“You embody everything that the very best universities aspire to stand for: courage, passion, dreams and the determination to accomplish them,” said Prof. Alojzy Z. Nowak, Rector of the University of Warsaw, welcoming Dr Eng. Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski to the University of Warsaw. On 19th December, the astronaut’s final meeting took place as part of the scientific and technological tour “IGNIS – Poland Reaches for the Stars”.

The University of Warsaw hosted the final event of the technological and scientific tour “IGNIS – Poland Reaches for the Stars”, organised by the Ministry of Development and Technology, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, and the Polish Space Agency, in cooperation with the European Space Agency.

The event was an opportunity to discuss Polish space research and modern orbital technologies. Its central highlight was a meeting with Dr Eng. Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski – the second Pole in history to travel into outer space.

“You embody everything that the very best universities would like to be known for: courage, passion, dreams and the determination to accomplish them. I am delighted that you have visited the University of Warsaw – an open and tolerant institution with outstanding achievements in physics, astronomy and artificial intelligence,” said Prof. Alojzy Z. Nowak, Rector of the University of Warsaw, opening the academic part of the meeting in the auditorium of the Old Library at the University’s Main Campus.

The event was attended by, among others, Dr Marcin Kulasek, Minister of Science and Higher Education; Michał Jaros, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Development and Technology; Dr Marta Wachowicz, President of the Polish Space Agency; as well as university authorities, academics, doctoral candidates and students of the University of Warsaw.

“We have met thousands of young people united by curiosity and a fascination with space, technology and science. And it is exactly such people that I see here today. The “IGNIS” tour was an investment in young talents who will work for the good of our country,” said the Minister of Science and Higher Education.

The “IGNIS – Poland Reaches for the Stars” tour began on 15th October and connected 26 universities across Poland. Nearly 13,000 young people took part, including students, doctoral candidates, as well as primary and secondary school pupils.

Dreams are meant to be accomplished

“I am pleased that over the past two months I have been able to share knowledge with young people all over Poland. During the “IGNIS” tour, I tried to convey the idea that dreams are meant to be accomplished. Dreams turn into goals, and goals turn into plans, which you put down on paper and, on that basis, define milestones,” said Dr Eng. Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski.

During his talk, the astronaut spoke about preparations for the mission, the launch and docking with the International Space Station. Together with two students, he also conducted a simulation of a stay aboard the ISS.

During the event at the Old Library, Dr Eng. Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski presented the Rector of the University of Warsaw and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education with the IGNIS mission flag and patch. Prof. Alojzy Z. Nowak awarded the astronaut the Medal of the University of Warsaw.

Experiments and questions

During the academic session, two experiments from the IGNIS mission were discussed:

• Immune Multiomics – examining the impact of spaceflight on the human immune system. By analysing blood samples taken from astronauts before, during and after their stay on the International Space Station, scientists investigate whether immune cells behave differently in microgravity conditions and how quickly they return to normal after returning to Earth. The experiment was presented by Dr Alicja Trębińska-Stryjewska from the Military University of Technology named after Jarosław Dąbrowski;
• Wireless Acoustics – aimed at developing a wireless system for continuous noise monitoring on the International Space Station and for assessing astronauts’ personal exposure to noise. The system used small devices equipped with Bluetooth technology and MEMS microphones, enabling more efficient and reliable measurements. Data were transmitted wirelessly to the EveryWear application, integrating noise exposure data with astronauts’ physiological and medical parameters. The experiment was presented by Bartłomiej Barwicz, CEO of Svantek.

Participants at the Old Library had the opportunity to speak with the astronaut during a Q&A session. Academics and students asked, among other things, about moving around on the ISS, coping with emotions, recruitment for the IGNIS mission, and even about smells in space.

Scientific debate

Dr Eng. Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski also took part in a panel discussion devoted to the scientific aspects of the IGNIS tour and mission. Prof. Maciej Raś, Vice-Rector for Student Affairs and Quality of Teaching and Learning at the University of Warsaw; Dr Alicja Trębińska-Stryjewska; Bartłomiej Barwicz; and Dr Milena Ratajczak, Deputy Director of the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Warsaw, spoke with the astronaut about, among other topics, the importance of basic research, cooperation between science and business, and educating young people for the development of astronomy.

Meeting with pupils

The educational part of the event took place in the Auditorium Maximum, where student scientific groups from the University of Warsaw presented their activities and experiments. Primary and secondary school pupils also had the opportunity to talk with Dr Eng. Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski. More than 500 pupils from primary and secondary schools took part in the educational programme.

Recordings of the academic and educational sessions are available on the University of Warsaw’s YouTube channel.

Press conference

A press conference was also held at the University of Warsaw, attended by journalists representing print and online media, radio and television. The series of meetings held as part of the “IGNIS – Poland Reaches for the Stars” tour was summarised by Minister Dr Marcin Kulasek. During the conference, Rector of the University of Warsaw Prof. Alojzy Z. Nowak offered Dr Eng. Uznański-Wiśniewski a position at the University of Warsaw and declared his readiness to establish a team at the University under his leadership.