By popular request I'm posting a page about Politechnika Warszawska. The first picture is of the main building finished in 1801. In front of it is a little square named after the school (as is a tram stop and a metro station), really I think the school is the easiest place to find in Warsaw, especially considering the crazy street names. The inside of the building is an huge atrium. The school uses it to boost its budget by hosting all kinds of commercial events. They even hosted a launch of some Toyota model in Poland. How they got the car up and down those steps I'll never know. The top of the atrium is covered by a cool glass roof.
Unfortunately, I don't work in that building but in a communist era behemoth across the street. I took a quick picture of the hallway, which smells very, very clean, to give you an idea of the welcoming aspect of communist architecture. Next is a picture of one of my professors and her office, which I must say are much larger than in the states. I think this is a reflection of the much higher status of professors with respect to the students than is the case in the States. Across the hall is our lab. Each research group is lead by a full professor, who directs a small number of adjunct professors, and a number of PhD students. Each group like that has its own secretary, who in our case sits in a little room on the way to the lab. And finally a picture of the lab itself. The lab has just been remodeled and I'm told its a huge improvement. On the far left you can see my desk and beyond that a tiny wireless test bed. I must say that it is amazing they can produce world class research with as few resources as they have. As far as the students go, they are incredibly bright and motivated. I was showing them some of the simulation tools I've brought with me, and was really impressed with their knowledge of networking protocols and their details. Another thing that suprised me is their work schedule. Students here work about 12 hours a day, which includes an hour and a half lunch, and generally don't work on weekends. I can't even remember last time I haven't done work on Sunday (when I was in the States that is :).