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The Faculty of Education of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen (FPE) hosted the traditional Technology Olympiad. The international student conference, with a competition section, brought around 80 participants from 13 universities in 5 European countries to the West Bohemian metropolis on Thursday, 14 May. “For us, the Technology Olympiad has long been a place where future teachers, the university environment, and practice meet. This year’s participation confirms that interest in technical and polytechnic education is strong and that students are coming up with ideas that have real potential to transform teaching gradually,” said the main organizer, Jan Krotký from the Faculty of Education.

According to him, the Olympiad showed that technical education is increasingly intertwined with other areas. Alongside traditional technical and didactic projects, topics such as sustainable development, environmental education, STEM education, and digital support for mental health also appeared. This year, there was strong representation not only from the Czech Republic, but also from Poland, Greece, and Slovakia. For example, students from the Catholic University in Ružomberok brought their project titled Ekosymfónia s interaktívnym ekodomom a jeho okolím to Pilsen. They complemented the presentation of their teaching aid, created within the STEAM concept, with a themed performance. Their project also impressed the jury in one of the competition sections, where it won first place.

The expert committees also awarded projects focused on teaching with micro:bit, a pocket-sized microcomputer that enables students to master the basics of programming playfully and then build on those skills. Other successful projects included a low-current home electrical installation kit, a web portal for preparing chemistry experiments, and a publication from FPE focused on the Arduino electronic open-source platform titled Arduino ve škole: projekty pro začátečníky (Arduino at School: Projects for Beginners). Among the awarded works was also research by Iosif Armakolas from Patras, Greece, on the impact of social media influencers on the psychosocial and academic development of university students.

Students from Rzeszów, Poland, presented models in Pilsen demonstrating physical and technical principles, such as a submarine model and bridge structures made from waste materials. Other projects used microcontrollers, focused on alternative drives, teaching aids for mathematics, or the possibilities of using digital technologies in education. “It is not just a competition. For students, it is an opportunity to try out a professional presentation, receive feedback from the committee, and at the same time be inspired by how their colleagues abroad approach similar topics,” Jan Krotký said, commenting on the significance of the Technology Olympiad. The program was followed by a tour of the Robotics Center and a workshop for interested participants.

The conference was organized by the Department of Mathematics, Physics, and Technical Education of FPE, this year for the first time in the new setting of the Secondary Vocational School of Electrical Engineering in Pilsen. In addition to the presentations, participants could also see the school’s teaching facilities. The Technology Olympiad was held under the auspices of the Mayor of the City of Pilsen, Roman Zarzycký, the Rector of the University of West Bohemia, Miroslav Lávička, and the Dean of the Faculty of Education of the University of West Bohemia, Pavel Mentlík. Details about this year’s edition are available at www.olympiadatechniky.cz. The book of abstracts and the complete results are also available on the event website.