The Olympiad of Technical Knowledge (OWT) organized by the Federation of NOT Scientific and Technical Associations will no longer be the same. For almost half a century it has undergone various substantive and organizational changes, but it has always been addressed to both technical and high school students. In recent years, the competition has been held in two thematic groups: mechanical/construction and electrical/electronic.
The regulations and requirements of the Ministry of Education and Science (MEiN) have changed, so the XLX edition will be narrowed only to electrical power engineering issues. This diminishes the interest of high school students, who mainly, using their knowledge of physics, competed in the mechanical-construction category. The revised formula for the Olympiad of Technical Knowledge (OWT) was announced by Professor. Ph. Eng. Stanislaw Wincenciak, long-time chairman of the OWT Main Committee, during the presentation of awards to the winners of the XLIX Olympiad of Technical Knowledge, June 15 at the Warsaw House of Technicians. – This year’s edition is the last under the current formula, but that doesn’t mean we are bringing out the banner ,” joked the professor. – The Olympiad won’t change radically, it will just be narrowed down to electrical engineering issues. However, we will try to make sure it contains elements of energy in a broader dimension.
– The change in the model of the Olympiad is due to the need to adapt its rules to the requirements of the MoE. We are closing a stage, but at the same time opening a new one. Despite these changes, I believe that young people, like their predecessors, will achieve excellent results to successfully serve the Polish economy and science, popularizing technical culture – concluded Prof. Stanislaw Wincenciak.
Thousands of students competed in the OWT each year. The competition was three-tiered and scored. For several decades, school preliminaries were organized in the form of a written test. A positive evaluation qualified participants to participate in the second level competition. During the Covid 19 pandemic, OWT underwent a technical revolution due to the increasing computerization of education and Internet access. This has set new standards for competition using IT tools developed by NOT Informatics. In this modern formula, the new Olympics will continue.
– Over these nearly half a century, some 1,000 OWT winners have been selected from among the many thousands of participants who have taken part since 1974. – emphasized with appreciation Ewa Mańkiewicz-Cudny, president of the Federation of NOT Scientific and Technical Associations, during the ceremonial Gala of awarding this year’s winners of the XLIX OWT combined with the presentation of prizes and awards to finalists of the 16th edition of the competition Young Innovator. – These successes are a great credit to both the ambitious and talented young people, as well as to the teachers and supervisors who develop in the students a love of science. In-depth knowledge in mathematics, physics, science will translate over time into wonderful and customized results in practice. As future creators of technology, you are the great hope that the movement of scientific and technical associations, which has lasted for more than 200 years, will be continues to develop rapidly. FSNT-NOT includes 40 scientific and technical associations, which bring together more than 80,000. engineers and technicians. I think that in a few years some of you will certainly become members of these associations. President Ewa Mankiewicz-Cudny thanked all participants of the OWT and the Young Innovator competition for their tremendous activity and commitment, and added: – Each of you deserves great recognition, reward and congratulations regardless of your places in the Olympiad and competition. I am convinced that it is you, who will change the world for the better in the future. The patron of the event, Minister of Education and Science Przemyslaw Czarnek, also expressed his admiration for the knowledge, interest, great technical imagination and ability to use it in practice, in a letter addressed to the winners of the Olympiad and the Young Innovator competition. Thanking the organizers for their cyclical and extremely important educational endeavors, both the competition and OWT, he addressed the youth directly with words: I wish you that participation in the noble competition will become for you the beginning of a life adventure, a ticket to fulfill your dreams and an invitation to discover the fascinating world of science. Such talented young people, whose abilities far exceed the requirements of school education, arouse my joy, admiration and appreciation, as well as an undisguised sense of pride. I believe that the success you are celebrating today will be an inspiration to deepen individual interests and also a helpful signpost in choosing a career path.
Indexes for laureates and finalists
This year’s winners and finalists of the Technical Knowledge Olympiad have already decided on their future profession. This is because they are guaranteed admission to certain technical majors, in accordance with resolutions of university senates. Some of them are already thinking about their future scientific careers.
Kacper Chałubek, winner of first place in the electrical-electronic category, competed in the OWT as a student of the fourth class of mechatronics, Technical School of Modern Technologies in Kleszczów. – I beat many rivals to the title of this year’s OWT winner. This success paved the way for me to choose my dream field of study. In a year I will decide whether it will be the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow or a trip to study abroad. I’m thinking of prestigious universities that are much higher in the rankings because of their high level of education. I plan to study electronics or mechatronics, but I’m also interested in chemistry and 3D printing. As an OWT winner, I have a much better opportunity to make my choice of major. I have a hobbyist interest in analog electronics, especially the design of measuring devices. I recently completed a reference voltage project that allows calibration of devices like multimeters. This device gives a very stable voltage at the output, allowing the multimeter reading to be compared to the actual value. This is especially important if you want to make any measurements in electronics. There are many such hobbyists in the technical school in Kleszczów. We owe this to our tutor, Mr. Artur Szczęsny, who prepared a large group of students for the OWT. In addition to me, the winner with the 8th place is also Szymon Strzelczyk. Next year, in the new format of the Olympics, we are sure to have a sizable representation again.
Tomasz Karpinski, winner of the second place in the electrical-electronic category, a student of the Tchaikovsky Electronic Technical School. Defenders of Lublin from 1939. (One year before matriculation). – I am passionate about electronics and love to program in my spare time. I also intend to associate future studies and professional work with it. I’m thinking about programming, or cyber security. I participate in many competitions and Olympiads with similar themes. This is the 3rd time I have participated in OWT, but only now have I reached the finals. In the previous year, my health prevented me from participating in this competition. Instead, I had more time to put extra effort into my studies and achieve success in this year’s Olympiad. The knowledge we gained in classes certainly comes in handy, but to become a winner you still need to deepen it on your own. I often browse the Internet for technical news and check out certain things that interest me. I then consult this with my mentor, Mr. Matthew Nawrot, who points me to yet other sources to expand my knowledge. This is the kind of thing I encourage everyone who intends to compete in the next Olympics to do.
Lukasz Forenc, a student at the T.E.E. (Electrical) School Complex. prof. Janusz Groszkowski in Bialystok (one year before matriculation), took third place in the electrical-electronic category. – This place doesn’t satisfy me, but I’m happy to have achieved at least this much. I was a dozen points short of 1st place. I have a chance to improve my results in the next Olympiad, because I’m graduating from technical school next year. I would very much like to win the first place and I will do everything to achieve it. This is because a higher placement gives you more options in your choice of university and field of study. I have a lot of work ahead of me, because good preparation for the Olympics requires a lot of effort. You have to explore a lot of technology. This is a very vast field and not everything is affordable for students to learn. However, I can always benefit from the explanations of our tutor, Mr. Richard Omieliańczyk. He is very committed to getting as many people as possible to participate in the Olympics. From our school, my younger colleague Dominik Kruszewski from 2nd grade also participated in this year’s OWT and also became a winner. He took the 5th. location. Both of us are motivated to improve this result in the next already slightly changed XLX edition of the Olympiad.
Ludwik Madej, this year’s graduate of the 1st High School named after him. Kazimierza Wielkiego in Olkusz, was awarded first place in the mechanical-construction group. – I was in a math and physics class with expanded math, physics and English. Mrs. Maria Piasny, our teacher and supervisor, always encouraged us to participate in various competitions. I think students from our school participated in approx. 50 such projects. I was also in this group. A year ago I took part in OWT for the first time. I made two silly mistakes and took 6th place. This year, knowing that I already had my studies in hand, I approached this Olympiad calmly and managed to win. I already have a diamond index of AGH, because I won such a competition. I received the maximum number of points from physics. The Technical Knowledge Olympiad, in turn, gave me admission to all technical universities. After high school graduation, I applied to the Warsaw University of Technology and was first on the list, because that’s how it works. I have not yet made a final decision on which university to choose. One thing I know for sure is that I want to be an engineer, because it is a very creative and useful profession. It is a pity that the OWT formula has changed and there will no longer be a mechanical-construction category in which high school students competed. I hope that an equally interesting proposal will be created for them so that they can compete for an index to their dream studies.
High school students disappointed with the change
High school students are disappointed with the change. This is because participation in the OWT guaranteed finalists and winners admission to certain fields of study. For many students, this was an important motivation to study and participate in the Olympiad. – The change in the formula really worried me ,” confessed Konrad Skwierczynski, a student of the First High School in Warsaw. Boleslaw Prus in Siedlce, winner of the 6th place of the XLIX Olympiad of Technical Knowledge. – A year ago I reached Stage II of the Olympiad, and this year I moved on to Stage III and was awarded the title of laureate with VI. I would certainly have had a better result if not for the absentmindedness. I lacked a bit of forethought and rewrote the mathematical formula incorrectly. Nevertheless, the way I solved the tasks with this erroneous formula was appreciated by the committee. Indeed, my reasoning was correct. I am happy with this 6. places, but I was hoping to make another progression in the XLX edition of the Olympiad and get to the top. I like this kind of competition, and as a general high school student I would have extra motivation to learn science. The ceremonial Gala at the Warsaw House of Technicians NOT, during which the winners of the XLIX Olympiad of Technical Knowledge, the 16th edition of the Young Innovator competition and the XXXVI edition of the Numerus Primus inter Pares competition for the best technical journals were awarded, was a unique opportunity to meet friends of the great Olympic family.
Jolanta Czudak
LAUREACI 49. OLYMPIADS OF TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE
Mechanical and construction group:
First place Ludwik Madej – of the Ludwik Madej High School. King Casimir the Great in Olkusz, supervisor: Maria PIASNY
Electrical and Electronics Group:
I place Kacper Chałubek Secondary School Complex in Kleszczów, supervisor: Artur Szczęsny
The full list of the winners of the 49th. OWT at: https://not.org.pl/olimpiady-i-konkursy/
