Student Scientific Expedition EUROTRIP 2008
In May 2008, the staff of the Department of Thermal Power Engineering and the Department of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning of the Institute of Industrial Equipment and Power Engineering, together with students, organised a ten-day Student Scientific Expedition, the route of which ran through six Central European countries.
The Expedition was attended by students of 3rd and 4th year of Energy Engineering and 4th year of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning.
The trip made it possible to confront the acquired theoretical knowledge with practice ‒ various production technologies, from traditional human hand valve casting in Herz company on the outskirts of Vienna to the highly automated line of Italian company Aermec, which manufactures, among others, equipment for ensuring thermal comfort. The participants of the Expedition also had the opportunity to see the Thermal Incineration Plant in Spittelau, Vienna, whose facade was designed by the famous architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser. This made it clear that a plant such as the so-called waste incineration plant could be an example of a symbiosis of technology, ecology and art, and thus a great contribution to the reduction of “optical pollution” in Vienna.
Using the hospitality of Professor Hartmut Spliethoff, from the Energy Institute of the Technical University of Munich, the students had the opportunity to compare the scientific activities of the Department of Thermal Power Engineering of the Cracow University of Technology and the German Institute and to discuss the situation and future of the Polish and German energy sector. Another fascinating visit to Munich was a visit to the magnificent Museum of Technology, where giant models and original devices were used to observe the development of the construction of technical devices that took place over the centuries.
Of course, apart from the didactic aspect, the students had the opportunity to visit many legendary cities, such as Venice, Padua and Verona, as well as the aforementioned Vienna and Munich, where they can visit the Olympic Village, the most modern football stadium Allianz Arena, or the BMW Museum.
An unforgettable experience, as well as a perfect rest from the hustle and bustle of the big cities, was the accommodation in the Alps at an altitude of 1300 m above sea level and a longer visit to the picturesque Monselice, where even the strike of Italian transport did not prevent the members of the Expedition from enjoying the landscape and the wonderful sun during a bicycle trip. The few daredevils also had the energy to climb up to the top of the world’s largest ski jumping hill in the Slovenian Alps in Planica.
This great trip was only possible thanks to the kindness of the University Authorities and the generosity of the sponsors:
– His Magnificence the Rector of the Cracow University of Technology Prof. Józef Gawlik,
– Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Polish Committee of Sciences Prof. Krzysztof Szuwalski,
– Plenipotentiary of the Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Polish Committee for Student Internships, Marek Brzeżański, PhD, Eng,
– Prof. Barbara Tal-Figiel, supervisor of the Students’ Scientific Clubs of the Cracow University of Technology,
– Ryszard Młodzianowski, M.Sc., Eng., President of the Management Board of Elektrownia Skawina SA,
– President of the Management Board of Miejskie Przedsiębiorstwo Energetyki Cieplnej S.A. in Kraków,
– Director of the Institute of Industrial Equipment and Power Engineering.
