Two AGH UST alumni on the Forbes "25 under 25" list

The 25 under 25 competition is a joint initiative of the Forbes magazine and the Warsaw office of McKinsey & Company. The candidates competed in five categories: “Business”, “Social Activism”, “Science”, “New Technologies”, and “Sustainable Development and Climate”. They had to present their achievements in their respective fields, justify their professional motivations, and finally defend their work in a question session with the members of the jury. The competition has selected 25 finalists, and 5 of them became laureates in their respective categories.

Joanna Maraszek – finalist in the category “Sustainable Development and Climate”

Joanna Maraszek studied at the Faculty of Energy and Fuels and was actively involved in the work on the solar boat carried out by the AGH Solar Boat Team. Subsequently, she got involved in the Tajikistan Project, which revolved around four AGH UST students who wanted to share their expertise in renewable energy sources with their Tajik peers. Joanna Maraszek has also given her presentation during the “Vatican Youth Symposium – Youth for Global Goals”. Currently, she co-creates the Planet-A foundation that aims to disseminate knowledge on climate change. This year, the organisation plans to issue three textbooks on the subject and organise more than 100 workshops for secondary-school students in Warsaw. The AGH UST alumna has been active in the field of sustainable development and climate change for seven years. Today, in addition to working in her own organisation, she acts towards a better tomorrow by working in Plan Be Eco, which offers tools to companies to support their transition towards climate neutrality and in carbon footprint tracking, as well as the Perspektywy Education Foundation.

Przemysław Dróżdż – finalist in the category “New Technologies”

Przemysław Dróżdż studied Mechatronics at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics. The Progresja Space company, co-created by the AGH UST alumnus, is a young firm dealing with the space sector, which is a spin-off originating from the AGH Space Systems student research club. The company focuses on engines and attitude control systems for small satellites. Its products are meant to prolong the life cycle of a satellite and improve the quality of data received from outer space. The Progresja company leads a consortium, which, in 2020, received nearly PLN 5 million in funding from the National Centre for Research and Development for the project of a Pulsed Plasma Thruster for nano- and microsatellites. Earlier, Przemysław Dróżdż has been involved in a number of projects carried out by AGH Space Systems, of which he has been a chair for a year.