NEWSLETTER

GRADUATES MEET COMPANIES
DAYS OF MECHATRONIC EDUCATION
THE OPTIM CONFERENCE 2014
THE ERASMUS PLUS WEEK AT TRANSILVANIA
UNIVERSITY
INFO DAY HORIZON 2020 AT BRAȘOV
TRAINING PROGRAMMES FOR FORESTERS
THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY COLLOQUIUM FOR
CONTEMPORARY ROMANIAN LITERATURE
NEW ARRIVAL TO THE COMPANIES' PODIUM
TRANSATLANTIC DIALOGUES
EXCHANGING LECTURES AND LECTURERS
IDENTIFYING AND PURSUING ACADEMIC OPPORTUNITIES
ABROAD
No. 26
June
2014
2014 NIGHT OF MUSEUMS
BOOK LAUNCH
NEW PERSPECTIVES IN THE FIELD OF TRANSLATIONS
DEBATES AND BOOK LAUNCH
ACADEMIC EXCHANGE WITH OTARU UNIVERSITY OF COMMERCE
11even EXPERIENCES
CONTEST AT THE FACULTY OF MEDICINE
HONOURING OUR PAST TO EDUCATE AT PRESENT
SOCIOLOGY AND ARCHITECTURE
ȘTEFAN ȚÎNȚ SCHOLARSHIPS
STUDENTS AND TEACHING STAFF RAN 2.5 KILOMETRES
THE BOLOGNA PROFESSOR GALA PROFESSORS WE TAKE PRIDE IN
SUCCESSFUL ALUMNI
FIDES ET EXCELLENTIA
N
EWSLETTER
Transilvania University of Bra ov
It is not the walls that make a school, but the spirit that reigns within.
(King Ferdinand I)
What purpose does the university serve
if not to pave the way for the society of wisdom?
(Paolo Blasi)
GRADUATES MEET COMPANIES
– THE 2014 EDITION
On the 21st of May, the third edition
of the Conference GRADUATES MEET
C O M PA N I E S - A F C O 2 0 1 4
(www.unitbv.ro/afco) brought together
DAYS OF MECHATRONIC EDUCATION – THE 2014 EDITION
approximately 170 student participants and over
100 representatives of more than 40 companies
Between the 14th and 16th of May, the Polytechnic University of Bucharest was the
from all over the country.
venue of “Days of Mechatronic Education”, an important academic event aimed at
Like with the previous editions, the goal of this
promoting education in mechatronics, and at integrating mechatronics with industry.
year's conference was to promote the dialogue between
Among the participants were representatives from top technical universities
our students (particularly those in their senior year) and
around
the country – apart from the hosts, the Polytechnic University of Bucharest potential employers. In particular, our main objective was to
the
Polytechnic
University of Timişoara, the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca,
apprise representatives of the business community of our
the
University
of Craiova, Transilvania University of Brașov, Gh. Asachi Technical
students' academic interests and pursuits. The conference was
University of Iaşi, Dunărea de Jos University of Galaţi, Ștefan cel Mare
organized in poster-format: the students' posters provided
University of Suceava, as well as specialists from the private industrial sector
synopses of their research projects – the aims, methodology, results
and conclusions. The posters were grouped in eight panels which
and multinational companies.
covered most of the specialisms. Like in previous years, the conference
The “Days of Mechatronic Education” subsumed a number of
format made provision for the involvement of one main partner from
related activities: The National Mechatronics Contest – the
among the business community: this year's main partner was Miele
Mechatronic Systems panel; The National Mechatronics Contest –
Tehnica, Ltd. It is worth remembering that Miele Tehnica had been the main
the Mobile Robots panel; The National Competition of Student
sponsor of AFCO 2013. Besides Miele, partners in and sponsors of AFCO 2014
Projects in Mechatronics; The National Student Conference.
were the local County Council, Raiffeisen Bank, StudEvent, Transilvania Bank,
Transilvania University was represented by teaching
Siemens, Schaeffler România, 2Net Computers, Pentalog, Pirelli, IBM. A jury
staff and undergraduate students in mechatronics from the
consisting of academics and company reps rated the students' output according to a
Department of Product Design, Mechatronics and
pre-established set of criteria. Eight prizes – one for each panel – were awarded,
Environment. For the fourth year running, our students
alongside the Grand Prize AFCO 2014.
came a distant first, surpassing all the other participant
The Conference was scheduled during the Brașov Students' Week, a project
universities. This year's winners are students Eliza
developed by the Transilvania University Student Association (ASUT). The second part of
Mihaela Cristea, Sergiu Pătrunjel, Alexandru Arabolu,
the event included an outdoors concert organized with the help of ASUT members and held
Daniel Țupu, Lucian Drăgușin, Alin Cosma, Dan
on the Memorandului Campus. The performers were Trupa 6 and the popular Direcția 5
Rogozea, Levente Foldes, Attila Guzrany, Hunor
band. Their performance was enjoyed by an audience of over 2,500 people.
Sinka, Claudiu Ivan, Adrian Lionte, Claudiu Adrian
Overall, based on the feedback received from many of this year's participants –
students and company representatives alike – this year's edition can be considered a really
Pascale, Sergiu Lucanu, Cristian Preda, Mihail
successful event.
Buzea, supervised by Dr Marius Cristian
Dr Daniel Munteanu
Luculescu, Dr Luciana Cristea, Dr Sorin
Zamfira, Dr Ion Barbu and Dr Bogdan
Burduhos.
The winning team members are
grateful to all the people who kindly and
generously provided the moral and financial
support which lead to our team's success.
Dr Luciana Cristea
OPTIMIZATION OF ELECTRIC AND ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
Between the 22nd and 24th of May, Cheile Grădiştei Fundata hosted the 14th
edition of the OPTIM International Conference “Optimization of Electric and
Electronic Equipment”, a biannual event co-organized by the Faculty of Electrical
FIDES ET EXCELLENTIA
Engineering and Computer Science (Transilvania University of Brașov), the Faculty of
Electrical and Power Engineering (Politehnica University of Timişoara), and the Faculty of
Electrical Engineering (the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca), in partnership with Electrica, plc.
The OPTIM Conference traditionally benefits from the technical sponsorship of IEEE - The
THE OPTIM CONFERENCE 2014
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IAS - Industrial Application Society, PELS – Power
Electronics Society, IES – Industrial Electronics Society). In addition, this conference was also
supported by the Ministry of National Education.
Over the years, OPTIM has gradually developed into an internationally acknowledged
academic event – a fact shown by the large number of countries represented. This edition rounded up
200 participants from 25 countries, among which the USA, Canada, Mexico, India, Malaysia, Korea,
United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Israel, South Africa, and most of the European countries. This year we
were honoured to welcome seven special invitees, notorious names in the field of electrical
engineering.
OPTIM is a forum for discussion on the latest research topics and projects in the area of
electrical, electronic, and industrial technology development. During this edition, the contributions
were structured in seven panels. Highly topical issues - cold plasma applications, image processing,
intelligent power systems, hybrid materials and energy storage systems – were approached in four
special sessions.
Judging by its impact, the International OPTIM Conference is definitely an achievement of our electrical engineering school.
Dr Carmen Gerigan
THE ERASMUS PLUS WEEK AT TRANSILVANIA UNIVERSITY – THE SUMMER EDITION
THE LATEST PROVISIONS
OF THE EUROPEAN
PROGRAMME ERASMUS+
It has become customary for the Managing Committee within the Office for Community
Programmes in Education and Professional Training at our University to organize biannual briefing sessions.
Such sessions are aimed at keeping students current with the available study and practice opportunities,
while updating teaching and administrative staff on the exchanges with partner universities in the area of
teaching and, respectively, academic administration.
The latest action consisted of a series of briefing sessions organized between 19th and 23rd of May by
each faculty, according to a pre-established schedule. The attendees were students interested in this
programme, international Erasmus students at our University, former Erasmus students, representatives of
the Erasmus Student Network, teaching and administrative staff from the different faculties.
In addition to the previous editions, the events taking place during the Erasmus Plus Week
constituted as many opportunities to apprise the audience on the latest provisions of the Erasmus Plus
programme to come into effect at the beginning of the 2014-2015 Academic Year.
Dr Simona Lache
Dr Sorin Zamfira
TRANSILVANIA UNIVERSITY – A REGIONAL CONTACT POINT H2020 FOR EXCELLENT SCIENCE PILLAR
On the 27th and 28th of May, our University played host to the HORIZON 2020 INFO DAY, an event
INFO DAY HORIZON 2020
devoted to briefing and training potential participants in the EU Framework Programme for Research and
AT BRAȘOV
Innovation for the 2014-2020 time interval. Supported by the Enterprise Europe Network programme, the
event was organized in collaboration with the Ministry of National Education – The H2020 National Contact
Points Network, The Agency for Regional Development - Centre, and the Centre for Technological Transfer of
Cluj-Napoca (CENTI).
The opening day was dedicated to presentations by the National Contact Persons, on the subject of
the three pillars of the Horizon 2020 programme: Excellent Science, Industrial Leadership, and Societal
Challenges. The presentations included information on each of the three pillars' components, ways to identify
potential partners, online submission of project proposals, and assessment of applications. The second day
was devoted to parallel work sessions consisting of presentations of and debates on project ideas for the next
calls. The closing act of the event included the signing of the agreement between the clusters within the
Centre Region.
This event is the first action for the promotion and dissemination of Horizon 2020 programme initiated by our University, in its capacity of
Regional Contact Point for the Excellent Science pillar. The University, through its Project Management Office, will lend support to organizations
within the Centre Region, assisting them in their efforts to identify partners and formulate project proposals.
Dr Carmen Buzea
OUR UNIVERSITY SUPPORTS MOLDOVA'S INTEGRATION
IN THE EU
Foresters from Moldova attended, between 18th and 25th of May, the
training courses organized by our Faculty of Silviculture and Forestry Engineering. A
group of twenty-five representatives from Moldsilva, the central forestry authority in the
FIDES ET EXCELLENTIA
Republic of Moldova, headed by the managing director, eng. Ștefan Chitoroagă and including
managers of forestry companies and forest districts benefitted from specialist input and gained
a deeper understanding of European integration and its implications for silviculture and
TRAINING PROGRAMMES
preservation of biodiversity.
This training session occasioned interesting exchanges of information on sustainble forest
FOR FORESTERS
management on either bank of Prut River, paving the way for a close collaboration in the future. Part of
the training programme were field trips to local forest areas (Zărnești and Brașov-Kronstadt), as well as
to the Piatra Craiului National Park. The foresters from Moldova had the opportunity to meet with a
delegation of the National Forestry Authority, Romsilva, headed by Dr eng. Adam Crăciunescu,
Managing Director, and Transilvania University alumnus. Our colleagues from Moldova were also given
a guided tour of the research units and facilities at the R&D Institute of our University.
The efforts and availability shown by our specialists are in step with Romania's determination
to be the strongest supporter of the Republic of Moldova's integration in the European Union.
Dr Bogdan Popa
THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY COLLOQUIUM FOR CONTEMPORARY ROMANIAN LITERATURE
PAUL CORNEA
AND MIRCEA MARTIN
Initiated by Dr Andrei Bodiu in 2005, The National University Colloquium for Contemporary
Romanian Literature has reached its eleventh edition. The event took place between the 8th and 9th of May at
the Faculty of Letters. This edition's special guests were Paul Cornea, literary historian and literature theorist,
and Mircea Martin, literary theorist, critic and historian.
The colloquium brought together participants from nine academic centres – professors,
undergraduate students, master students and doctoral students. The preamble to the first day was the
opening address by the Rector, Dr Ioan Vasile Abrudan, followed by speeches delivered by the Dean of the
Faculty of Letters, Dr Adrian Lăcătuş, as well as by other professors and the two special guests. The students'
conference was followed by discussions converging towards and around Dr Andrei Bodiu's personality and
work.
The second day was an opportunity for the researchers, the public and the guests to debate on a
number of exciting topics. The highlight of the day was the Prizes Ceremony. The day concluded in a relaxed
atmosphere, with a dialogue launched by Paul Cornea and Mircea Martin.
The National University Colloquium for Contemporary Romanian Literature was an academic and
literary success; its outcome will be the publication of the conference proceedings. The event will be followed
by another one, organized at the Faculty of Letters, within the same project frame: “Cultural and Academic
Excellence in Braşov”. The first edition will be dedicated to Alexandru Muşina, poet and professor, and will
take place in Braşov on the 17th and 18th of July.
Ioana Zenaida Rotariu
NEW ARRIVAL TO THE COMPANIES' PODIUM
Following the official opening in April, the Companies' Podium became operational. Intended as
an open forum where companies may promote themselves to our students, we are hopeful that the MIELE TEHNICA IN DIALOGUE
Podium will become the meeting point of offer and demand.
WITH OUR STUDENTS
On the 5th of May, the Miele Tehnica team led by Mr Hartmut Hohaus had a first round of
discussions with our students. The company presentation was followed by the introduction of the available
programmes portfolio.
Under the generic concept Trainee@Miele, the company offers three types of programmes: Training onthe-job is a programme which involves assigning students to various company departments, planning tasks
and activities with the support of the HR Department.
The Trainee programmes call for the student involvement in interdepartmental projects. The
Training off-the-job programmes provide individual qualifications, team trainings and technical courses,
and concludes with an assessment of the training outcomes.
Our students can apply for any of the three programmes. The selection of the online applications is
followed by an assessment at the company's headquarters.
The Trainee programmes proposed by Miele Tehnica for this summer are part of a larger project, designed by our partners with a view to
facilitating student integration into the corporatist environment.
We do hope that the Companies' Podium will – owing to the presence of Miele Tehnica as well as other companies – become an important
stepping stone in our students' way towards a successful career.
Dr Luminiţa Pârv
TRANSATLANTIC DIALOGUES ARE BACK AT
THE FACULTY OF LETTERS
On April 30th, the Faculty of Letters organized the second edition of the
Romanian-American Conference Transatlantic Mountain Cultures: Appalachian and
Carpathian Perspectives. Initiated by the Fulbright lecturer Elijah Ferbrache, Dr Cristian
FIDES ET EXCELLENTIA
Pralea and Dr Georgeta Moarcăs, and continuing the resounding success of the first edition
in April 2013, this year's intercultural dialogue paced up and widened its coverage. The
conference has its roots into the urge to study the cultural, social and geographical similarities of
THE EVOLUTION
the Appalachians and the Carpathians, and has gradually turned into a full-fledged forum where
OF THE APPALACHIAN
professors from the United States and Romania can discuss and further refine their research results.
The large audience (undergraduate, master and doctoral students) and the guests exchanged ideas
AND CARPATHIANS COMMUNITIES
and opinions regarding the conference topics.
Dr Donald E. Davis (Washington DC researcher) outlined the evolution of the mountain
communities, comparing the lifestyle and traditions of the Appalachians and the Carpathians. The
presentation of Dr Dan Schope (Shawnee State University, Ohio) focused on the way a post-industrial
community positions itself around its cultural landmarks. Both Donald Davis and Dan Schope also
attended the first edition. Dr Lou Martin (Chatham University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) spoke about
the Romanian immigrants who supported the ascension of the mining industry in West Virginia in the
XXth Century. The three guests delivered their papers via Skype.
Among the Romanian speakers were Anamaria Iuga (from The Peasant Museum, Bucharest)
and Cristian Pralea, who brought to light the specificity of the Romanian mountain cultures and the way
they have changed and commodified, in an attempt to cope with the challenges of the present times.
The third edition of the conference is scheduled for the spring of 2015.
Roxana A. Târziu
EXCHANGING LECTURES AND LECTURERS
WIN-WIN PARTNERSHIP
BETWEEN THE
FACULTIES OF PSYCHOLOGY
AND EDUCATION SCIENCES
IN BRAȘOV
AND BUCHAREST
The Faculties of Psychology and Education Sciences from Transilvania University and Bucharest University
have had a close and longstanding partnership. Over the month of May, this collaboration has materialized into a
programme designed as a hub for exchanging ideas, expertise and competence between professors, to the
benefit of the students. The programme involves academic staff exchanges substantiated into course invitations,
lectures or workshops.
In this context, Dr Ana-Maria Cazan from our University delivered a lecture on Students' self-regulating
studying strategies. Methods of stimulating and improving the self-regulating studying strategy. Starting from
our colleague's input and personal feedback, the 1st year students in Bucharest had the chance to acquire the
technique of self-regulated study and to practise new and efficient learning strategies.
In turn, Dr Mihaela Chraif from the University of Bucharest gave a lecture on Employing the method of
polygraph psycho-physiological reactivity evaluation in different stimulus-situations. Throughout the
presentation, Dr Chraif ran polygraph tests on all the students willing to comprehend the intricacies of this highly
technical field of psychology.
Dr Ana-Maria Cazan
Dr Camelia Truță
CARAVAN OF THE LEAGUE OF ROMANIAN STUDENTS ABROAD – LSRS 2014
On the 22nd of May, Transilvania University played host to the sixth edi on of the LSRS Caravan 2014, a
IDENTIFYING AND
project ini ated by The League of Romanian Students Abroad.
PURSUING ACADEMIC
The mission of the LSRS Caravan is to provide advice and counsel with a view to facilita ng the
OPPORTUNITIES
ABROAD
admission of Romanian students to top foreign universi es, as well as to encouraging them to take part in
extra-curricular ac vi es.
In 2014, the LSRS Caravan covered fi een Romanian ci es and organized several seminars a ended
by 900 students (both high-school and college levels).
Following the briefing sessions, LSRS members keep in touch with the par cipants, monitor their
progress (admission to a foreign university, involvement in extra-curricular ac vi es, etc.), and provide
counselling.
During their last ac on, four LSRS alumni from Brașov shared their interna onal academic
experience: Anitha Tața - alumna LSRS - France, Ioan Burzo - alumnus LSRS – U.S.A., England and France, Alin
Grigoraș - alumnus LSRS-Portugal and Alexandru Miloșan - alumnus LSRS- China.
The par cipants in this event appreciated the presenta on, debates and advice on the life of
Romanian students abroad. Concluding the mee ng, the facilitator, Alin Grigoraș, extended his thanks to our
University management for their support, as well as to all the students present.
Alexandru Miloșan – China alumnus
CULTURAL EVENT ORGANIZED BY THE FACULTY OF PSYCHOLOGY
AND EDUCATION SCIENCES
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LIBRIS AND TREI PUBLISHING HOUSE
On the 23rd of May the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, in
partnership with Libris Braşov and Trei Publishing House organized a cultural event
FIDES ET EXCELLENTIA
hosted by the Șt. O. Iosif Bookshop. The special invitees were Vasile Dem. Zamfirescu,
psychotherapist, and Leonid Dragomir, author of “From Philosophy to Psychoanalysis and
Back” - a volume of interviews with the aforementioned specialist.
BOOK LAUNCH
Dr Vasile Dem. Zamfirescu is a leading Romanian psychotherapist, director of Trei Publishing
House, and promoter of a series of translations of fundamental works in the field of classic and novel
psychoanalysis. Due to its editorial policy, the specialist literature is nowadays available in Romanian to
both specialists and students who wish to perfect their professional training or are about to pursue a
career in the field. Dr Vasile Dem. Zamfirescu is the author of several well-known volumes: Ethics and
Psychoanalysis („Etică şi psihanaliză”, 1973), Ethics and Ethology („Etică şi etologie”, 1982), Being
Sensible or Sensitive? („Între logica inimii şi logica minţii”, 1985), Looking for the Self („În căutarea
sinelui”, 1994), The Ontic Injustice („Nedreptatea ontică”, 1995), The Philosophy of the
Unconsciousness („Filosofia inconştientului”, 2001), An Introduction to Freudian and Post-Freudian
Psychoanalysis („Introducere în psihanaliza freudiană şi postfreudiană”, 2003), Stories of Romanian
Psychotherapy („Povestiri de psihoterapie românească”, 2009), and The Balkan Neurosis („Nevroza
balcanică”, 2012).
The event, attended by a large number of students, academics and field practitioners, and
facilitated by Aurel Ion Clinciu, was permeated with lively commentaries on psychoanalysis as calling and profession, on its evolution, as well as its
cultural significance.
Dr Marcela Rodica Luca
2014 NIGHT OF MUSEUMS
STUDENTS AT THE FACULTY
OF ECONOMIC SCIENCES
AND BUSINESS
ADMINISTRATION
AND THE FACULTY
OF SOCIOLOGY
AND COMMUNICATION
VOLUNTEER AT THE EVENT
The tenth edition of the European Night of Museums took place on the
17th of May and included Braşov as well. The event was initiated by the French
Ministry of Culture and Communication, UNESCO, and the international
Council of Museums (ICOM); the Braşov event was organized by the Cultural
Consortium CORONA. Five museums from Braşov joined the 3,000 European
participating museums, in an event which prefaced the International Day of
Museums, celebrated on the 18th of May each year.
Over 30 volunteer students from two faculties of our University
contributed to the success of this year's edition of the event: students of the
Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration were involved in
supervising the museum collections and guiding the impressive number of
museum visitors. At the same time, sixteen students of the Faculty of Sociology
and Communication conducted a sociological survey based on a questionnaire, whose aim was to investigate the
visitors' opinions on the event. The conclusions of the survey will be made available to local actors in the cultural field with a view to improving the
organization of future events.
The involvement of our students in a variety of activities and events afforded them the opportunity to gain some practical experience in the
field by working alongside the organisers.
Dr Florin Nechita
Dr Adina Candrea
THE VISIT OF MASTER'S STUDENTS TO ASCO INTERNATIONAL, LTD
In the month of May, first year master's students at the Faculty of Letters enrolled in the
NEW PERSPECTIVES IN THE
programme Language Studies for Intercultural Communication were invited to the offices of ASCO
International, one of the oldest translations companies, locally. This visit was facilitated by Dr Mona
FIELD OF TRANSLATIONS
Arhire, Vice-dean of the Faculty of Letters, and Mr Florin Zori, owner of ASCO International and President
of the Association of Romanian Translation and Interpretations Firms (AFIT Romania).
This field trip was aimed, on the one hand, at giving our students a hands-on experience with
the most advanced translation tools available on the market, of relevance to the translation module
included in the curriculum. On the other hand, the aim was to familiarise students with the way a
professional translation company is organised and operates.
Carefully planned together with ASCO International, the visit began with a presentation of the
company and of the project management system it implements, followed by presentations of the
translation specialists - some of whom Faculty of Letters graduates and University alumni - on topics such
as translation revision, methods of ensuring translation quality, computer-assisted translation tools (CAT
Tools), the management of terminological activities, technical and medical translations, etc. These
presentations alternated with intervals during which our master's students spent interacting with the specialists involved in various translations
projects, asking them questions about their activity or their careers.
We take this opportunity to extend our thanks to Mr Florin Zori, President of AFIT Romania, for both his hospitality and efforts to coorganise this visit, and we hope that this initiative will be perpetuated in the following years.
Dr Raluca Sinu
NORMAN MANEA AT TRANSILVANIA UNIVERSITY
Norman Manea, Romanian writer and essayist, frequently nominated for
the Nobel Prize in Literature over the last years, was the guest of our University in May.
Originally initiated by the late professor Andrei Bodiu, the event consisted of two
FIDES ET EXCELLENTIA
meetings with the author. The first took place at the University's Multicultural Centre, and
consisted in a debate on the topic of “The language of exile and its letters” (including a
projection of the film The Exile – a collage, Norman Manea in dialogue with Andrei Ujică), while
the second action was organized at a local bookstore and was devoted to the launch of the volume
DEBATES AND BOOK LAUNCH
Envelopes and Portraits. Norman Manea was accompanied on both occasions by Dr Adrian Lăcătuş,
Dean of the Faculty of Letters, Dr Rodica Ilie, Head of the Department of Literature and Cultural Studies,
Dr Caius Dobrescu from the University of Bucharest, and Silviu Lupescu, Manager of Polirom Publishing
House.
The discussions revolved around the author's life experience - the life of a Romanian Jew
forced to leave his country - the process he underwent in order to adapt to the American culture, his
professional experience as a writer. His unique style, focusing on dramatic past events (the Holocaust,
communism, the dissidence), renewed the Romanian readers' interest in the writer's work, a work
which is so much more than mere accounts of past events or portraits of various authors: the keen
insights which permeate them turn them into documents of high relevance for the living literary
history.
Alexandra Diaconescu
Master's Student in Cultural Innovation
COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE FACULTY OF LETTERS AND THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT OF OUC
ACADEMIC EXCHANGE WITH
OTARU UNIVERSITY
OF COMMERCE
In April and May, the Faculty of Letters took part in a small-scale intercultural project run in
partnership with the English Department of Otaru University of Commerce (Japan). This joint venture
consisted in an exchange involving second year students at our Faculty (specialisms Applied Modern
Languages and English major) coordinated by Dr Marinela Burada and Dr Andreea Nechifor, and a class of
Japanese first year business students coordinated by Dr Daniela Caluianu, Professor with the Department of
English, OUC.
The benefit of this exchange was twofold: on the one hand, it afforded students an opportunity to
improve their speaking and writing skills in English and, on the other, it provided them with a real-life setting
for intercultural communication. The project consisted of a number of interrelated steps. In brief, each group
of students – Romanian and Japanese – were organized in teams. Each team was assigned the task to decide
on, collect, process and structure information about their respective universities and academic cultures. The
data were first organized and laid out in written form, then presented orally by each team. A Q-and-A session
followed, during which students from both ethnic groups interacted in real-time via Skype.
The technical glitches which befell during the face-to-face were offset by the students' enthusiasm.
Their commitment to the tasks, their spontaneity and clear interest in developing their intercultural
competence are commendable. This is hopefully the beginning of a series of fruitful exchanges and
opportunities which will allow our students to put into practice the knowledge and skills acquired as part of
their study programmes.
Dr Andreea Nechifor
FOURTH YEAR STUDENTS TEST THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF INTERNAL MEDICINE
On the 13th of May, in a relaxed atmosphere, without the pressure of being graded or losing one's
scholarship, the fourth year medical students took part in a professional contest - the Internal Medicine
Contest - which gathered 130 participants interested in issues related to diagnosis, treatment and cure.
There are mixed feelings about the usefulness and efficiency of such competitions: don't they
overload the students' schedule? To what extent should they involve the teaching staff? Do students really
appreciate them?
In our case, the size of the turnout at such competitions (anatomy, electrocardiography) and their
results show that our students see the benefits deriving from such actions.
This year's contest was organized by teaching staff from the Department of Medical and Surgical
Specialties: Dr Elena Bobescu MD, Dr Diana Ţânţ, MD, and Dr Gabriela Voineag, MD. The students'
representative, Sever Gulea, also played an essential role in securing his colleagues' involvement. Besides
the satisfying results testifying to the students' high professional standards, the participants were awarded
prizes by our University and a pharmaceutical company.
Dr Laurenţiu Nedelcu, MD
CONTEST
AT THE FACULTY OF MEDICINE
SOCIOLOGY AND COMMUNICATION STUDENTS
– VOLUNTEERING AT THIS NEW EVENT
Continuing the tradition of previous years, on the 29th of May, 11even
Experiences Braşov organized another event which met the participants' expectations.
The eleven speakers - Mihaela Tatu, Alina Zară, Alin Gherman, Lorand Boti Balint, Radu
FIDES ET EXCELLENTIA
Vatcu, Ruxandra Oprică, Antoneta Galeş, Christian Macedonschi, Victor Miron, Aliz Kosza, Ioana
Voicu, and the surprise guest, Liviu Mihaiu - shared with the 200 participants more than eleven truly
unique experiences about life, luck, choice and risk-taking.
In keeping with the tradition, the organizers involved student volunteers in the promotion
11even EXPERIENCES
and management of this edition. As every year, members of PRIME, the association of European
students in communication, played an active role in the event. The president of the association,
Melania Strâmbeanu, acted as coordinator of the eight volunteers - PRIME Braşov members – who put
their shoulders to the wheel and helped organizers to make this dynamic event happen.
Laura-Elena Ghinea
PRIME Braşov
THE FACULTY OF PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION SCIENCES PAYS HOMAGE TO OUR HEROES
Following the old Romanian tradition of paying homage to our heroes on Ascension Day, on the 29th of
HONOURING OUR PAST TO May two groups of students in Psychology and Education Sciences at our University participated with their tutors
EDUCATE AT PRESENT
in the festivities dedicated to this event, alongside representatives of local authorities, the army, political parties,
non-governmental organizations, the local School Inspectorate Braşov, etc.
Wearing the insignia of the Faculty and the University, the groups of students led by Dr Cornelia Cocan
and Simona Tomozii, paid their respects at the Heroes' Monuments located at Şprenghi Cemetery and the Union
Square of Braşov.
Events of this kind are part of the education sciences curriculum. We honour others to earn the right to
be honoured. May the memory of our heroes live forever!
Dr Cornelia Cocan
THE FACULTY OF MUSIC: A PRESENCE IN THE CULTURAL LIFE OF BRASOV
Set up on the initiative of Dr Corneliu George Voicescu,
the members of Chitaritmica Ensemble are students at the Faculty
THE CHITARITMICA
of Music, award winners in the National Music Contests and other
ENSEMBLE
musical competitions in Romania. The ensemble has already given
chamber music recitals in museums, university centres and other
locations in collaboration with the philharmonic orchestras of
Ploiesti, Craiova, Arad, Sibiu, Brașov, and Bucharest. Their highly
diversified repertoire consists of representative musical pieces. In
its concert activity, the Chitaritmica Ensemble mainly aims to valorise the expressive characteristics of the
classical guitar by adapting its technical and artistic expression means to the musical trends to which the
pieces they perform belong. Their audience thus vibrates with the unmistakable sound of the classical guitar.
The spring programme of the ensemble was the following:
17th April – Casa Mureșenilor Museum at Brașov – Robert Caloian, IInd year MA student, SPIIV, (Dr
Corneliu Voicescu's class) classical guitar recital including works by: Bach, Aguado, Torroba, Malats, Satie,
Brouwer.
12th May – Military Circle Brașov - Recital by the students of the Faculty of Music. Soloists: Robert Manea Caloian – guitar (Dr Corneliu
Voicescu's class), Bogdan Costache - violin (Dr Dan Pepelea's class), Maria Mariț Ionescu – piano (Dr habil. Stela Drăgulin's class), Alexandru Pîrvu –
violin (Dr Dan Pepelea's class). The accompanying orchestra was the Symphony Orchestra of the Faculty of Music, conductor: Traian Ichim. The
programme included works by: Rossini, Beethoven, Paganini, Saint-Saëns, Brouwer, Haydn.
17th May - Bran Castle – Recital by Chitaritmica Ensemble: Robert Caloian, Robert Manea, Andreea Voicu, Bogdan Oancea, Aron Szabo,
Alexandru Vodă, Lala Sebastian (Dr Corneliu Voicescu's class). The programme included: Tielmann Susato – Suite, Joaquin Nin - Granadina, Eythor
Thorlaksson – Cartama, Manuel Penella - El gato montes, Andrew Forest - The Coulin, Federico Moreno - Torroba - La Boda, Andrew Forest – Joropo,
Astor Piazzolla – Libertango.
Dr Corneliu Voicescu
A NEW CONFERENCE OF THE DOCTORAL SCHOOL
AT THE FACULTY OF LETTERS
On the 15th of May, professor Sorin Alexandrescu gave a lecture on the
Autobiography of Nicolae Ceauşescu. Following his lecture, a conference entitled “The
FIDES ET EXCELLENTIA
memorable city: postmodern discourse on medieval Brașov” hosted talks by special
guests, Dr Ștefan Ungurean from the Faculty of Sociology and Communication, and architect
Ovidiu Taloș, member of the Romanian Order of Architects, Braşov-Covasna-Harghita
subsidiary.
The opening speech was given by Mr Ovidiu Taloș who spoke about the “Memorable City”
SOCIOLOGY AND ARCHITECTURE
cultural project aimed at piecing together the image of Brașov as captured by photographs. Already
known to many citizens of Brașov, the outcome of the project is to set up a photo archive of both older
and more modern photographs collected from personal albums of Brașov citizens or from collectors
who are keen on old photography. So far, the project has taken on various forms: photography
exhibitions, street exhibitions, publications, etc.
The second part of the conference consisted in the lecture by Dr Ștefan Ungurean, a recurrent
presence at the conferences of the Faculty of Letters, who made a conceptual analysis of the societal
structure of medieval Brașov reflecting, from a postmodern perspective, the specificity of the local
urban society.
The event concluded with an informal discussion between the guests and various
participants (architects, teachers). Its focus was on present problems of the city in relation to the
preservation and perpetuation of its historical identity, to the permanent changes in its architecture
and their importance.
Aurelia Iancu and Otilia Făinărea,
Master's students, Cultural Innovation
THE ŞTEFAN ŢÎNŢ – HUSQVARNA SCHOLARSHIP FOR STUDENTS IN SILVICULTURE
On the 26th of May, the Faculty of Silviculture and
FIFTH EDITION
OF THE COMPETITION
Forest Engineering hosted the fifth edition of the
theoretical and practical competition for the Ştefan Ţînţ –
Husqvarna scholarship, an event which has already
become traditional. The number of students registering for
the competition has increased steadily over the years. This
year's edition included 59 participants, which exceeds by
40% the numbers in previous years.
We would like to express our thanks to our partner,
eng. Ştefan Ţînţ, Director of Husqvarna România and his team for the logistical and financial support provided,
which made this competition possible.
Dr Stelian A. Borz
THE GREAT CROSS-COUNTRY RACE AT TRANSILVANIA UNIVERSITY
The second edition of the cross-country race took place on the 6th of May. The organizers were the
Vice-Rectorate for Students and Liaison with the Economic and Socio-Cultural Community, the Faculty of
STUDENTS AND TEACHING
Physical Education and Mountain Sports, in partnership with Brașov City Hall, Brașov University Sports Club STAFF RAN 2.5 KILOMETRES
and FunSports Agency of Brașov.
The race route was 2.5 kilometres long. The more than 550 participants at the line-up were
undergraduate and post-graduate students, as well as eight members of the teaching staff. The ten awards
went to the first five male and, respectively, female competitors. The first prize for both male and female
competitors was awarded to students from the Faculty of Physical Education and Mountain Sports: Paula
Achimescu and George Buta – first year undergraduates. The female runner-ups were Teodora Spiru (Faculty
of Economic Sciences and Business Administration), Denisa Herman (Faculty of Letters), Lavinia Dogaru
(Faculty of Physical Education and Mountain Sports) and Raluca Burlacu (Faculty of Physical Education and
Mountain Sports) and the male competition winners were Paul Isac, Cătălin Vrabie, George Bucur and George
Neacşu, all of them from the Faculty of Physical Education and Mountain Sports. The teaching staff winners
were: Veronica Mândrescu – Faculty of Physical Education and Mountain Sports, Corneliu Scurt - Faculty of Physical Education and Mountain Sports
and Lucian Curtu – Dean of the Faculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering. Congratulations to everyone!
Dr Daniel Munteanu
THE BOLOGNA PROFESSOR GALA
Between the 10th and 11th of May Bucharest was the location of the 7th edition
of the “Bologna Professor Gala” project, an event organized by the National Alliance of
FIDES ET EXCELLENTIA
Student Organizations in Romania (NASOR), in collaboration with the Student Association
in Accountancy and Financial Administration Informatics (SAAFAI) and the Student Union at
the Faculty of Cybernetics, Statistics and Economic Informatics (SUC).
Instituted in 2007, the national project “Bologna Professor Gala” is the only framework
TWO PRIZE WINNERS
allowing students from sixteen associations around Romania, reunited under the auspices of the
FROM BRAȘOV
National Alliance of the Student Associations in Romania (NASOR), to form a jury in order to single out
the most appreciated teachers in the Romanian higher education system – teachers who distinguished
themselves by their teaching strategies adjusted to the needs and interests of their students.
Nominalizations for the gala are particularly complex; in brief, the tutors are shortlisted by
their students, are watched while teaching, interviewed by a committee of students from other
universities, and their activity is subsequently monitored. This year the much-coveted award went
two teachers at our University: Dr Daniela Necşoi, senior lecturer at the Faculty of Psychology and
Education Science, and Dr Catrina Chivu, associate professor at the Faculty of Technological
Engineering and Industrial Management.
Dr Daniela Necşoi
PROFESSORS WE TAKE PRIDE IN
PROFESSOR ENGINEER
PETRU TUDORAN, PHD
Professor Petru Tudoran was born in 1930 in Brad (Hunedoara County), where he attended the
primary school, and later went to Deva to attend the Decebal High School.
Between 1949 and 1954 he studied at the Faculty of Metallurgy of the Polytechnic Institute in the
Ural district, the Department of Physical Metallurgy and Heat Treatments. In 1954 he was appointed teaching
assistant at the Institute of Mechanics in Braşov, and promoted to senior lecturer in 1957, associate professor
in 1961 and professor in 1971.
He defended his PhD thesis in 1971 at the Polytechnic Institute in Bucharest and became PhD advisor
as early as 1975. He authored over 120 research papers and is holder of six invention and innovation patents.
To have truly known professor Tudoran means to have studied his scientific papers whose intrinsic
value is compelling.
Professor Tudoran's passing away deprived us of a great professor, scientist, brilliant and generous
mentor. His entire career is interwoven with the development of our University, whose future he helped
shape.
The Department of Materials Engineering and Welding
SUCCESSFUL ALUMNI
Born in Alba Iulia in 1985, Alexandra Fits, teaching assistant and PhD student at the Faculty of
Music, is a graduate of Regina Maria Arts High School in Alba Iulia, and of the Faculty of Music in Brașov
where she studied the piano under Dr Stela Drăgulin.
Ever since she won the 1st prize at the “Soirée de la Chanson française” competition in Split, Croatia,
in 2008, Alexandra Fits has become a genuine ambassador of the French song. Compared to Barbara by
Georges Moustaki, Alexandra Fits is a dedicated artist, whether she sings or plays the piano. She honed her
many-sided talent under the influence of great musical artisans such as the pianist Daniel Goiţi, Dr Stela
Drăgulin, the late Anca Parghel, soprano Marie Atger, actress and singer Caroline Personne. Between 2000
and 2009, she worked with the orchestras from Braşov, Arad, Botoşani, with the Radio Big Band, Deane's Big
Band and with famous artists, such as Anca Parghel, Johnny Răducanu, Pedro Negrescu.
The year 2011 is the beginning of her collaboration with the Dutch composer and singer Guido van
de Meent. In October 2013 they launched their first duo album “Le passage secret”, a 15-song piano and
voice collection in French, based exclusively on their own lyrics and tunes. Last spring they held a series of
concerts which included their own musical orchestration of numerous representative scores from the
French repertoire. In July 2013 they were invited to open Richard Clayderman's concerto in Braşov.
In the 2013-2014 season the two were present at the International Festival of Chamber Music in
Braşov, on the stage of the Festival Hall in Alba Iulia, and at the Libris Book and Music International Fair in
Braşov, in an extended formula with other eight musicians. This spring Alexandra Fits and Guido van de
Meent gave two recitals at the French Embassy in Bucharest and a series of concerts in the Netherlands.
ALEXANDRA FITS
Dr Alina Nauncef