Dr. Alexander Nawrocki was director of the National Aeronautics and Space Agency in Canada and NASA (as the only Pole in history). He also became a professor at the University of Technology in Montreal, an astronaut trainer and head of flight control in Houston. He is also a co-author of Java programming language as well as an entrepreneur with many companies. One of them is Airspeed Equity supporting the development of start-ups.
What did you study at Lodz University of Technology?
I started my studies in 1964. I was encouraged to do so by the director of the Secondary Technical School of Electrical Engineering, which I had finished a moment earlier. He had to encourage me only because I already had a job, so I didn't think about studying. However, my exams went smoothly with one exception, and on top of that I got a scholarship. I started my studies at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, which later changed its name.
Which of the skills gained during your studies helped you on your way to professional success?
The key moment was the decision to switch to the specialization of automation and electronics, which determined my later actions and pointed the way for my ambitions. Among other things, thanks to this Faculty I was able to learn and test the most innovative solutions. I especially remember the lectures on digital technology. Those were the lectures that drove me to the computer and information technology activities. In my last year I asked the Rector for permission to work and I was employed in the Institute of Textiles. The idea was to launch one of the first Polish Odra computers. The time of my internship in Elwro only confirmed that I wanted to go in this direction.
Could you share an anecdote from your studies?
My most interesting memory connected with my studies will forever remain the very beginning, that is the entrance exam. I failed the test in a foreign language, specifically Russian. This is the one exception I was talking about at the beginning. Nevertheless, at the end of the summer I received a letter from the University of Technology saying that I was accepted. It was the day when I decided to take full advantage of this opportunity. Today I speak 7 languages.
It is worth choosing Lodz University of Technology, because...
It can compete with the best in the world. Studies at Lodz University of Technology honed my knowledge and character. And most of all, they confirmed that the most important thing is lack of self-doubt. It was the latter which later allowed me to work and enjoy success with graduates of MIT, Yale, Harvard or Stanford.