From September 29, 2025, to October 3, 2025, I had the pleasure of visiting the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy at the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), a university located in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia. The visit was a part of the Erasmus+ programme for academic teachers (STA). It was coordinated from the Indonesian side by Azzah Diah Pramata, PhD. The goal was to enhance my teaching skills by exchanging experiences in teaching high-temperature corrosion, hydrogen technology, and high-entropy alloys, as well as ways to encourage young people to choose fields of study related to materials science.
During my stay at ITS I gave 4 lectures:
High temperature corrosion (HTC) – basics,
Role of alloy chemical composition and surface treatment on its HTC resistance,
HTC in water vapor – materials issues,
Novel materials for hydrogen-based energy - High Entropy Alloys.
The lectures were delivered to various student groups as a part of the Global Learning Series (GLS) programme funded by the Indonesian government. During my presentation I cited unpublished, original, and globally unique research results, including those from a project funded by the National Science Centre (NCN) and conducted under my supervision: "High-Entropy Alloys in Water Vapor – Optimization of High-Temperature Corrosion Resistance for Modern Applications." The lectures generated considerable interest and sparked numerous discussions during and after the classes.
I also attended a meeting at the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy ITS, where I became familiar with the department's structure and met its staff personally. I presented research opportunities at the Department of Materials Science, the Laboratory of Materials Research for the Aerospace Industry, and the Hydrogen Laboratory at the Rzeszów University of Technology, with the aim of identifying potential areas of research collaboration. After the meeting I visited the department's laboratory facilities, and then we discussed the possibilities of cooperation and made preliminary plans for the future.
During my stay I was pleasantly surprised by the organized trip to Mount Bromo – an active volcano which last eruption occurred about four weeks ago. From the observation deck I had the pleasure of watching the sunrise over the crater and also climbing the crater rim. Thanks to Mr Azzah Diah Pramata, PhD I also had the opportunity to visit Tumpak Sewu, a picturesque waterfall at the foot of Mount Semeru, the highest mountain in East Java (also an active volcano) at 3,676 meters. These two views will remain in my memory forever.
I consider this visit to ITS an extremely valuable scientific experience and recommend it to other academics. Thanks to it, I improved my teaching skills and I am convinced that the contacts I established with Azzah Diah Pramata, PhD and other members of the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy will result in future research projects and scientific collaborations.
Wojciech Nowak, DSc, PhD, Eng. Associate Prof.
