echoed by Father Włodzimierz Misijuk, who asked us to prepare well for Christmas, take it to heart and keep it for longer.
The Christmas atmosphere during the meeting was created by Christmas carols performed by the Choir of Bialystok University of Technology under the direction of Professor Wioletta Miłkowska. It is worth announcing that in January 2023 an album will be premiered on which our choristers sing the most beautiful Polish carols arranged by Maksym Fedorov and accompanied by instrumentalists of the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic Orchestra.
During the Christmas Eve meeting, it was also possible to see graphic works made by talented students from the “Warsztat” Student Scientific Circle from the Faculty of Architecture of Bialystok University of Technology. Their purchase was conditional on joining a fund-raising event run by Bialystok University of Technology to support a Polish school in Miedniki Królewskie in Lithuania. Graphics can be purchased for PLN 10, PLN 20 and PLN 30 until the end of December. Read more: Helping a Polish school in Lithuania! Make a donation and receive original artwork.
As in previous years, this year we also invited the academic community of Bialystok University of Technology to decorate the university Christmas tree together. The tree, on which there are more and more new decorations every day, is in front of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering.
– For several years now, the community of Bialystok University of Technology has been decorating our Christmas tree. Each faculty, each department that is at Bialystok University of Technology prepares its own unique decoration. Each of them is original and represents the specificity of a particular faculty, of a particular unit. I hope that this year the Christmas tree will be as beautiful or even more beautiful than in previous years. I also brought my own hand-made decoration, a little bit in the glamour style. – said Assoc. Prof. Agnieszka Dardzińska-Głębocka, DSc, PhD, Vice-Rector for Education.
Krzysztof Andruszkiewicz, a student at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences, put the decoration on behalf of students from the Con-Krecik Student Research Circle. – In our circle we deal mainly with concrete, so we made our decoration on a cement slurry with the addition of fine aggregate. But rest assured, we made sure that the branch would not break off underneath it. We also used foam glass and fibre to keep the whole mould stable. This is a decoration to the best of our ability and this is not our last word. I wish the entire student community “Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!” – he said standing by the university’s Christmas tree.
The Chancellor of Bialystok University of Technology, Wojciech Konopacki, MSc, put a decoration decorated with a butterfly and a flower. – It’s a simple decoration and I like such the best. – he said.
– Today we’re going to put decorations made on plywood, which was beautifully cut out by our befriended Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, as well as Christmas trees made of cement slurry. Everything will look beautiful. Despite the cold weather, we are in good humour because we came here with a whole group from the faculty. We really like this event because we have the opportunity to do something together and then decorate the Christmas tree. There is always a nice atmosphere. – said Katarzyna Kalinowska-Wichrowska, PhD, Eng, Vice-Dean for Development and Cooperation at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences.
– We were very careful with the decorations we made a year ago. They were already put on the tree last Christmas, and now we are putting them again. Because they are the most beautiful and so very festive. Our faculty’s decorations are the most beautiful! – emphasised Małgorzata Lelusz, PhD, Eng, Vice-Dean for Education and Student Affairs at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences.
– This year we have prepared a slightly different decoration. It is an angel. Hand-made, of course. We wanted a touch of our Library to appear on the university’s Christmas tree again. – said Elżbieta Kierejczuk, Director of the Bialystok University of Technology Library.
We also met staff from the University Archives and the Bialystok University of Technology History Centre. – It’s nice that people are coming. It’s nice to meet each other. And our decoration is the one with a blue ribbon. – said Maciej Kłopotowski, PhD, Eng, Arch., director of the unit.
– We put some wooden ornaments and some smaller ornaments that fit well here. It’s getting warmer by the Christmas tree! – smiled Wioletta Obidzińska, MA, Head of the Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Computer Science.
– The Faculty of Architecture puts hand-made decorations, but also those printed on a 3D printer. I think that every year we will try to bring some more interesting, more ‘bauble-like’ decoration for the Christmas tree, – announces Bartosz Śliwecki, MSc, Arch. from the Faculty of Architecture. – The atmosphere here is perfect, both in terms of the temperature outside and the people who gather here. – he added.
Dear students and staff of BUT – thank you for the unique decorations that were put on the university’s tree!
