No. 23March

2014

th On the 28 of February, the University's Faculty of Music together with the local Opera House organized Bridge Across Time, an event aimed at bringing together undergraduates and successful alumni. The performers in this event have been mentored, over the time, by widely acclaimed musical personalities such as Eugenia Moldoveanu, Georgeta Stoleriu, Mariana Nicolesco, Cristina Soreanu and Gheorghe Roșu; they also capitalized on experience gained during thirteen international training courses in artistic virtuosity, which afforded them contact with outstanding musicians such as Lory Wallfisch (USA), Thomas Hecht (Singapore), Viktor Pikaizen (Russia), Sylvia Ahramjian (USA), Tatjana Orloff Tschekorschy (Germany), Corneliu Dumbrăveanu (The Netherlands), Corneliu Murgu (Germany) or Eva Mohos Nagy (Hungary). Conducted by Ciprian Țuțu, junior lecturer at the Faculty of Music and choir master at the Brașov Opera House, the Bridge Across Time orchestra included former and current students. The opening act featured the overture to Mozart's “Le nozze di Figaro”. A unique performance of Bach's Double Violin Concerto in D minor was given by a father-son duet made up of Decebal and Bogdan Costache - the former, a university alumnus and the latter, an undergraduate student in Alina Nauncef's class. Several other memorable musical performances were given by Simona Mărcan, Nicoleta Chirilă, Valentina Mărgăraș, Corina Klein - sopranos, Cristina Roșu - mezzo-soprano, Liviu Iftene and Mihai Irimia - tenors and Alexandru Aghenie – baritone. The Aula Magna resounded with familiar musical pieces such as Puccini's Tosca and La Boème, Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann, Gounod's Faust, Verdi's Rigoletto, Bizet's Carmen, Kalman's Sylvia, Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's My Fair Lady, di Capua's O sole mio, and Brindisi from Verdi's Traviata. Our guide during this enchanting musical journey aimed at throwing bridges between different classes and generations of students was Ovidiu Mezei, a 1996 graduate of the Faculty of Music.

Dr Liliana Rogozea, Dr Andrea Deaconescu

A BRIDGE ACROSS TIME

Part of the series of events occasioned by the anniversary of our University, Leo thBurnett Romania and the Faculty of Sociology and Communication launched, on the 28

of February, the Braşov Leo Academy, a platform for learning and training in the fundamental skills required of the next generation of advertisers. The First Romanian

School Museum hosted the inaugural lecture (A Short History of Advertising), given by Professor Vasile Oltean, and the first seminar, given by Mihai Bonca, Marketing

Director for Bergenbier. During this semester the master students enrolled in the

programme The Management of Branding Campaigns will have the opportunity to meet with specialists from Leo Burnett, who will act as

visiting lecturers. The courses are also open to any undergraduate or master student at our University. Supported by the Leo Burnett

partners, the organizers envisage an extended collaboration for other subjects in the BA and MA curricula. “Being born and bred in

Brașov, this is all the more reason for me to facilitate the local students' direct contact with the pragmatic aspects of

communication, to enable them to practise the knowledge acquired during their university training. On the other

hand, my colleagues and I don't see this venture as a kind of sponsorship but rather as an important channel

allowing us to stay tuned to the Romanian youth and gather first-hand insights. It is most likely going to be

a win-win situation” said Lorand Boti Balint, CEO for Leo Burnett Romania.

The partnership with the Leo Burnett Group – a global advertising company with more than 285 offices in 84 countries – started in 2012 with the internship programmes offered to our students via the School of Communication in Braşov. The partnership is a gateway for three-month internships in Europe, financed and supported by the Erasmus Programme.

Dr Florin Nechita

BRAŞOV LEO ACADEMY, A NEW OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE ADVERTISING SKILLS

LEO ACADEMYA BRIDGE ACROSS TIME

PORTUGUESE DIPLOMACY, FILM AND MUSIC AT BRAȘOV

CAREER INFORMATION, GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING CENTRE

VISITORS AT THE FACULTY OF ECONOMIC SCIENCES AND BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

BRIEFING SESSION AT THE FACULTY OF MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

CONFUCIUS CUP AT TABLE TENNIS CERTIFICATION EXAMS FOR PRE-UNIVERSITY TEACHERS

TH5 EDITION OF THE PSI WEEKLLP –IP ERASMUS AT THE FACULTY OF MEDICINEPROFESSORS WE TAKE PRIDE INTRAIAN VUIA AWARD OF THE ROMANIAN ACADEMYSUCCESSFUL ALUMNI

STUDENTS MEET WITH ALUMNI AND SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSMEN

NEWSLETTERTransilvania University of Braşov

What purpose does the university serve if not to pave the way for the society of wisdom?

(Paolo Blasi)

It is not the walls that make a school, but the spirit that reigns within.(King Ferdinand I)

FIDES ET EXCELLENTIA

CAREER INFORMATION, GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING CENTRE The Career Information, Guidance and Counselling Centre (CICOC), seated in Student Hall of Residence no. 3 in the Memorandului Complex is increasingly present in the life of Transilvania University students by implementing its strategy of professional training and personal development. The first step consists of activities meeting student needs. Thus during the first semester of academic year 2013-2014, CICOC organised a number of debates and workshops for the freshmen students of the faculties of Silviculture, Mathematics-Informatics, Psychology and Education Sciences, Economic Sciences and Business Administration and Mechanical Engineering. The activities were aimed at developing intellectual working skills built on each student’s personal approach to learning, identified by means of a questionnaire. Another activity addressed “Organisational Communication”, where students found out about the message “communicated” by their CV to a possible employer. The activities were delivered by teaching staff from the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences (Dr Elena Cocoradă, Dr Mariela Pavalache, Dr Mihaela Voinea, Dr Simona Indreica, and Dr Andreea Laurențiu) together with Claudia (Dumitru) Hermkens and Elena Stroe, master students of the Educational Psychology, School and Vocational Counselling programme. In parallel with these activities hosted by the faculties, at CICOC volunteer psychologist Claudia

(Dumitru) Hermkens, Dr Mihaela Voinea and Dr Camelia Truță provided individual career counselling sessions. Further workshops and debates are planned for the second semester, as part of the CICOC team’s role of being source and resource for the personal and professional development of the entire academic community.

Dr Mihaela VoineaCICOC Coordinator

SOURCE AND RESOURCE FOR STUDENTS’ PERSONAL

AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

th On the 7 of February the Multicultural Centre of Transilvania University played host to The Romanian-Portuguese Dialogue, an event featuring Virgil Mihaiu, poet and former director of the Romanian Cultural Institute in Lisbon and Prof Daniel Perdigao, representative of The Camoes Institute in Bucharest, as special guests. The evening included a Portuguese jazz performance and a film about Portugal. The audience - students, academics, and general public – applauded, among others, the impeccable Romanian in which

Daniel Perdigao delivered his lecture. An admirable tale-teller, Perdigao fascinated the audience with his fifty-minute tales of Martinho de

Brederode's life. Coincidence or not, Brederode was a diplomat who, during the bleak '50s, chose to spend his final years in Braşov. Virgil Mihaiu was, as ever, a refined poet, a connoisseur of jazz and Portuguese culture. Moderated by Andrei Bodiu, the two-hour event at the Multicultural Centre fully engaged the audience who relished in a highly sophisticated cultural dialogue.

Dr Andrei Bodiu

A ROMANIAN-PORTUGUESE DIALOGUE AT THE MULTICULTURAL

CENTRE OF TRANSILVANIA UNIVERSITY

PORTUGUESE DIPLOMACY, FILM AND MUSIC AT BRAȘOV

The undergraduate and master students of the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration were invited to attend a series of meetings with successful representatives of the local business environment, some of whom are graduates of our faculty. During the meeting, Alexander Simionescu, General Manager of Siemens PSE, dealt with topics such as outsourcing, the Romanian business environment and the employment opportunities of young economists. The topic was also approached from the point of view of the human resources manager by the young and dynamic management team of Continental SA Braşov, made up of Bogdan Centea, Manager, and Ramona Porca. Ciprian Drăguţ, a faculty alumnus and Marketing and Communication Manager of Normandia SRL, shared with our students the “secrets” of his professional success: the importance of building a theoretical foundation during university training, command of at least two foreign languages, participation in faculty projects and volunteer activities in support of professional associations or companies in the field. Răzvan Sultănoiu, Finance and Banking graduate, Manager of Piraeus Bank Braşov, talked to our master students about the financing of small and medium-sized enterprises through bank loans and European business development funds. Discussions about entrepreneurship and business competitiveness strategies on the local market, moderated by Florin Madar, a well-known local businessman, led to vivid debates. On the same topic, Marian Tirla, a Tourism and Services graduate, Manager of Active Travel, presented aspects related to the activity of a travel agency, emphasizing the importance of communication and sales skills in this field. Laurenţiu Mihai, Angela Scripcariu and Gabriel Nechita, young graduates (2013) of our faculty, who are currently employed by top IT companies, discussed with master students about the role of social networks in Internet marketing, the development of online marketing and of cloud computing and ERP solutions. Our plan for the future is to resume the debates and expand our topic range; we even envisage turning this kind of event into a regular occurrence taking place under the slogan “Transferring knowledge from one generation to the other”.

Dr Silvia Sumedrea

TRANSFERRING KNOWLEDGE

FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE OTHER

STUDENTS MEET WITH ALUMNI AND SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSMEN

FIDES ET EXCELLENTIA

th On the 7 of February, the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration received the visit of a group of 35 young students from the prestigious B.P. Haşdeu National College of Buzău. Accompanied by their teacher Claudia Grigore, the tenth graders were received by Dr Gabriel Brătucu, Dean of the Faculty's, Dr Ioana Chiţu, Vice-Dean, and by Dr Gheorghe Epuran. The students were briefed about the status of the Faculty in the wider context of our University, the fields of undergraduate, master and PhD programmes, the study and leisure facilities. The Dean stressed the fact that Transilvania University of Braşov provides educational services at European standards and recommended students to choose national universities to continue their studies. The pupils learnt new things about the economic potential of Braşov and its perspectives for development. Dr Ioana Chiţu introduced our guests to the study programmes offered by the Faculty, and their suitability to employers' expectations. Dr Gheorghe Epuran (born in Buzău) emphasized his connection with Buzău county and with B.P. Haşdeu National College, but also his intention to initiate joint programmes involving both our students and high school students. The college teacher, Ms Claudia Grigore, gave a short presentation of B.P. Haşdeu National College and the notable results obtained by its students (which ranked their college second, nationwide), and assured us that her young students in Buzău would happily revisit Transilvania University of Braşov. At the meeting, Alexandru Drăghici, President of the Students Council at B.P. Haşdeu National College, thanked us for this opportunity and talked about the goals and ideals of their students, as well as about the need for a closer cooperation with the academia. The students from Buzău were impressed by the laboratories, classrooms and lecture halls they visited, as well as by Aula Magna. The Faculty would like to thank the young students for their interest as well as their teacher, Ms Claudia Grigore, for her initiative; they and their colleagues will always be welcome here. We would also like to acknowledge the contribution of Ionel Banu, Headmaster of B.P. Haşdeu National College, who supported their trip, and assure him of our availability for further cooperation.

Dr Gheorghe Epuran

TENTH GRADERS FROM B.P. HAŞDEU NATIONAL COLLEGE,

BUZĂU

th Under the slogan “There are no spare parts for people”, on the 19 of February, the Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering of our University co-organized, with Braşov County Pension Fund – the Department for Work-Related Hazards and Occupational Diseases, a briefing session entitled “The System of Insurance against Work-Related Hazards and Occupational Diseases”, attended by representatives of 23 local trade companies. The discussions were centred on two main aspects: on the one hand, promotion of safety and health at the workplace and prevention of work-related accidents and occupational diseases and, on the other, lowering the number of work-related accidents and occupational diseases and compensations for the employees. Both employers and employees must be made aware that – in their own and their families' interest – they bear full responsibility in securing optimal conditions for the development of work processes. An important aim of the system of insurance against work-related accidents and occupational diseases is providing adequate information. The purpose of this session was to brief employers and victims of work-related accidents and

professional diseases about the rights deriving from this type of insurance, in order to prevent unfortunate work-related events or to ensure the recovery of their work capacity. This session was also aimed at raising the awareness of all the parties involved as to the importance of reducing the consequences of work-related accidents.

Dr Dorin Cătană

th th Between the 11 and the 14 of February, Transilvania University of Brașov and Confucius Institute organised the second edition of the table tennis Confucius Cup for more than 50 competitors. The competition had separate sections for male and female table tennis players. The first stage of the contest was the 'knock-out stage' at the end of which eight players made it to the semi-finals. The four winners of the semi-finals competed in the finals. They were Iulian Soare, Andrei Bratu, Denis Mărgărit and Alexandru Stelea (men's singles), Roxana Chiper, Cristina Bălan, Dorina Bucur and Carmen Puchianu (women's singles). At the end of the competition, two friendly games were played. In the singles game, the University Rector, Dr Ioan Vasile Abrudan played against Mr Bian Zhengdong from the Chinese Embassy in Bucharest. In the doubles, the Romanian team (Dr Andrei Bodiu, the Romanian director of Confucius Institute and Dr Adrian Lăcătuș, Dean of the Faculty of Letters) faced the Chinese team (Dr Yang Zhaoyu, the Chinese director of Confucius Institute and Huang Xilai, teacher of Chinese at the institute).

th The awards ceremony took place on the 14 of February on the occasion of the traditional Chinese Lantern Festival. The participants in the live event covered by the local media were: Dr Ioan Vasile Abrudan, Rector of the University, Dr Daniel Munteanu, Vice-rector for students and liaison with the economic and socio-cultural community, Mihai Pascu, Vice-president of Brașov County Council, Bian Zhengdong, Chief of the education department at the Embassy of the People's Republic of China, Dr Andrei Bodiu, the Romanian director of Confucius Institute, Dr Yang Zhaoyu, the Chinese director of Confucius Institute and about 100 members of the public.

Dr Yang ZhaoyuChinese director of Confucius Institute

BRIEFING SESSION AT THE FACULTY OF MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERINGTHE SYSTEM OF INSURANCE

AGAINST THE RISKS OF WORK-RELATED HAZARDS

AND OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES

VISITORS AT THE FACULTY OF ECONOMIC SCIENCES AND BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

TABLE TENNIS COMPETITION

SECOND EDITION OF THE CONFUCIUS CUP AT TRANSILVANIA UNIVERSITY OF BRAȘOV

FIDES ET EXCELLENTIA

Between 2011 and 2013, the Faculty of Medicine at Transilvania University of Brașov developed the intensive programme “Classic and Modern Methods for Molecular Diagnostics in Human Pathology” within the Erasmus Life Long Learning Programme under the coordination of Dr Antonella Cheşcă. The target group of the project were post-graduate and research students, and the lectures were given by prestigious members of teaching staff from universities in Holland, France, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania. The Romanian lecturers were from the faculties of medicine at UMF Târgu-Mureş and Transilvania University of Braşov. The outcome of the collaboration with our European partners was the publication of the monograph “Methods for Diseases Diagnostic with Applicability in Practice”. The work was published in February 2014 in hard copy and in electronic format by Lambert Academic Publishing. The volume contains theoretical and practical information from cellular and molecular biology with relevant aspects from related study and research fields. This information is accompanied by illustrations, tables and graphs. In both structure and content, the volume is of relevance to medical students –both undergraduate and post-graduate, to residents, young medical researchers and anyone interested in this domain.

Dr Antonella Cheşcă

The procedures by means of which teaching staff from pre-university education can develop their pedagogic and managerial competences were the main issues discussed in a debate organised by the Department for Teaching Staff Training at

stthe Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences on the 1 of February. The event, a Colloquium for Highest Certification Admission – the 2014-2016 Series, was dedicated to setting up the specialised examining boards whose members are teaching staff of Transilvania University, collaborators from pre-university education, specialists in education sciences and teaching methodologists for every curricular area. These boards analysed and evaluated proposals for teaching-scientific projects within the highest teaching certification. The discussions in the colloquium focused on two main areas: the methodology of pedagogical research and academic conventions for the writing of a scientific-didactic paper. Almost 200 participants from fourteen counties as well as from the capital city took part in the event. They were kindergarten and primary school teachers, trainers from the special primary education system, music pedagogy, musical performance, physical education, mathematics, IT, presicion mechanics, automotive engineering, Romanian language and literature, chemistry, silviculture and wood industry. Most of the issues discussed and the suggestions made by the boards were related to the topic of the certification paper and the research proposal. This is the beginning of collaboration between the candidates for highest degree certification and their supervisors; it will be followed by the deans' decisions on the supervisors for the candidates' certification papers.

Dr Elena-Simona Indreica

CLASSIC AND MODERN METHODS FOR MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS IN HUMAN PATHOLOGY

th st Between the 17 and the 21 of February, the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences and its partners, the Publishing house TREI and Cărtureşti

thbookshop, organised the 5 edition of the PSI week. This time, all the main issues of the week were dedicated to parents: The computer and the video games – by Laura Teodora David Divorce – a responsible decision of parents – by Marcela Rodica Luca Teenage – a way out of the labyrinth – by Aurel Ion Clinciu

The participants were specialists in the fields of psychology and education sciences, parents, and teaching staff interested in parents' problems and ways of communicating with them. Having already become a tradition, these events promote the Faculty's efforts to reach out to the local community, as well as the ongoing dialogue between our specialists and members of the public.

Dr Marcela Rodica Luca

CERTIFICATION EXAMS FOR PRE-UNIVERSITY TEACHERS

TH5 EDITION OF THE PSI WEEK

FOCUS: PARENTS

LLP –IP ERASMUS AT THE FACULTY OF MEDICINE

THE FACULTY OF PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION SCIENCES - A RESOURCE FOR TEACHING STAFF CONTINUING

EDUCATION

FIDES ET EXCELLENTIA

Dr Valentin Nǎstase was born in Bessarabia, 83 years ago. His impressive personality, impeccable academic stature and austere elegance have been, for decades, an inspiration for us all. A competent and affable Head of the Department of Wood Technology at the Faculty of Wood Engineering, Professor Nǎstase left a deep imprint upon the people he worked with – PhD supervisees and colleagues – whom he provided with a model of dedication, humanity and professional competence. In the '60s, together with professor architect Florin Ionescu, he included Furniture Design as a subject in the academic curricula; in the '80s he founded the specialization Design of Art Furniture, showing much vision in developing subjects such as Restoration, Design, Production of Art Furniture and Styles. Apart from teaching, he was a forerunner in research as well: his PhD thesis laid the groundwork for the design of modular furniture, and in many projects he evaluated and established the behaviour of different new materials proposed for the wood industry, among which plated frames and cellular boards. With Professor Ioan Curtu he investigated the structure and the quality of joints in sitting furniture. He was permanently involved in the elaboration and updating of standards in furniture making and wrote twenty authoritative studies in the field. Professor Nǎstase's genuine artistic intuition, in-depth knowledge of arts, literature and Romanian traditions, touched many students who, under his influence, became not only valuable specialists in furniture making but also better people in every sense of the word. Professor Valentin Nǎstase passed away quietly in November 2013, leaving behind the memory of a worthy man and professional.

Dr Marina Cionca

PROFESSOR VALENTIN NĂSTASE, PhD

rd Gheorghe Atanasiu was born on the 23 of August 1939 in Bacǎu. He attended G. Bacovia High School in Bacǎu and the Faculty of Mathematics – Mechanics of the A.I. Cuza University in Iaşi. He began his career in 1961 as a teaching assistant at the University in Braşov. What followed was a fruitful university career, whose highlights were the setting up of the geometry school in Braşov. He led the Department of Geometry intermittently from 1974 to 2007. In 2008 he retired, but continued to have a close relationship with the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics of the University. During his long career he contributed to the formation of tens of generations of specialists; he is fondly remembered for the clarity and depth of his mathematics courses. The university coursebooks he authored are, to this day, reference sources. As a scientist, his achievements are remarkable. He published numerous scientific articles, 122 of them recorded in Mathematical Reviews. In 1973 he earned his doctoral degree at his alma mater. In 1980 he was awarded the Gh. Ţiţeica prize of the Romanian Academy, opening the line of Academy award winners in

mathematics from Transilvania University. He was a member of several scientific organizations and founding member of the Balkan Society of Geometers. Professor Atanasiu is particularly commendable for having organized, between 1980 and 1994, the “National Seminars of the Finsler and Lagrange Spaces” in Braşov. He created in Braşov a team of internationally acknowledged specialists in Finsler geometry and he was PhD advisor first at the Babeş-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, and later at our University.

Dr Marin Marin

PROFESSOR GHEORGHE ATANASIU, PhD

PROFESSORS WE TAKE PRIDE IN

PROFESSORS WE TAKE PRIDE IN

Dr IOAN GOIA'S TREATISE ON MECHANICS OF MATERIALS THE TRAIAN VUIA AWARD

OF THE ROMANIAN ACADEMY Authored by Professor Ioan Goia, the treatise on Mechanics of Materials was awarded the Traian Vuia prize of the Romanian Academy, which re-acknowledged the efforts of the Department of Mechanical Engineering in Brașov, a leading academic branch for the past 60 years. Dr Goia's in-depth study addresses fundamental issues in the field of Mechanics of Materials. The rigorously analytical and matrix-based approach, the algorithmic pattern of the proposed problems, as well as the logical schemata underlying each category of problems ensure the immediate passage to the

numerical analysis and calculus of the structures under analysis. Particularly noteworthy here is the learner-oriented approach to the subject matter, which allows for the reader's immediate access to the cognitive input, as each theoretical chapter is supplemented with applications, exercises, problems and questionnaires intended to facilitate comprehension, acquisition, and feedback. The final part of the study lists over 100 references and a helpful thematic index.

th Celebrating his 80 anniversary this year, Professor Ioan Goia is a distinguished member of the Department of Mechanical Engineering which has given the Romanian Academy of Technical Sciences no less than four members to date.

Dr Sorin Vlase

FIDES ET EXCELLENTIA

For over ten years now Alexandru Blemovici has been General Manager of Schaeffler Romania, a Braşov manufacturer of linear technology for the machine-tools industry, parts for the automotive industry, and large size roller bearings for various industrial fields, among which the aeolian energy industry holds an important place. He is a 1991 graduate of the Faculty of Machines Manufacturing Technology of our University and strated his career in engineering in the same year at the local tractor factory where he worked for four years. He became acquainted with the German business environment during an eighteen months internship at Kloeckner & Co AG, Duisburg. Four years later he founded the Freshtex T.F. Braşov company which, in the first eight years, expanded to three more factories, with 840 employees and a turnover of around € 20 mil. Starting with 2003 he has been Manager and CEO of Schaeffler Romania. Created in 2002 Schaeffler Romania is one of the largest Eastern European production sites of the Schaeffler Group, with around 3,600 employees and an annual output of € 350 mil. in Braşov. Adopting a modern management system, the company continued to develop: in 2003 the company operated in a rented location, had 180 employees, five production segments for the industrial and automotive field; today, ten years after Alexandru Blemovici assumed the management of the company, it has its own factory in Cristian, a green field investment with around 100,000 m² of production halls, 3,600 employees, 13 automotive products (approx. 20% of the total output), a large variety of industrial products, its own heat treatment and forge facilities, becoming thus one of the most notable companies nationwide. The company was included in top 100 Romanian companies and it received numerous awards and distinctions: the award for Foreign Investment in Romania, granted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in 2004); distinctions granted by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Braşov as part of the Business Excellence Awards, the inclusion among the Top Companies in the County (at the categories: Export, Environment Management, Employer of the Year, Investments in Modern Technologies), as well as Manager of the Year (in 2010), distinction granted to the CEO for outstanding personal and professional contributions. The company's prospective strategies materialized in major investments in research and development. Consequently, from 2012, Schaeffler România, through its Engineering Centre, has been one of the most performing research centres in Romania and one of the most important group locations for product research and development. Starting from the premise that education is the most valuable “gift” offered to the young generation, under his leadership the company initiated projects involving university and pre-university students. Schaeffler Romania played a decisive role in creating the first professional school in Romania following the German model of dual training – Kronstadt German Vocational School which offers young people career guidance through the Fit for Future programme, and in 2014, working with the Braşov School Inspectorate and Transilvania University of Braşov, it created the ProfiMec platform, with the purpose of increasing the cooperation between education institutions and companies, and of continuously developing the skills of teachers involved in vocational training at pre-university level. The company plays an active role in the academia, through investments in different projects and in infrastructure, through projects focused on students/graduates, as well as through the support granted to various programmes of our university. In order to create an adequate framework for the training of future graduates, the company modernised and equipped various laboratories on the University premises, and the Tribology Laboratory for Research and Testing within the Research, Development and Innovation Institute of our University. In 2010 the company financed the implementation of the SAP ERP integrated system at the Faculty of Technological Engineering and Industrial Management, and in 2012, the Virtual Engineering in Automotive Design lecture as part of the Advanced Simulation in Automotive Engineering master's programme. The students who wish to further their knowledge in the field can join internship programmes and work on their diploma or dissertation projects within the company. The best graduate/master students are supported through the Excellence Scholarship programme, while graduates can benefit from the Schaeffler Trainee programme intended to help train the company's future specialists. Also, the company supports a series of programmes and events of our University, such as the International Conference on German Studies, the Survivor in Real Life programme, the Graduates Meet Companies Conference, the BlueStreamline Student Formula, while developing student events like Schaeffler Day, Treasure Hunt, etc. Its interest in promoting scientific research led Schaeffler Romania to become involved as main partner and participant in the CONAT International Congress (2004 and 2010), the CoSME International Conference (2004, 2008 and 2012), and from 2011 as main partner in organising the Leaders of the Automotive Science and Industry Present series of lectures. Member of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Braşov, founding member of the German Economic Club and of the Fit for Future DWK Association, Alexandru Blemovici promoted and supported a large number of projects with both economic partners and the Braşov City Hall, with a significant impact on the entire local community. Alexandru Blemovici is a successful manager, a professional leader involved in the training of future generations, and a supporter of social and cultural projects, firmly believing that “it is only together that we move the world”.

Dr Lucia Chicoş

SUCCESSFUL ALUMNI

ENG. ALEXANDRU BLEMOVICI

FIDES ET EXCELLENTIA