Studying at Lodz University of Technology is a good start into the future. Mateusz Łukasik, this year's graduate of the Faculty of Chemistry at Lodz University of Technology, a lab technician at Atlas Sp. z o. o., who started his professional path right away from the top.
You seem like a man who likes his job ...
Definitely yes! Every morning I wonder what the day will bring, what design problem I will have to face. Work has become my passion and pleasure. Anyone who knows me can confirm this - especially my wife, who always laughs when she sees me leaving for work in the morning with joy.
You work at Atlas Sp. z o. o., which is a leader in the construction chemicals market in Poland. Probably it was not easy to get a job in a company with such a high market position?
It's true, I had the pleasure to go straight to a company where professionals work. It was a great honor for me because I started working with Atlas as a student. And all thanks to the project "Chemik! Praktykuj! " at the Faculty of Chemistry, which made it possible to take up paid internships in large and specialized companies. I sent my application to Atlas Sp. z o. o, and then I had a shord interview, after which I started my internship. I was afraid whether I would reconcile full-time work with studies, but today I know that applying to this company was one of the best decisions of my life.
Working as a laboratory assistant in the Research and Development Laboratory in the Research and Development Division sounds quite puzzling. What exactly do you do?
Simply put, I participate in the process of creating new products, starting with the research of raw materials. Of course, the finished product is also thoroughly tested on the basis of a representative sample delivered from the production plant. Both strength parameters and working properties should be carefully checked so that contractors are satisfied with the processing method and investors are satisfied with the obtained effect. So I test practically all cement-based products available in Atlas' offer - from tile adhesives, through waterproofing to external and internal plasters. I also like traveling, and the opportunity to visit various construction sites or production plants is an opportunity for this.
Let's go back a bit in time. Many students know from the first years of secondary school which studies they would like to study. Were you so determined as well?
Oh no ... As a student I wanted to be an IT specialist, but at one point I realized that this field of study does not suit a person who does not like monotony. I was fascinated by the world, especially by the construction world. I liked to join in mixing mortars in a concrete mixer or choose the right cement.
And you decided to choose a course that combines work in a laboratory with a construction site...
Ha, ha, ha, you could say that. It's a bit like taking products from a construction site and decomposing them into prime factors. During the laboratory classes, we learned, for example, the properties of cement or bituminous materials used in road construction. But we also had practical classes, teaching how to install a drywall on your own, fill the joints between them, create your first concrete mix or choose the right ingredients to obtain an elastomer with the desired properties. It can be said that construction chemicals are a direction for people who are not afraid of challenges, are open to life and are not focused on one specific profession
During his studies, trips to Gdańsk and Kraków also began. And that's for the whole semester ... What did you learn outside the walls of Lodz University of Technology?
Yes, as part of the course of study, the student must spend one semester at partner universities, which are the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków and the Gdańsk University of Technology. Each of the universities specializes in its field, and this allows students to meet specialists in their field. In Krakow, the main issue is ceramics and everything related to it. Thanks to this, I learned about issues related to concrete, plaster, construction ceramics and glass. In Gdańsk, I learned the secrets of corrosion of building materials and many aspects related to environmental protection and chemical analysis. These 5 years of studies, spent not only at Lodz University of Technology, were an amazing time. Gaining knowledge, a lot of new acquaintances and a lot of memories - this will not be taken from me anymore.
I guess you had to organize your first year of studies differently to be able to go to other cities afterwards?
Yes, trips affect studies from the very beginning, if only due to the fact that classes such as physical education or foreign language classes for students of this field start from the first semester, which is an exception at the entire Lodz University of Technology. Later, in the fourth semester, classes are held in groups with students from one of the partner universities who are currently at Lodz University of Technology. This allows the exchange of experiences and learning new ways of learning. During studies we always laughed that this is an "Erasmus", only in Poland;) When someone asks, I always answer that I felt best in Lodz at Lodz University of Technology - this is where it all began, here I entered the world of studying.
You sweept through your studies, and in your spare time ... you were active in the Storm Observer Network Association.
Yes, and I still like to do it! I am not so much a storm hunter as an observer. Violent meteorological phenomena from childhood aroused in me a certain fear, but also fascination. This is how I came across a map page that showed the location of the storm cells and their trajectory. Over time, this fear began to turn into curiosity and even greater fascination, which was associated with increasing knowledge in this area. For several years, together with a group of enthusiasts, and since 2018, officially as the Association of the Storm Observer Network, we have been creating the www.ever-beauty.info portal about storm phenomena, allowing you to check the current situation and expand your knowledge of the field. We have an application called the Monitor Burz. Personally, as one of the founding members of the Association, I am a synoptic and observer. I am also responsible for real-time relations and running social networking sites. And when time permits and there are conditions for it - I go out into the field to observe violent phenomena.
interviewed by Dr. Aleksandra Pawlik
Pictures: Atlas Sp zoo, private archive of Mr. Mateusz Łukasik