Contributed by:
Keith Stanek and Vittal Rao
University of Missouri – Rolla
Rolla, Missouri 65409-0440
U.S.A.
Contact: raov@umr.edu
Rolla, Missouri, January 11, 2001 - A delegation from the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR), led by Dr. Wendell Ogrosky, Vice Chancellor of Student and International Affairs, visited two of Europe’s leading technical universities from October 22 to 27, 2000: the VSB -- Technical University of Ostrava in the City of Ostrava in the Czech Republic and the Silesian University of Technology (SUT) in Gliwice, Poland.
The purpose of the visits was to establish cooperative programs between UMR and technical universities in Poland and the Czech Republic including student and faculty exchanges, joint research projects and an ongoing exchange of technical information.
Hosting the UMR delegation at the Technical University of Ostrava were Rector Vaclav Roubicek and Dr. Tomas Cermak, the Vice-Rector for R & D and Foreign Affairs.
The visit to VSB was a result of a cooperative agreement signed by UMR and VSB in Taipei in August, 2000 during ICEE-2000.
During the UMR delegation’s visit to Silesian University of Technology, they were received by Dr. Remigiusz Sosnowski, Vice-Rector for Science; Dr. Wojciech Zielinski, Vice-Rector for Education; Dr. Jan Chojcan, Vice-Rector for Organization and Development; and Dr. Boguslaw Grzesik, Dean of Faculty of Electrical Engineering.
Accompanying Vice Chancellor Ogrosky were Dr. Ashok Midha, the Chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics; Dr. Vittal S. Rao, the Director of the Intelligent Systems Center, and leader of the U.S. delegations at ICEE-1999 and ICEE-2000; and Dr. E. K. Stanek, the Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
During their stay at VSB, the UMR group had the opportunity to tour many instructional and research laboratories, including the Central Computer Laboratory, the PC Laboratory, the Power Electronics and Electrical Drives Laboratory, the Laboratory for Automation Measurements/Software Systems, the Robotics Laboratory, the Control System and Instrumentation Laboratory, the Central Analytical Laboratory, the Energy Research Center and the Energy Engineering Department.
The visitors were impressed by the breadth of technologies represented by these laboratories and the high-level of research and instruction carried out in the modern facilities.
A highlight of the visit to Ostrava was an opportunity for the delegation to meet with the Lord Mayor, Ing. Erzen Tosenovsky, who gave a luncheon in their honor at the City Hall.
The UMR delegation visited several of the Faculties that comprise the Silesian University of Technology, including the Faculty of Automatic Control, Electronics and Computer Science; the Faculty of Electrical Engineering; the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering; the Faculty of Power and Environmental Engineering; and the Faculty of Organization and Development.
The UMR delegation was impressed by the size of the electrical and mechanical engineering programs at SUT that rival the largest programs in the USA in terms of enrollment.
The trip to Gliwice gave Dr. Keith Stanek a chance to visit Jaworzno, Poland, the village his grandparents had left to immigrate to the USA over eighty years earlier. ”It was a real thrill to visit my family origins,” stated Dr. Stanek. He was disappointed that he did not have time to locate any relatives that may still live in the area.