NEWSLETTER

No. 57January

2017

In early December, musicians from the cities of Cluj‐Napoca, Iaşi, and Braşov came together on the occasion of the chamber music festival Brassovia, now on its third edition. The event opened on 4 December, with performances by two trios from the Gheorghe Dima Music Academy at Cluj–Napoca: the first, the Piano Trio, consisted of Sonia Vulturar (violin), Daniel Demian (cello), and Bogdan Bohuș (piano) who played Mozart, the second, Bartók Trio, made up of Sonia Vulturar (violin), Emese Madarasz (clarinet) and Benjamin Dioszegi (piano) performing contemporary music by Thomas Christian David and Béla Bartók.

On the second night, 5 December, the performers were students from the National Art University George Enescu at Iași: the Soprano Trio, consisting of Simona Sîrbu (soprano), Bogdan Irina (clarinet) and Ina Cristea (piano), who delighted the public with the lied “Der Hirt auf dem Felsen” by Schubert, and a piano quartet, Caudella, including Ana‐Maria Fotache (violin), Loredana Apetrei (viola), Florin Burlacu (cello) and Dragoș Cantea (piano), who gave an original rendition of Brahms's Piano Quartet No.1, Op. 25.

The last night of the festival, 6 December, belonged to the young musicians of our university: a duo consisting of Ervin Péter (flute) and Sándor Ambrus (piano) who performed Poulenc's Sonata, a piano trio, with Magdalena Boroș‐Lazăr (violin), Ioana Vlad‐Albu (cello) and Leonard Bonea (piano) performing Shostakovich's Piano Trio No. 1 (Op. 8) in C minor, and a piano quintet made up of Valentin Șerban (first violin), Cătălina Călin (second violin), Evelina Șolot (viola) and Ioana Vlad‐Albu (cell) who performed the Piano Quintet in E‐flat major, Op. 44 by Schuman.

The festival ended with a musical present offered by soprano Mădălina Gabriela Bourceanu, violinist Bogdan Costache and pianist Ovidiu Mezei.

Monica‐Diana Raica, student

THIRD EDITION OF BRASSOVIAINTERNATIONAL STUDENTS CULTURAL NIGHT OUT,

SECOND EDITIONVOCATIONAL TRAINING FOR THE WOOD INDUSTRY

SECTOREMPOWERING THE INTERNATIONAL STATUS OF THE

FRENCH LANGUAGENEW PROJECTS IN ŢARA LĂPUŞULUI

AT GAUDEAMUS – INTERNATIONAL BOOK AND EDUCATION FAIRFACILITATING LEARNING AND TEACHING AT INTERNATIONAL LEVEL

CAROL CONCERT BY THE STUDENTS OF THE FACULTY OF MUSICVIBRATE!FESTIVAL SUPERSTRINGS ORCHESTRAPRIME BRAŞOV WINTER SCHOOLFROM BIO‐BASED COMPOSITES TO CARBON‐BASED MATERIALSJEAN MONNET CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE ‐ TWO YEARS SINCE ESTABLISHMENTCAMERATA VESELĂ AND ARLECHINO THEATRE AT AULA MAGNACHRISTMAS FAIR IN BUILDING TOGAREV MORDOVIA STATE UNIVERSITYINTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY AND INTERNATIONAL

VOLUNTEER DAYSANTA IS REAL! HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT? WITH ELLIS POTTERCHAMBER JAZZ WITH MIRCEA TIBERIAN AND ANA‐CRISTINA LEONTETHE JOY OF GIVING THE LAUNCH OF BOGDAN SUCEAVĂ'S NOVEL

MEETING WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF SEGULA TECHNOLOGIES ROMANIASUCCESSFUL ALUMNI

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS CULTURAL NIGHT OUT, SECOND EDITION

The second edition of the international students' night out took place on 9 December at the university's Aula Magna. It involved full time and Erasmus+ students from

thirteen countries: China, Greece, Germany, Italy, Morocco, Nigeria, Poland, the Republic of Moldova, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Turkey, as well as from Romania.

The event kicked off with descriptions of the participants' countries of origin. The sequence of the presentations was decided by drawing lots, and the first

one to go was Nigeria. The presentations

were followed by the first contest . Each pa i r of

competitors filled in a questionnaire testing

their familiarity with our university as

well as with the city of Brașov.

The top five questionnair

e s e a r n e d their respective respondents prizes.

The next stage in the event took the participants touring the national stands of the

countries represented. Some stands were garnished with traditional foods from each culture, others,

with artifacts and games. The students' night out concluded with a Romanian language karaoke competition rewarding the performances of the most talented participants.

Dr Corina Micu

THIRD EDITION OF BRASSOVIA, THE STUDENT FESTIVAL OF

CHAMBER MUSIC

Transilvania University of Bra�ovWhat 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

In the interval between 5 and 9 December, within the framework of the European Vocational Skills Week, the Romanian Furniture Manufacturers' Association and the Faculty of Wood Engineering of Transilvania University organized the conference Vocational Training in Romania. The Labour Market and the System of Education: Where We Are Now, and Where We Go from Here.

The event took place on 8 December. The participants were business people from the wood processing industry, school inspectors, teachers from vocational schools and high schools, representatives of the academia, as well as of wood engineering (ASFOR) and the furniture industry associations (APMR), respectively.

Among the topics discussed were the shortage of qualified work force in this sector and the necessary solutions for attracting young people to the wood processing industry.

The participants examined the causes of this situation and possible solutions to overcome it, as well as the targeted actions already taken by various economic actors from the wood industry. The discussions involved a presentation and assessment of the dual system of vocational education developed in countries like Austria and Germany and adapted to the Romanian context, as implemented locally by the German School Kronstadt for the mechanical engineering industry.

The overall conclusion of the conference papers was that there were solutions for the shortage of qualified staff in the wood industry, but that this field should become more prominent on the labour market and more attractive to young people financially, as well as by providing improved work conditions.

Dr Mihai Ispas

MEETING OF THE HEADS OF FRENCH DEPARTMENTS OF THE AUF MEMBER UNIVERSITIES

TRANSILVANIA UNIVERSITY PRESS OF BRAȘOV – PROMOTER OF EXCELLENCE

On 24 and 25 December, the Meeting of the Heads of French Departments of the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) member universities took place in Bucharest. It was a new opportunity for academics from Central and Eastern European universities to discuss the evolution of French language teaching in this part of the world, and find solutions for the promotion of French language teaching.

Dr Liliana Alic from the Faculty of Letters had the opportunity to present the French Department at Transilvania University of Braşov, the efforts and steps taken by faculty staff towards teaching and promoting French, as well as establishing contacts beneficial for professors and students interested in the French language and civilization.

The first day concluded with a reception held at the French Embassy in Bucharest where the participants were welcomed by H.E. François Saint‐Paul, the French Ambassador, by Mr Mohamed Ketata, Director of AUF BECO, and by Mr Christophe Gigaudaut, Director of the French Institute in Romania. In their addresses, they referred the importance of the French language in international, diplomatic, and industrial exchanges.

The second day of the meeting was dedicated to team activities, which allowed the participants to find out more about the strengths and weaknesses of teaching French in the respective countries. The suggestions for

improvement made on this occasion will be sent to the relevant bodies which will look for the best solutions, according to each country's regulations and legislation.

The meeting allowed representatives from the different agencies, bodies, and organizations present to reiterate their commitment to maintaining and empowering the role of French as an international language.

Dr Adèle Gousset, Dr Georgiana Burbea

For over two decades, every autumn, the Romanian cultural landscape has been traversed by Gaudeamus, “this huge ark of books”, as Cristian Teodorescu described this unique event of Romania's editorial market and cultural life.

This year's event took place between 16 and 20 November at the Central Pavilion of Romexpo Exhibitions Centre, and enjoyed a very favourable public response. The measure of its success was given by the high number of exhibitors (over 300), by the large‐scale editorial and professional events, by the size of the media coverage, and especially by the over 120,000 visitors.

The Guest of Honour of Gaudeamus 2016 was China, whose pavilion included several areas with various purposes: Book Exhibition, Cultural Exhibition, Activity and Reception. The ample program of events included the China‐Romania Literary Exchange Forum, on the topic World‐Wide Recognition of Native Literature.

This was yet another opportunity for the representatives of both Chinese and Romanian publishing industries to conclude partnerships, with a view to intensifying exchanges in this field.

Transilvania University Press of Braşov stood out at this event by its refined and innovative portfolio of academic books. All its releases cover a wide range of knowledge fields, yet they bear the unique mark given by its being a promoter of editorial excellence.

Simona GURTAVENCOTransilvania University Press Braşov

EMPOWERING THE INTERNATIONAL STATUS

OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE

AT GAUDEAMUS – INTERNATIONAL BOOK AND EDUCATION FAIR

VOCATIONAL TRAINING FOR THE WOOD INDUSTRY SECTOR

Following their dissemination at three conferences in Japan and Ireland, the results of the Transilvania Creative Camp they were also presented at Târgu Lăpuş, the original place where the project was run. To this end, a photo exhibition was organized on 8 December, showing photos taken by participants enrolled in the Transilvania Creative Camp summer school. Aimed at developing the creative promotion of tourist attractions and national heritage, the summer school was organized by Transilvania University in Braşov, Meisei University, Târgu Lăpuş City Hall, Petru Rareş High School in Târgu Lăpuş, and The Alternative School for Creative Thinking, in partnership with Universita Politecnica delle Marche, Salzburg University of Applied Science, Universidad de Extremadura and Instituto Politecnico di Leiria. The photos taken by participants from Japan, Italy, Vietnam, Taiwan, Albania, Holland, and Romania were exhibited at Vasile Latiş Cultural Centre until 8 January.

The visit to Târgu Lăpuş also allowed two of our undergraduate students from the Faculty of Music to research a type of song endemic to this region. The recorded material they managed to collect will form the support of their BA projects and its uniqueness may well open new research avenues. At the same time, we took the opportunity to promote our university to eleventh and twelfth grade students at the local high school, by presenting the educational offer at the Faculties of Medicine, Music, Wood Engineering, and Sociology and Communication.

In May 2017, a new project will be run in partnership with Ion Mincu Architecture University in Bucharest and New Design University in St. Pölten (Austria), for the benefit of undergraduates from the Faculty of Wood Engineering.

Dr Florin Nechita, Dr Alin Olărescu

PHOTO EXHIBITION, FOLK MUSIC, AND THE PROMOTION OF TRANSILVANIA UNIVERSITYNEW PROJECTS

IN ŢARA LĂPUŞULUI

THE LABOUR MARKET AND THE SYSTEM OF EDUCATION: WHERE WE ARE NOW, AND WHERE WE GO FROM HERE

FIDES ET EXCELLENTIA

At t h e b e g i n n i n g o f D e c e m b e r, Transilvania University of Brașov inaugurated the International Resource Centre (ITC) set up within the project for institutional development Internationalisation – a strategic instrument for increasing visibility and improving quality at Transilvania University of Brașov, CNFIS‐FDI‐2016‐0075.

The centre is aimed at catering for the needs of teachers and students involved in the process of learning and teaching at an international level by facilitating their access to specific information

technology and communication resources. Seeking to meet an institutional need, the centre will be able to provide assistance with both the preparation for international mobilities and their implementation at Transilvania University.

Dr Simona Lache,Vice‐rector for Internationalisation and Quality Assessment

INTERNATIONAL ITC RESOURCE CENTRE AT TRANSILVANIA UNIVERSITY OF BRAȘOV

Universitatea TRANSILVANIA din Braşov

CENTRUL INTERNATIONAL

DE RESURSE T.I.C.

Finanþat din fondurile proiectului

CNFIS-FDI-2016-0075

Every year in the month of December the wealth of artistic events held before Christmas and the New Year conjures up special emotions associated with the winter holidays.

In this spirit, on 19 December, the university hosted an original carol concert offered by the students of our Faculty of Music. The concert covered three artistic styles: choral pieces, pop and folk music.

The concert opened with carols from the classical repertoire of Romanian and international choral music performed by Gheorghe Dima chamber choir led by Dr Ciprian Țuțu and Dr Ioan Oarcea.

The entire concert was conducted by students who had the chance to put into practice the knowledge they gained on the study program for future teachers and choir conductors. Every musical piece conveyed a special type of emotion created by the performing skill of the student conductors who were thus able to demonstrate their capacity

of coordinating the group of musicians and their personal musical sensitivity.

The concert also included the performance of the Pop music class led by adjunct teachers Cristina Puia and Valentin Muntean. The enchanting atmosphere of the concert was created by the musical and poetic themes which highlighted the beauty and the sensitivity of the singers' voices.

The final part of the concert belonged to the vocal‐instrumental folk group of the Faculty of Music accompanied by Tudor Ciortea folk orchestra of the Music Highschool conducted by adjunct teacher Ioan Liviu Iosif.

The diversity and richness of the folk costumes were perfectly matched by the melodic and poetic beauty of the original archaic carols artistically interpreted by the students, impressing the public by the thematic, stylistic and genre diversity of each piece as well as personal performance and the beauty of the artists' voices.

Dr Ioan Oarcea

vibrate!festival, Brașov's youngest classical music festival taking place every summer, organised its second Christmas concert dedicated to its friends and partners. The three founding members of the festival Vlad Maistorovici, Diana Ionescu and Mădălin Iacob started from the idea that classical music is widely accessible and can be played in many more places than the usual venues. In this spirit, classical music could be heard in Brașov in churches, museums, cafes, tea houses, high schools, cultural centres, pubs ‐ in short, at any place where the audience is. The Christmas Concert, held previously at Cotroceni National Museum in Bucharest, will take place in 2017 at two representative venues: the Atrium at the Romanian National Library in Bucharest and the Aula Magna at Transilvania University of Brașov.

The chamber music group vibrate!festival Superstrings Orchestra was set up by violinist and composer Vlad Maistorovici, director of vibrate!festival. It brings together the best instrumentalists: Karolina Weltrowska (Germany), Răsvan Dumitru, Roxana Bârsan, Andrei Stanciu – violin, Meghan Cassidy (Great Britain), Traian Boală, Emma Rotomeza – viola, Matthijs Broersma (The Netherlands), Andreea Țimiraș – cello, Florentina Ciornei – double bass, the pianist Diana Ionescu – soloist and director of vibrate!festival. The artistic vision and the values of the group are excellence, tradition, innovation, and diversity in classical music.

The concert in Brașov was organised by Paul Constantinescu Cultural Association, Kaufland Romania Association for Art, Music and Culture, Brașov Metropolitan Agency, with Transilvania University of Brașov as the main partner.

The concert program included Musica Notturna delle strade di Madrid by Luigi Boccherini, the Concerto for piano and strings orchestra by Felix Mendelssohn, Summa by Arvo Pärt, Transylvanian Concerto by Vlad Maistorovici and Simple Symphony by Benjamin Britten.

Mădălin Iacob, Director of vibrate!festival

CHORAL PIECES, POP AND FOLK MUSIC

vibrate!festival Superstrings Orchestra

CAROL CONCERT BY THE STUDENTS OF THE FACULTY OF MUSIC

FACILITATING LEARNING AND TEACHING AT

INTERNATIONAL LEVEL

CHRISTMAS CONCERT IN BRAȘOV

FIDES ET EXCELLENTIA

THE INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM BIOCOMP 2016, CONCEPCION, CHILE

CHRISTMAS SHOW FOR THE CHILDREN OF THE UNIVERSITY'S EMPLOYEES

thThe 13 Pacific Rim Bio‐Based Composite Symposium took place between 13 and 15 November, in the city of Concepcion in the Bio‐Bio Region (Chile). The main organizers were the University of Concepcion and the Technology Development Unit (UDT) at Concepcion, and co‐organizers were the Alberta Innovates Corporation, the Chinese Academy of Forestry, the Australian Forest Research Company (AFRC), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), the AES Corporation, Nanjing Forestry University, Shizuoka University, FPInnovations, SCION Research Institute, the Chinese Research Institute of Wood Industry (CRIWI).

The previous editions of the symposium were held in Rotorua, New Zealand (1992), Vancouver, Canada (1994), Kyoto, Japan (1996), Bogor, Indonesia (1998), Canberra, Australia (2000), Portland, Oregon, USA (2002), Nanjing, China (2004), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (2006), Rotorua, New Zealand (2008), Alberta, Canada (2010), Shizuoka, Japan (2012) and Beijing, China (2014).

The participants in this edition were researchers from twenty countries: Australia, Canada, China, Chile, Estonia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Mexico, Slovenia, Spain, South Africa, Sweden,

Switzerland, Portugal, Romania, and the USA. There were eight sessions on various topics (bio‐composites, adhesives, bioplastic materials, fibre reinforced materials, carbon based materials), 30 plenary sessions, and 30 posters.

Transilvania University of Braşov was represented by Dr Emilia‐Adela Salcă from the Faculty of Wood Engineering. She presented the results of research supported by the 2016 Transilvania University Fellowship, which she conducted in collaboration with colleagues from the Ukrainian National Forestry University in Lviv. Besides the professional exchanges, the updates in the field of composite materials and the new contacts for potential collaborations, the participants benefitted from a new and interesting cultural experience.

Dr Emilia‐Adela Salcă

On 14 December, the university organized the traditional Christmas show for the children of its employees. In a festive and enthusiastic atmosphere, the show began with Christmas carols and songs performed by the children in the Camerata Veselă choir, conducted by alumna Iuliana Porcos, a graduate of the Faculty of Music.

The second part of the programme was dedicated to children's theatre and it was introduced as follows: “You certainly know him. If you looked around carefully, you would recognize him. He is tall… or maybe short, fair‐haired …oh, no! dark‐haired. He is thin… or maybe chubby, but he definitely has a contagious smile that can even make you burst into laughter. So many stories have been told about him that he has become well‐known. Don't you know him? It's impossible… He's Păcală!”.

The show “Păcală in his village”, performed by the actors of the Arlechino Theatre of Brașov, was our University's surprise for the children. An adaptation of Ioan Slavici's story, the cast of the show, directed by Valentin Dobrescu, included actors Adrian Iuga, Petronela Rujan, Adrian Dobrescu, Alexandru Dobrescu, Marius Stroe, Cecilia Negru.

The humour and wit of Păcală, the quintessential Romanian folk tale peasant, created moments of merriment and fun among the public of all ages present at the event.

Dr Mădălina Rucsanda

FROM BIO‐BASED COMPOSITES

TO CARBON‐BASED MATERIALS

CAMERATA VESELĂ AND ARLECHINO

THEATRE AT AULA MAGNA

The 17 and 18 December were joyful days for PRIME Braşov. At Moeciu de Jos, these two days included opportunities for team members to perform activities which combined play and learning.

PRIME Braşov is used to working with people with special qualities and this is why its guests were Octavian Aftanasă, former president of PRIME Braşov and Valentin Ogner, who talked about creative strategies and, respectively, communication in NGOs. Both speakers shared ideas and experience from their respective fields; they showed how to identify problems and demonstrated what can be solved by means of communication, how creative people can be and what they can achieve by means of good communication skills. During the workshops, the participants teamed up in order to solve a particular situation. The PRIME team combined creativity and entertainment, which created an unforgettable atmosphere.

Diana Cernat, student

PRIME BRAŞOV WINTER SCHOOL

The second year of activity of the university's Centre of Excellence Jean Monnet ‐ Challenges and Prospects of EU Integration in South Eastern Europe started with its participation as co‐organizer of the International Conference on Applied Business and Economics – Paris, 1‐3 September 2016. The main objective of this conference was to provide a venue for interdisciplinary exchanges on the subject of the European business environment.

The project manager, Professor Ileana Tache, was chairman of Panel 8 – Microeconomics. She also co‐authored (with Monica Răileanu‐Szeles) the paper discussing the role of education in stimulating economic development in the

framework of Europe 2020 Strategy: Evidence from South‐Eastern Europe.

In October a new session of weekly meetings began with the presentations of two special guests: Aurelian Danu, manager of the Communication Department of the National Liberal Party – and Mara Mareș, expert in European policies. Other prestigious guests will further be invited to take part in these activities.

In addition, in the period 19‐21 December, a group of students, teachers, researchers and doctoral candidates visited two European institutions in Brussels – the European Commission and the European Parliament.

Dr Bianca Tescaşiu

CO‐ORGANIZER OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON APPLIED BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS

JEAN MONNET CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE ‐ TWO

YEARS SINCE ESTABLISHMENT

ABOUT CREATIVE STRATEGIES AND COMMUNICATION AT MOECIU DE JOS

FIDES ET EXCELLENTIA

On 15 December, the F a c u l t y o f S o c i o l o g y a n d Communication teamed up with Hoghiz Elementary School to organize the first Christmas Fair. Supported by the Rafael Foundation Codlea, this charitable event involved volunteer faculty staff and students. The Christmas tree decorations, the traditional glass‐painted icons, or the “goodies from the teacher's pantry” turned the exhibition on the second floor of building T into a colourful event.

Coordinated by Dr Mihaela Gotea and Dr Diana Bodi, the “Snowflake” creation workshop brought together students from the Social Work study programme, people with disabilities in the care of the Rafael Foundation, as well as children of staff members. The warm atmosphere of the Christmas holidays was complemented by the carol singing of our students and graduates, along with the foundation guests.

Dr Marinela Șimon, Dr Florin Nechita

CHARITABLE EVENT AT THE FACULTY OF SOCIOLOGY AND COMMUNICATION

In December, the Faculty of Letters continued its activities with Ogarev Mordovia State University from the Russian Federation within the framework of the Erasmus+ programme. Between 4 and 10 December, two teachers from our faculty benefited from a teaching and a training mobility at the Department of Foreign Languages of the Saransk University, in the Republic of Mordovia, the Russian Federation.

The cooperation with the Russian university allowed several students and teaching staff from Brașov and from Saransk to take part in the Erasmus + mobility program. In March and May 2016, our Faculty was visited by four teachers from the Department of Foreign Languages of Ogarev Mordovia State University: Dr Olga Safonkina, Dr Irina Korovina, Dr Lilia Vereshchagina, and Dr Konstantin Svoykin.

In Saransk, we enjoyed the support and hospitality of our colleagues from the Department of Foreign Languages, where we learnt many interesting things about the local academic community. The meeting with Dr Natalia Vatolkina, coordinator of the International Relations Office, confirmed the interest of Ogarev Mordovia State University in continuing and expanding the partnership with our university.

Dr Raluca Sinu

... and there he was, on the evening of 22 December, to bring joy to children, parents and teaching staff alike. He was assisted by the organizers of the event ‐ students in Psychology and Education Sciences. Generously, Santa offered gifts to all the children present, among whom the primary school pupils of Târlungeni, who reminded us the Story of Yore occasioning, every year, moments of glee and hope.

The open space of Aula Magna was the venue of this event which turned into a traditional moment of our Faculty, a tradition in which the Romanian carols sung by young people in traditional garb conjured up the ancient customs celebrating Christmas.

Dr Ioana Topală

On the initiative and with the support of third year students in Social Work, on 8 December, Aula Magna was the venue of Chance for Change, an event celebrating the International Day of People with Disability and the International Volunteer Day.

Each of the professional social workers invited were given the floor in order to introduce the students to the organizations (beneficiaries, services, team of professionals, projects, results and challenges), the volunteer opportunities within each institution and the role that this type of activity might have in the students' personal and professional development.

The students in Sociology and Communication had the opportunity to learn more about some of the non‐governmental organizations and institutions from Braşov (Social Services Department Braşov, Foundation Motivation Romania, the Romanian Association for the Blind ‐ Braşov subsidiary, Social Services Association SCUT, Association Ray of Hope) – all of them committed to improving the quality of the disabled persons' lives, as well as those of their careers.

Dr Marinela Şimon

OGAREV MORDOVIA STATE UNIVERSITY

SANTA IS REAL!

CHANCE FOR CHANGE – EVENT ORGANIZED BY THE FACULTY OF SOCIOLOGY AND COMMUNICATION

ERASMUS+ MOBILITY PROGRAMME AT THE FACULTY OF LETTERS

EVENT ORGANIZED BY THE STUDENTS AT THE FACULTY OF PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION SCIENCES

CHRISTMAS FAIR IN BUILDING T

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY AND INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER DAY

FIDES ET EXCELLENTIA

On 5 December, after the launch of his latest book at Bookfest Brașov, American writer Ellis Potter was invited by Engage Brașov and the Faculty of Letters to the Multicultural Centre of Transilvania University for a meeting with the readers.

Starting from title question “How do you know that?”, Potter spoke about the four ways of acquiring knowledge ‐ which he compared to the four corners of a square – representing those elements which we invest

with epistemic authority. In essence, revelation, reason, tradition, and experience belong, in Potter's opinion, to a Christian worldview. It was this worldview that Potter, an accomplished international speaker, managed to share with an audience that might otherwise have been less sensitive to religious matters, engaging it with his oratorical flair, the casual tone of his speech, and the use of relevant, contemporary references.

Basically, Potter's thesis is that these four sources of knowledge are complementary, and for those of us who seek to attain a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the world, they should be used in combination. Potter's talk broadly followed the arguments defended in his written work; the audience's enthusiastic response gave his speech a truly interactive character, making it a great success.

Maria Ghiurțu

CHAMBER JAZZ WITH MIRCEA TIBERIAN AND ANA‐CRISTINA LEONTEOn 18 December, the University's Multicultural Centre held a new concert within the frame of the Chamber

Jazz at Transilvania University series, featuring one of the best known Romanian pianists and composers, Mircea Tiberian, performing in duet with Ana‐Cristina Leonte, well established artist herself, in both jazz and electronic music.

Their project, It's not over yet, is a collection of songs composed by Mircea Tiberian and some of his collaborators, with lyrics written by Anca Parghel, Marta Hristea or, in his latest compositions, Ana‐Cristina Leonte.

Apart from the new songs, with lyrics written in English, which will be included in a new album, Mircea Tiberian and Ana‐Cristina Leonte performed several older jazz pieces in a manner which went beyond the conventional formulas of the genre.

The event ended with a discussion moderated by pianist Lucian Ban, allowing the public access to the type of theoretical approach to jazz to which Mircea Tiberian has devoted a significant part of his career. Examining the dynamics between structured and free‐flowing musical discourse, the talk focused on improvisation as a guarantee of any given performance's singularity.

The dynamics described above is especially manifest in jazz duets, where the permanent exchange between (in this case) the vocalist and the pianist, allowed a glimpse into how they come in sync with each other, while also

attuning their performance to the audience's response, creating a unique artistic act experienced by a particular audience at a certain point in time.

Maria Ghiurțu

IT'S NOT OVER YET

HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT? WITH ELLIS POTTER

ABOUT REVELATION, REASON, TRADITION, AND EXPERIENCE AS THE PATHWAYS TO KNOWLEDGE

FIDES ET EXCELLENTIA

Organizing “Christmas Home at the Wood Engineering Faculty” is already becoming a tradition. It involves preparing our premises for the Christmas Celebration, together with student volunteers, faculty and administrative staff, and graduates.

The theme of this 3rd edition was “Cellulose Christmas”. For two weeks, in workshops,

the volunteer students created original ornaments and adorned the place with “Christmas architecture” and design elements made of paper/cellulose materials. We endeavoured to recreate the atmosphere of a welcoming house, with a Christmas tree and a fireplace; little angels and miniature Christmas trees found their place on the fireplace shelf, with little stockings hanging above it. The Christmas lights were festively lit on 20 December; this task was assigned, by drawing lots, to Christmas girl in her freshman year. Among the carollers were faculty staff children, who were rewarded sweet gifts from Santa's sleigh.

The highlight of the evening, met with standing ovations, was the “Cellulose Ball” with dress code, organized by the second year students for the benefit of their younger colleagues. Three pairs of first years were singled out: the girls, attired in original dresses adorned with paper elements, and the boys, in black cardboard top hats.

“Home at the Wood Engineering Faculty” also means the Restoration Club Antique IL. The polychrome wood peg restored by several second year volunteers found its place above the fireplace, and a canoe with one paddle was hung in the Faculty hall, to the participants' delight. The canoe, the first of its kind manufactured at Reghin (1960) and donated to the Faculty was restored by eighteen first year students who, as a result, earned their acceptance to the Restoration Club.

Dr Maria Cristina Timar, Dr Emanuela Beldean, Dr Anca Maria Varodi

CHRISTMAS HOME AT THE WOOD ENGINEERING FACULTY

THE JOY OF GIVING

“Republica” (The Republic), Bogdan Suceavă's latest novel (Polirom Publishing House) was launched in Brașov on 20 December.

Based on the memoirs of Alexander Candiano‐Popescu and a short satirical work of I. L. Caragiale, Boborul, the plot follows a rather marginal episode in the Romanian history which Bogdan Suceavă presents as symptomatic for “Romanians as political beings”.

“Republica” depicts the events of 8 August 1870, when around 3,000 people from Ploiești, led by Candiano‐Popescu, join in the climactic moment of a antimonarchic movement (the proclamation of the Republic), a moment revealed by Suceavă in both its absurdity and significance.

These two dimensions of the events in 1870 were also the focus of the discussion which began with Adrian Lăcătuș pointing out some innovative narrative techniques employed by Suceavă ‐ alternating between conventional narration and dramatic world building and dialogue structure ‐ and then evolved into a lively debate about the thematic stakes of the book.

Bogdan Suceavă capitalized on the direct experience of young Caragiale, tapping into the repertoire of the most famous Romanian playwright, to whom his literary project is undoubtedly dedicated. Apart from making a compelling case for Caragiale's major influence on the Romanian political fiction, Suceavă's work highlights the mannerisms and idiosyncrasies still apparent in our involvement in public life.

Maria Ghiurțu

THE LAUNCH OF BOGDAN SUCEAVĂ'S NOVEL

On 7 December, the Department of Mechanical Engineering organized a meeting between the students in Mechanical Engineering and representatives of the company Segula Technologies Romania.

Segula Technologies, a leading French company offering engineering services, has 8,000 employees in the 22 subsidiaries all over the world. The Romanian branch established in 1997 was targeted at engineering and design services for various industry branches: automotive, aeronautics, naval and general installations.

The purpose of the meeting with the students was to present the employment opportunities for the graduates in the branches in Bucharest, Pitesti, Timişoara and, from 15 January 2015, Braşov.

The company representatives described the main activities of the company and the profile of the employees for engineer positions for: design in CATIA V5 / V6, finite element analysis, drafting technical documentation, manufacturing processes, logistics activities, especially in the automotive area.

Segula Technologies Romania opens the path to successful careers in the domain of engineering. The future employees will benefit from in‐service professional training (the use of specialized software, the knowledge of the quality standards and an introduction in the organizational culture), while also working in an international environment, in teams of professionals.

The meeting concluded with a session of questions and answers where the students were able to ask pointed questions about how they can start a career with Segula Technologies Romania.

Dr Camelia Cerbu, Dr Sorin Vlase

Ștrul Moisa is a 1967 graduate of the Polytechnic Institute of Brasov, Mechanical Engineering Faculty. He left Romania, heading for Israel in 1977. After the events in December 1989 he paid visits to Romania, and later earned his PhD at Transilvania University of Brașov in Materials Science in 1999.

In September 1991 he headed the delegation from Ben‐Gurion University at the International Scientific Seminar Modern Mechanical Design, organized by the Polytechnic University of Bucharest. That was also the moment of his first contact with academics in Romania, contacts that have been added to year by year. One of the goals which have motivated Eng. Moisa was ‐ among many others – to tighten the cooperation with the universities in Romania. The honorary title of ambassador of Ben‐Gurion University from Negev, Beer‐Sheva to universities in Romania rests on a solid foundation. Today, Ben‐Gurion University in Beer‐Sheva has partnerships with almost all universities in Romania and the Erasmus programs are in full progress. As a result, Transilvania University of Brasov has appointed him ALUMNI Ambassador.

Besides his impressive professional resumed, Ștrul Moisa has numerous extra‐professional activities, among which that of Member of the Israel Association of Romanian natives, Member of the Israel Organization of Dorohoi natives, Member of the Romania‐Israel Friendship Association and ACMEOR Member (World Cultural Association of Jews from Romania).

Dr Bianca Tescaşiu

OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE GRADUATES OF THE

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM

SUCCESSFUL ALUMNI

MEETING WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF SEGULA TECHNOLOGIES ROMANIA

“THE PEOPLE” VS. THE REPUBLIC

ENG. ȘTRUL MOISA, PH.D.

FIDES ET EXCELLENTIA