Honeywell Brings Nobel Laureate And Its Science And Engineering Initiative To Czech Technical University

Nobel Laureate Robert Wilson, discoverer of the background radiation caused by the Big Bang, inspires students to pursue careers in science and engineering

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Nov 04, 2014, 09:00 ET

PRAGUE, Nov. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Honeywell (NYSE: HON) today brought Nobel Laureate Robert W. Wilson to Czech Technical University for a two-day program of inspirational exchanges with students and faculty of the university.

The visit, organized by Honeywell Hometown Solutions, marks the fourth time that Honeywell has brought a Nobel laureate to visit the university. Through its Honeywell Initiative for Science & Engineering (HISE), Honeywell aims to cultivate and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers and provide an opportunity for students to interact with winners of the Nobel Prize in physics and chemistry.

Dr. Wilson is an American astronomer who received the 1978 Nobel Prize in physics with colleague Arno Penzias for the 1963 discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation caused by the Big Bang that began the universe some 15 billion years ago. The discovery served as important evidence for an expanding universe.

During his visit, Dr. Wilson shared his experiences from his long and distinguished scientific career, and offered students advice on how to think about their future. "If your passion leads you toward science or engineering, I strongly encourage you to get a good background in math, physics, chemistry, biology and computing before specializing in any one area," he said. "The knowledge you gain will serve you well in whatever field you choose, and will continue to evolve in the future."

Later he toured the university's laboratory, interacted with students through informal meetings, and met many faculty members.

"We are delighted to host the Honeywell Initiative for Science & Engineering program at the Czech Technical University in Prague, which gives students a unique and inspiring opportunity to meet a Nobel laureate," said CTU Rector Petr Konvalinka. "Over the years we've maintained close links with Honeywell on academic exchanges, R&D programs and talent cultivation. We look forward to continued partnerships through HISE and other programs."

Martin Sebesta, Site Leader, Honeywell Aerospace Olomouc, noted, "As a world-leading, high-tech manufacturing company, innovation is at the core of everything we do, and I believe it holds the key to achieving future growth in Czech Republic. We will continue to work with first-class universities like CTU that have rich academic records and strong research capabilities to cultivate new engineers who will go on to become the innovators of their generation."

Through HISE, Honeywell partners with top universities in China, Czech Republic, India, Mexico and other high growth regions to inspire students to pursue careers in science and engineering. The initiative includes a series of lectures by Nobel laureates, career discussions with Honeywell's top engineers in the region, and informal interactive exchanges between the laureates and students.

Czech Technical University is one of three Czech Republic universities selected to take part in the HISE program, along with Brno University of Technology and the Technical University of Ostrava. To date, Honeywell has sponsored laureates in Czech Republic eight times. In addition, Honeywell sponsors scholarships and provides intern opportunities for students.

Dr. Wilson discovered the cosmic background radiation while working on a new type of antenna at Bell Laboratories in Holmdel, New Jersey, where he continued to conduct research until 1994, when he was named a senior scientist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he remains today. He also won the Henry Draper Medal of the National Academy of Sciences in 1977.

About Honeywell Hometown Solutions
The Honeywell Initiative for Science & Engineering program is part of Honeywell Hometown Solutions, the company's corporate citizenship initiative, which focuses on five areas of vital importance: Science & Math Education, Family Safety & Security, Housing & Shelter, Habitat & Conservation, and Humanitarian Relief. Together with leading public and non-profit institutions, Honeywell has developed powerful programs to address these needs in the communities it serves. For more information, please visit: http://citizenship.honeywell.com/.

About Honeywell
Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes, and industry; turbochargers; and performance materials. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywellnow.com.

Honeywell in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic is the cornerstone of Honeywell's global engineering strategy in Europe. The Prague Laboratory opened in 1993 and the Brno Design Center followed ten years later. In 2006, the Brno Design Center was integrated into Honeywell Technology Solutions' international network of Research, Development and Engineering centers, located in China, India and Czech Republic. This center provides support to Aerospace and Automation and Control Solutions, on a global level. Honeywell also has two manufacturing sites, with Aerospace in Olomouc and Environmental and Combustion Controls in Brno. The Prague site also serves as a hub for Finance, Integrated Supply Chain, Business Development, Customer and Product support as well as Strategic Corporate Functions such as HR, Communications, Real Estate, Legal and Procurement. More than 4,000 professionals work for Honeywell in Czech Republic.

About Czech Technical University
The Czech Technical University in Prague is one of the oldest and largest technical universities in Europe. CTU currently has eight faculties (Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Nuclear Science and Physical Engineering, Architecture, Transportation Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, and Information Technologies), and about 23 000 students study at the university. For the 2014/15 academic year, CTU offers its students 110 study programs within the framework of 441 fields of study. CTU educates modern specialists, scientists and managers, with knowledge of foreign languages, who are dynamic, flexible and are able to adapt quickly to market requirements. In 2014, CTU occupied 411th – 420th place among 3000 world universities in the QS World University Rankings. In the field of Civil and Structural Engineering, CTU was ranked in 51st – 100th place; in Mechanical Engineering CTU was ranked in 101st – 150th place; and in Computer Science and Information Systems, in Electrical Engineering, in Mathematics, and in Physics and Astronomy, the university occupied 200th place. For further information, please see www.cvut.cz.

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