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Metal printing with minimal waste, electrostatic sorting of plastics, or the possibilities of nanomaterials and hydrogen economy - 21st century topics that are currently being addressed by three technical faculties of UWB - Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Applied Sciences. At the Social Evening of UWB, which took place on 3 December at the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art, all of them showed the path they have taken in the field of science and teaching in the 75 years of their existence. The highlight of the evening was the presentations of three scientists and their works on these topics.

In addition to the important anniversary, another theme ran through the evening - sustainability. It was also the end of the UWB & Sustainability autumn campaign, which the university used online and on posters in the centre of Pilsen to draw attention to its research and education of the future.

Ivana Zetková spoke on behalf of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and presented 3D printing and additive manufacturing technologies to an audience of politicians, partner companies and institutions and university colleagues. She focused in particular on waste-free 3D printing of metals and on the recycling of metal powder, from which new products can still be created. "The 3D printer can already be found in space on the International Space Station (ISS), it has come a significant way in the field of development since the 1980s when this method was created," she said.

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering was represented by Jiří Kuthan, who demonstrated the issue of ubiquitous plastics on a plastic tube. "In 2022, 32 million tonnes of plastic waste were produced worldwide. If we were to convert this difficult to imagine number into a volume and fill the city of Pilsen with it, we would not have to wait from today until Christmas Eve to see if we would get snow here at Christmas, as the city would be covered with 77 cm of plastic waste in this short period of time," the scientist caught the attention of all the participants and continued with the research on recycling possibilities, which is the responsibility of the entire team of the faculty.

David Kolenatý then spoke on behalf of the Faculty of Applied Sciences on the development of nanomaterials at the NTIS research centre. The expert spoke about the global energy consumption, which is mainly made up of fossil fuels and is constantly increasing. Linked to this is the often discussed increase in the carbon footprint. According to him, a possible solution is nuclear and renewable energy. It is then important to store the energy generated appropriately, which is what research into nanomaterials is all about. But people have also learned about smart windows, which, thanks to these materials, can transmit and reflect heat according to the current conditions in the room.

The speakers were followed by the Rector of UWB Miroslav Lávička, who aimed to present the vision of the University, building on the ongoing efforts to make the institution sustainable. "Our colleagues from individual faculties and institutes - not only from the technical ones - are engaged in research related to sustainability and are trying to reflect this topic in teaching, which is very important. So we are now asking the question: What will sustain our society as we know it for generations to come?" He said. According to the rector, it is mainly the emphasis on quality study offerings and on establishing long-term cooperation with partners who can help translate theoretical knowledge into practice. However, when creating these strategies, it is also necessary to perceive the surroundings of the University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the ambition is the world - whether it is about cooperation or making sure that the activities of the University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences are known far beyond the borders.

75 years ago, on 17 October 1949, Pilsen welcomed the first students of the University of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (VŠSE), which was then part of the Czech Technical University in Prague. It was this event that started the tradition of technical education in the region. The evening commemorated not only this important historical milestone, but also the journey of the school, which became the University of West Bohemia in 1991 and gradually expanded its offer to include other fields of study.Technology and sustainability go hand in hand. With this step, the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen proves that it is not only a centre of education and innovation, but also an institution that is aware of its responsibility towards society and the planet.

The celebration of 75 years of technical education left not only the impression of a deep tradition, but also the hope that Pilsen will remain an important point on the map of technical progress in the decades to come.