Mariusz Zyngier

Mariusz has been following his passion for teaching for nearly 25 years in Poland. He works in a small town in the eastern part of Poland and is dedicated to the training of the next generation of technicians and electronic power engineers. One thing Mariusz has always striven to do is encourage his students to go out and engage in the wider world, whether enabling conversations with other students in Morocco, England and Germany, or facilitating their robotics project work to compete in international competitions. His students have won gold, silver and bronze medals at a range of world competitions, including Brussels Innova (2011-15), Polish Young Inventor (2011-15), Polish Invention of 2013, the Global Science Infomatrix in Romania (2014), and the Taiwan International Youth Exhibition 2015.

In addition, the devices his students work on are often for the support of sick or disadvantaged people, whether in his community or further afield. Certain projects have focused on those with Alzheimer’s disease and rail crossing safety. Mariusz’s work has been recognized with multiple honours such as Honorary Professor of Education from the Polish government; Leonardo da Vinci Ambassador 2006; and National Teacher of the Year 2004. He is a major contributor to the curriculum in the area of electronics.

With the prize funds, Mariusz would cover the costs of supporting competition entry for his students, and would also create a network of mobile robotics labs for children at other schools. Other allocations would include educational field trips and a swimming school for deaf children.