Students from the USA Learn about the Potential of Bialystok University of Technology

29-05-2025

A group of about 25 people is posing for a group photo in front of a large "I ❤️ PB" sign placed on the lawn. Tall trees and a fragment of a building are visible in the background. The people are standing and sitting in several rows, most of them waving at the camera or raising their hands in a greeting gesture. Green grass can be seen in the foreground. The weather is sunny, and everyone is dressed in casual, colourful clothes.

A group of students and staff from the Colorado School of Mines in the United States visited Bialystok University of Technology. They met with students and student research clubs at various faculties and toured the laboratories of the University.

The Colorado School of Mines is one of the most renowned mining universities in the world. In addition to mining engineering, it also offers programmes in mechanical engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, civil engineering, environmental engineering, landscape architecture and biotechnology. It is precisely in these fields that Bialystok University of Technology and the American institution are seeking opportunities to exchange experiences and carry out joint projects.

– I am pleased with the visit of American students to our university, – said Assoc. Prof. Dorota Anna Krawczyk, DSc, PhD, Eng, Vice-Rector for International Cooperation at Bialystok University of Technology. – During their several-day stay at Bialystok University of Technology, they had the opportunity to get to know our university and the region in which we operate. They visited the faculties of Bialystok University of Technology, met with student scientific associations, and took part in integration workshops. All of this allowed us to initiate an interesting dialogue, which led to the exchange of experiences and inspiration for future joint educational and research projects.

Students from the Colorado School of Mines explored the modern laboratories of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of Bialystok University of Technology, where they had the opportunity to try virtual welding using augmented reality technology. At the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences, they visited the laboratories and studios of the Inno-Eko-Tech Centre, including civil engineering, chemical and environmental engineering laboratories. They also visited the Faculty of Architecture of Bialystok University of Technology.

– An added value of these meetings is that the American students were accompanied by Polish students during their stay at Bialystok University of Technology, – emphasised Anna Werner-Juszczuk, PhD, Eng. from the Department of Sustainable Construction and Building Systema at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences of Bialystok University of Technology. – This enabled the exchange of experiences and integration of students from two different cultures.

In 2023, Assoc. Prof. Dorota Anna Krawczyk, DSc, PhD, Eng, Vice-Rector for International Cooperation at Bialystok University of Technology, and Anna Werner-Juszczuk, PhD, Eng. from the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences visited the university in Golden, Colorado. In addition to discussing opportunities for scientific and educational cooperation in the fields of energy and sustainable construction with researchers from the Colorado School of Mines, the conditions for academic exchange were also discussed.

In August 2025, a group of students from Bialystok University of Technology will visit the Colorado School of Mines. Among them will be Igor Gładysz, a student of environmental engineering at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences of Bialystok University of Technology.

– Our visit to the American university will last three days, – said Igor. – I’ve never participated in an international exchange programme before, so this is a new but very interesting experience for me. I was part of the group of students from Bialystok University of Technology who helped American students adapt to life in Bialystok. I’m curious to see what they will show us at their university. For me, taking part in this kind of project is an opportunity to overcome my own barriers, including language ones, but also a chance to learn about a different culture and way of studying. Our shared goal is to earn an engineering degree, but we take different paths to get there. Comparing them is very interesting.

The visit of the guests from the Colorado School of Mines was coordinated by the International Relations Offices of Bialystok University of Technology. It is yet another part of the implementation of the University’s strategy, which aims to develop international cooperation and seek new partners for the implementation of interesting scientific and educational projects.

(mr)