Gdańsk Tech students with a gold medal in the 45th Odyssey of the Mind World Final in the USA | Gdańsk University of Technology

– The uniqueness of our solution was based on adapting the ambiguity of the word star, i.e. a heavenly construct and a show business personality, into a representation. This Star was discovered by tireless yet rather reckless researchers who, due to the multitude of their research, led, as it later turned out, to the deliberate collapse of the star. The performance's inclusion of word games, quite specific humor and numerous joking references to American pop culture was appreciated by the judges and the audience - this is how the students explain their idea.

– The second challenge was to build a balsa wood structure that weighed 14.8 g and carried 340 lb ~ 154 kg during our performance – explains Iga Kęsicka. – As we are future architects, the experience gained from building the tower allowed us to better and more tangibly understand the laws of physics governing buildings. Thanks to numerous tests of various construction settings, we learned how our previously dry calculations and technical drawings actually work.

Over 700 teams from around the world, including 32 teams from Poland, took part in the World Finals at Iowa State University on 21 – 26 May 2024. The Poles returned to the country with 10 medals (4 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze) and one of them - the gold medal - was won by the Gdańsk Tech team. Each team's project is assessed comprehensively, many criteria are taken into account, including: creativity and effectiveness of solutions, approach to the task requirements, presentation on stage, performance script and many others.

– The Odyssey is a truly amazing adventure that I have been involved in for over 6 years. One of my goals during my studies was to establish a student team, which I achieved thanks to the help of our coach Agnieszka Armatyńska from the Education Office and the good advice of Joanna Kowalewska. I am extremely pleased with the opportunity to infect others with an unusual approach that allows for different solutions to the problems that surround us - says Patryk Karpiński, the initiator of the entire project.

– Yes, it's true, Odyssey of the Mind showed me that often impossible things require a different, creative approach to the situation. The atmosphere in which the competition is organized allows you to feel like a child again, who derives great satisfaction from the opportunity to explore previously undiscovered paths of action - which are so difficult to choose in today's "adult" world," adds Zuzanna Kośnik.

Half a century of the Odyssey

In the spring of 1978, teams representing 28 New Jersey high schools competed in the first creative problem-solving tournament. The originator of this tournament was C. Samuel Micklus, PhD from Rowan University in the USA. Thus, Odyssey of the Mind was born. The program was initially developed only in the United States. Currently, several hundred thousand people participate in the Odyssey of the Mind every year in over twenty countries. The first Odyssey team in Poland was established in 1989.