, ▁and ▁K ow al ski ▁attended ▁a ▁progress ive ▁g ymnasium ▁( high ▁school ). ▁ ▁His ▁mother ▁re - jo ined ▁the ▁Polish ▁Commun ist ▁Party , ▁ ▁and ▁he ▁joined ▁the ▁Union ▁of ▁Polish ▁Youth . ▁K ow al ski ▁then ▁attended ▁the ▁Wars aw ▁Poly techn ic ▁Institute ▁( now ▁the ▁Wars aw ▁University ▁of ▁Technology ) ▁and ▁then ▁also ▁joined ▁the ▁Party . ▁ ▁As ▁an ▁engineer , ▁K ow al ski ▁special ized ▁in ▁electro - med ic ine . ▁He ▁learned ▁how ▁to ▁design ▁elect rical ▁instruments ▁for ▁do ctors . ▁He ▁obtained ▁a ▁gradu ate ▁degree ▁based ▁on ▁research ▁at ▁Wars aw ' s ▁Rad ium ▁Institute ▁( now ▁the ▁Cur ie ▁Institute , ▁Wars aw ). ▁In ▁ 1 9 5 6 , ▁his ▁application ▁to ▁work ▁in ▁a ▁nuclear ▁labor atory ▁in ▁the ▁Soviet ▁Union ▁was ▁rejected , ▁and ▁he ▁tra ve led ▁to ▁Paris , ▁where ▁his ▁father ' s ▁sister ▁lived . ▁He ▁hoped ▁to ▁be ▁able ▁to ▁purs ue ▁doctor al ▁studies ▁in ▁France . ▁A ▁written ▁recommendation ▁from ▁C ez ary ▁P aw low ski , ▁director ▁of ▁the ▁Rad ium ▁Institute ▁and ▁a ▁former ▁assistant ▁of ▁Marie ▁Cur ie , ▁helped ▁him ▁join ▁the ▁labor atory ▁of ▁J oli ot - Cur ie , ▁where ▁he ▁worked ▁for ▁the ▁next ▁seven ▁years . ▁In ▁ 1 9 6 3 , ▁having ▁obtained ▁his ▁doctor ate ▁in ▁Physics ▁from ▁the ▁Sor bon ne , ▁he ▁returned ▁to ▁Poland ▁to