Prof. Jan Krysiński, head of the £ód¼ University of Technology for the fourth straight term, knows how to combine research with social work. Krysiński may be 74 years old, but he has the energy of 10 people, attracting jealous looks from his colleagues and students.

Born in Warsaw, Krysiński has spent most of his life in £ód¼, Poland's second largest city, studying and then working at the local university of technology. He obtained his master's degree in 1957, majoring in power engineering. He also obtained a Ph.D. degree at the university's Mechanical Department in 1965, followed by a postdoctoral degree nine years later. In 1980, he received the title of professor, and 12 years later he obtained an honorary doctorate from the Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland.

Highly respected in the academic community, Krysiński chairs a local organization that brings together the heads of state-run universities in £ód¼, and he also chairs the national Conference of Rectors of Polish Universities of Technology.

In the service of science

In 1960-65, Krysiński headed a design team that developed Poland's first low-capacity gas turbine for fire pumps. The turbine subsequently went into mass production at the WSK Transportation Equipment Factory in Rzeszów.

As a young scientist, Krysiński initiated Poland's first research project involving gas bearings and micro turbines. He set up a vibrant research center that dealt with these issues at the Institute of Flow Machines. The center developed a computation method and experimental research into gas bearings and micro turbines. It also designed a number of devices, including high-rotation grinding and drilling spindles, a turbine dental drill and spindles for the textile industry. Together with his colleagues, Krysiński examined non-stationary phenomena of the rotor-stator interaction in axial-flow turbines, showing that it was possible to improve the efficiency of turbines by adjusting the positions of the stator and rotor. He developed a general flow theory for axis-flow, centripetal-flow and mixed-flow turbine rotors. Krysiński holds and co-owns a total of 13 patents.

In with the times

After a period when many Polish technical colleges were struggling to make ends meet, engineering education is now reviving in £ód¼, Krysiński says. Many graduates of technology universities are getting interesting jobs in their professions and enjoy spectacular careers. "When I became rector for the first time in 1990, we had 6,000 students and 4,000 teachers; today, there are almost 21,000 students and 2,850 teachers," Krysiński said, adding that the number of teachers is smaller than in the past thanks to a good human resources management policy. "The students are learning from the best teachers," he says.

Krysiński has come up with an idea to open a high school linked to the £ód¼ University of Technology. The university aspires to create the best tuition-free high school in the city, with a focus on the sciences and foreign languages. In the beginning, the high school will admit 75 students in three grades. Some classes will be taught in English, and the students will also have classes at labs that are normally used by college students.

As rector of the £ód¼ University of Technology, Krysiński gave remarkable service to the school during his first two terms in 1990-96. Together with professors Boles³aw Bolanowski, Janusz Turowski, Roman Zarzycki and Józef Mayer, he undertook a campaign to turn the university into a modern school recognized across Europe. One of the most important moves was the establishment of three new departments, two in £ód¼ and one in the university's branch in the southern town of Bielsko-Bia³a. In £ód¼, the Organization and Management Department was established in 1991, followed by the Chemical Engineering and Environmental Protection Department in 1992. In Bielsko-Bia³a, the Department of Textile Engineering and Environmental Protection opened in 1994. Moreover, in cooperation with France's Lyon University 2 and several schools in £ód¼, the £ód¼ University of Technology launched a special program called Université dela Mode at the Textile Department.

In 1993, Krysiński initiated the establishment of the International Faculty of Engineering (IFE), where classes are only taught in English and French. In 1996, the faculty had around 200 students, growing to more than 500 in 2001, including students from France, Denmark, Spain and Scotland.

Around the same time, Krysiński's efforts resulted in the establishment of a Computer Center that laid the groundwork for developing a computer network at the £ód¼ University of Technology. The Computer Center also coordinated the development of a computer network in the city of £ód¼ and local libraries. Another new institution was the Center for Laser Diagnostics and Therapy, opened in a modern building that houses a health clinic and a small hospital.

Community work

While continuing his work as head of the £ód¼ University of Technology, Krysiński wants to build a sports center for the university's students and introduce a new heating system for the school based on geothermal waters. By the end of this year, two 4-kilometer-deep wells will be drilled within the campus. Research by scientists from the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) and the AGH University of Science and Technology in Cracow shows that 200 cubic meters of hot water can be obtained from the area per hour. "First, we will build a heating system for the university and soon after that we will also make it available to other districts of £ód¼," Krysiński says. The project will cost zl.50 million, taking more than a decade to pay back, but its beneficial effect on the environment will be invaluable. The city is looking forward to subsidies from the European Union, which may cover up to 80 percent of the cost.

As an added benefit, the university will establish a center for education on the use of renewable energy, including geothermal heat and power. The center will be open to students and researchers from around the world.

The town of Uniejów near £ód¼ will be home to Poland's first power plant based on geothermal waters additionally heated with the use of what are called energy crops. This is a unique project on a global scale; the only other such hybrid power plant is located in the U.S. state of Alaska. The design of this environment-friendly power plant in Uniejów is being developed by a team of researchers at the £ód¼ University of Technology, who have received a grant of zl.600,000 for this purpose from the Scientific Research Committee.

Citizen of the world

Krysiński has taught at many foreign universities and worked as a professor at the Pierre and Marie Curie University, Paris 6, and the University of Sciences and Technology in Oran, Algeria. He has given a series of lectures at the Université Libre de Bruxelles and taught seminars at the Laval University in Quebec; the University of Technology in Montreal; Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers in Paris; the Paris 6 University; the Lyon 3 Jean Moulin University; and Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) in Aachen, Germany. Krysiński has written and co-written 60 original papers, contributed to three scientific books, and written a textbook that has had three foreign editions in French.

Krysiński is particularly fond of his title as a knight of the Knightly Order of St. George. The organization deals with charity projects such as vacation camps for children from poor families, and it is planning to build a nursing home for senior citizens near £ód¼.

An avid music lover, in 1992 Krysiński launched a series of concerts entitled "Music at the University of Technology" that have been enormously popular with the school's employees and the general public.

Urszula Imienińska