During their visit, the students also visited St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering. They had a chance to see the laboratories at two universities which included ITMO U’s FabLab, they also visited the affiliated degree Chair of Ecology and Technical Sphere Protection at ITMO University, D.I.Mendeleyev Institute for Metrology, the Rosstandart Metrology Museum and ITMO U’s Museum of Optics. They learned about how the standards for measurement in Russia and had a chance to learn about St. Petersburg and get to know other Russian students.
“I was really impressed by the FabLab at ITMO University. I like the idea that students can work there on their own, work on some project, and the university provides them with the necessary equipment. We don’t have such a lab at our university. Of course, I’m not sure how you would apply these technologies for our students because they are learning about architecture and FabLab is focused more on R&D engineering. I also found the Museum of Optics very interesting,” commented Szewczyk Bartłomej Jakub, a lecturer at the Cracow University of Technology who was leading the group from Poland.
He also suggested the possibility to arrange exchange programs between Cracow University of Technology and universities in St. Petersburg, where students would be able to spend a semester studying at a partner-university. The visit of the Polish students also included a chance to get to know the fields of study at ITMO University and its development pathways, which will contribute to international educational collaboration between St. Petersburg and Polish universities.
The students from Poland said that St. Petersburg is like a mix of the most beautiful cities in Western Europe: Venice, Paris and others.
“In terms of education and equipment in universities, it is not much different from what we are used to seeing in Poland. Some laboratories here are better than at home," said Przesmycka Apolonia Magdalena.
Another participant from the Polish group, Gracki Jakub Sylwester said that the FabLab at ITMO University and other student labs were a highlight for him. He said that he was really interested in visiting Russia, as he wanted to compare the country to other countries in Western Europe.
"The only thing that was difficult was the language. Here barely anyone speaks English. It’s also hard to read what is written on street signs. But the rest is very much like a European city," he said.
