MINT Without Borders: A Scientific Bridge Between Białystok and Germany
Passion, Cooperation and Innovation at ALO PB
At the Academic Secondary School of Bialystok University of Technology (ALO PB), we believe that science knows no borders and that the future belongs to those who can cooperate across divisions. Since 2021, our school has pursued an exceptional mission: combining a passion for MINT subjects (mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology) with building lasting Polish-German relations.
It all began with the vision and personal commitment of Artur Kuźmicz, who in 2021 established key cooperation with Ms Elisabeth Ritter, head of the Polish-German Youth Office (PNWM) in Warsaw, and Elisabeth-Gymnasium in Halle (Saale). Mr Steffen Kreuzmann provided invaluable support in this process.
Despite the difficult period of the pandemic, our cooperation flourished. Thanks to the determination of Mr Artur Kuźmicz and Mr Steffen Kreuzmann, students from Białystok and Halle met every Monday for online seminars. Under the scientific supervision of Marzena Smolewska, MSc, the young researchers analysed the quality of water, air and soil in Podlaskie and Saxony-Anhalt. The result of this work is the unique trilingual platform mint.pb.edu.pl, created under the supervision of Ms Anetta Pogrebniak.
Our projects are not only about theory. Students investigated, among other things:
- poisonous plants in the immediate surroundings,
- emissions and ambient concentrations of pollutants in the school building,
- chemical and biological hazards,
- water, soil and air pollution in Germany and Poland.
Most importantly, the results of this research have a real impact on how ALO PB operates, leading to specific environmentally responsible decisions and improved safety for our students.
Thanks to financial support from DPJW (the German-Polish Youth Office), the MINT projects have also become an opportunity for remarkable travel. In 2026, we visited Halle for the fourth time, while our partners regularly visit us in Białystok.
Our activities have been recognised at the highest levels: project participants have been and continue to be regularly received by the Mayor of Białystok, the Mayor of Halle, the Marshal of the Podlaskie Voivodeship and the Rector of Bialystok University of Technology. These are not only lessons in science, but also lessons in diplomacy and in building a European identity.
The year 2024 brought rapid development of our partnership network. Thanks to the contacts established by Mr Artur Kuźmicz:
- We established cooperation with Realschule Plus in Kirn. In April 2026, our students took part in fascinating workshops on water in Germany. In May 2026, students from Kirn visited us at ALO PB, and together we studied water quality in Białystok and sludge from the wastewater treatment plant.
- We are also intensively developing relations with Robert-Bosch-Berufskolleg in Duisburg (we hosted as many as 57 people!) and Klara-Oppenheimer-Schule in Würzburg within the Erasmus+ programme. These schools visit Białystok and conduct research in the laboratories of Bialystok University of Technology [including comparisons of food quality in Poland and Germany, the ageing and storage of medicines, and other topics].
These meetings provide an opportunity for intensive language learning, discovering our neighbours’ culture and exploring the Podlaskie region together.
The success of these projects is the result of the tremendous work and passion of many people. We would like to extend special thanks to:
- Mr Artur Kuźmicz – initiator, coordinator and language supervisor of international cooperation,
- Ms Anetta Pogrebniak and Ms Marzena Smolewska – for substantive and technical supervision,
- Ms Ewa Chmielewska and Ms Aleksandra Motyka from DPJW – for their invaluable assistance, goodwill and financial support.
We would also like to thank the authorities of Bialystok University of Technology, the Marshal’s Office, the City Office and the management of ALO PB for supporting the development of young talent.
Do you want to explore the world, travel and shape the future? Join ALO PB – here, education has an international dimension!
Documentation of our activities – photographs, videos and articles – can be found on the websites of ALO PB, Bialystok University of Technology, our MINT.pb project website and in regional media.
ALO PB is a non-public secondary school for young people aged 14–18. It operates in accordance with the principles and regulations applicable to public schools and is part of Bialystok University of Technology. The school was founded in 2016 and is intended for ambitious and talented students who wish to continue their education in science and technology, using modern technologies and the fully equipped scientific laboratories offered by our institution. The core of the ALO PB curriculum consists of advanced classes in mathematics, computer science, physics, chemistry, biology and English. German or Russian can be chosen as a second foreign language.
Since the 2020/2021 school year, the following study profiles have been available at our school:
- architecture and civil engineering
- bioengineering
- industry of the future
- information technology
- programming
Our students can be proud of:
- securing places at universities as early as their first year at our school (including Bialystok University of Technology, the Medical University of Gdańsk, Warsaw University of Technology and Gdańsk University of Technology)
- receiving numerous grants and scholarships, such as the Prime Minister’s Award, artistic awards, the Most Innovative Technology Award, the “Diamond Discoverers” Award and the Copernicus Science Centre Award
- achieving high rankings in other nationwide competitions – technical, IT, scientific, language, social, and even legal and artistic competitions (e.g. “Project with My Class”, El-Robo-Mech, Young Innovator, Education Designers, the National Competition in Economics and Entrepreneurship, Mission Book, the National Competition on Students’ Rights, Applied Mathematics, the international Náboj mathematics competition, and Galileo).
https://pb.edu.pl/liceum-ogolnoksztalcace/
https://www.facebook.com/LiceumPB/?locale=pl_PL
https://pb.edu.pl/mint/pl/alopb/
MINT Project
Joint Classes Project – MINT: analysis of soil, water and air. The aim of our project is to establish and deepen long-term and fruitful cooperation between students from Polish and German schools. We want to create an environment conducive to cooperation in which we can share observations, exchange ideas and develop together. In addition to the scientific objective of developing a common research methodology, collecting research results on water, air and soil pollution, and creating a website (in English, German and Polish) presenting the research results, we strive to foster mutual understanding of our countries, cultures, histories and customs. No Polish-German MINT project would be possible without the Deutsch-Polnisches Jugendwerk (German-Polish Youth Office).
The German-Polish Youth Office (DPJW) enables meetings and cooperation between young Poles and Germans. It finances and supports German-Polish projects.
DPJW co-finances youth meetings that are as diverse in their themes and formats as young people’s interests – from theatre and inter-school environmental projects to field hockey matches.
DPJW lays the foundations for good-neighbourly relations between Poles and Germans.
DPJW (German: Deutsch-Polnisches Jugendwerk) is the abbreviation for the international organisation known in English as the German-Polish Youth Office. In Poland, it is more commonly referred to by the abbreviation PNWM.
- Project funding: It provides financial support for all kinds of youth meetings, school exchanges, extracurricular projects, workshops and camps.
- Areas of support: It finances, among other things, artistic, sports, environmental, historical and scientific projects.
- Who can benefit: Schools, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), local governments, sports clubs and educational institutions working with young people may apply for funding.
Erasmus+ is a European Union programme supporting education, training, youth and sport. It provides funding for trips abroad for educational, vocational or volunteering purposes. Participants receive a grant and are exempt from tuition fees at the host institution.
The programme is divided into several main areas (sectors):
- Higher education: Students can study abroad for part of their degree (from 2 to 12 months) or undertake traineeships abroad. The programme also enables exchanges for university staff.
- Schools and education: Mobility opportunities for pupils and teachers, as well as participation in international school partnerships.
- Youth: Youth exchanges, training for leaders and European volunteering for people aged 13 to 30.
- Adult education: Courses, training and job-shadowing visits for educators and adult learners.
- Sport: Projects supporting local initiatives and cooperation between sports organisations.
To take part in the programme, the easiest option is to contact the international office at your university, a local youth organisation, or visit the website of the Erasmus+ National Agency directly, where detailed information on calls for applications and eligibility criteria is available. The full range of activities is also available on the official European Commission portal.
https://commission.europa.eu/index_pl
