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Various stuff related to my professional life. Some of it in English, some of it in Polish.

  1. Translations
  2. Rector’s elections at the University of Warsaw in 2020


Translations

Since mid 1990’s, I have been translating popular books and textbooks from English to Polish. According to a well known anecdote, Stefan Bergman had once said I speak many languages but English the bestest. I might say practically the same; I’d just insert the words not so in front of Bergman’s many, and replace (his) English with (my) Polish. If you know who Bergman was and have read, or even just browsed, one of these translations, then you will surely agree.


Covers of my book translations (published 1998-2009).

  1. Leonard Mlodinow. The Drunkard’s Walk. How Randomness Rules Our Lives. Pantheon Books, New York, 2008. Polish translation published by Prószyński i S-ka, 2009, and for the 2nd time by Zysk i S-ka, 2022.

  2. (with Monika Betley): Natalie Angier. Canon. A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science. Houghton Mifflin; 1st edition, 2007. Polish translation published by Prószyński i S-ka, 2008.

  3. Ian Stewart. Letters to a young mathematician. Basic Books, 2006. Polish translation published by Prószyński i S-ka, 2008.

  4. Ian Stewart. Math Hysteria: Fun and Games with Mathematics. Oxford University Press, 2004. Polish translation published by Prószyński i S-ka, 2006.

  5. (with Piotr Rybka): Lawrence Craig Evans. Partial Differential Equations. AMS, 1998. Polish translation published by PWN, 2003.

  6. M. Aigner, G. Ziegler. Proofs from the Book. Springer. 1st edition: 1998; 2nd edition: 2000; 3rd edition: 2004. Polish translation (of the 2nd edition) published by PWN, 2002.

  7. M. Gardner. The last recreations Hydras, Eggs, and Others Mathematical Mystifications. Springer, 1997. Polish translation published by Prószyński i S-ka, 2004.

  8. S. Singh. Fermat’s Enigma. Walker and Company, New York, 1997. Polish translation published by Prószyński i S-ka, 1999.

  9. Amir Aczel. Fermat’s Last Theorem: Unlocking the Secret of an Ancient Mathematical Problem. Four Walls Eight Windows, New York, 1996. Polish translation published by Prószyński i S-ka, 1998.


Rector's elections at UW, 2020 / Wybory Rektora UW 2020

In the Spring of 2020 I took part in the Rector’s elections at the University of Warsaw, and lost, receiving 28.3% of the electoral votes and taking the second place (there were three candidates; the remaining two obtained 55.6% and 16%, respectively). You will find here some of the texts that I wrote in Polish between mid February and June of 2020.

  1. Wyzwanie i odpowiedzialność 2020: co matematyk myśli o opiniach humanistów. 15-20 lutego 2020. pdf
  2. W drogę. 6-27 marca 2020. pdf
  3. Propozycje pierwszych decyzji i działań. 12 maja 2020. pdf
  4. Uniwersytet Warszawski: zbudujmy prawdziwą wspólnotę. 25 maja 2020. Slajdy z debaty kandydatów, pdf
  5. Program pierwszych działań dla UW: propozycja po konsultacjach środowiskowych. 14 czerwca 2020. pdf