NEWSLETTER

Nr. 34February

2015

Famous Arias, the concert hosted by Transilvania University in partnership with the local Opera House was truly an event that metamorphosed energy into rhythm. The soloists were accompanied by Ovidiu Mezei, Artistic Director of the Opera House, playing the Grand Steinway & Sons piano.

The story of Sister Angelica (the heroine of Puccini's eponymous opera), as well as Eliza's aria (Lerner and Loewe's My Fair Lady), were performed by Cristina Radu, the “Soprano of the Year” in 2009.

Arsace's cavatina (from Rossini's “Semiramide”), a true vocal pièce de résistance, was performed by mezzo‐soprano Carmen Topciu, already famous for her full, sensitive voice. Her rendition of Elena's aria from Verdi's Sicilian Vespers and Time to Say Goodbye spellbound the audience.

Adrian Mărcan's elegant, sophisticated voice made quite an impression in Rossini's Barber of Seville as well as in the Rosina – Figaro aria, where the artist sang a wonderful duet with Carmen Topciu.

In yet another impressive performance, Anda Olimpia Pop sang the aria of Nedda in I Pagliacci by Leoncavallo and Les Chemins de l'Amour by Poulenc. In the same vein, tenor Liviu Iftene delighted us with Non Ti Scordar Di Me and Nessun Dorma by Puccini, followed by Simona and Adrian Mărcan, who confessed their mutual love in Silvia and Edwin's duet from The Gipsy Princess by Kalman.

This musical feat concluded with none other than Brindisi from Verdi's “La Traviata”, which brought back on stage all the artists, to the delight of music lovers present at Aula Magna, as well as of those who watched the online broadcast of the concert.

Dr Liliana Rogozea

OPERATIC EVENT AT TRANSILVANIA UNIVERSITY

On 16 January the University played host to the launch of the AWARD programme, an event which brought together teaching staff involved in lower

and upper secondary education (practicum mentors), school counsellors and inspectors, academics and students from the Faculty of Psychology and

Education Sciences.The introductory presentation was made by Programme

Director, trainer Ruxandra Florescu, a trainee student enrolled in the programme offered by The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award

Romania Foundation and, on behalf of our faculty, by the Dean, Dr Toader Pălășan and Programme Coordinator Ramona Henter.

Available in 140 countries, the AWARD programme is the world's leading personal development programme

targeted at young people, and aimed at assisting them in acquiring life skills and thereby exert a positive influence

on the communities in which they live. Based on open‐access, achievement, volunteering, and progress, the

programme can basically be describes by the three defining stages it involves (bronze, silver, gold), and

by the four sections (volunteering, personal skills, physical challenges, adventure) that all

beneficiaries follow through. The AWARD Leaders programme taking

place between 26 January and 3 March trains the teaching staff to become resource persons (trainers) of the future trainees. Several course teams have already been set in place, each consisting of sixteen instructors; the implementation of the programme is ensured by trainers from The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Romania Foundation. An important step forward in developing this project was setting up a local network of supporters for the AWARD programme.

LAUNCH OF THE AWARD PROGRAMMETHE FACULTY OF PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION SCIENCES REACHES

OUT TO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

Transilvania University of Bra�ovWhat purpose does the university serve if not to pave the way for the society of wisdom?

(Paolo Blasi)

FIDES ET EXCELLENTIA

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

OPERATIC EVENT AT TRANSILVANIA UNIVERSITY

LAUNCH OF THE AWARD PROGRAMMESIEMENS INDUSTRY SOFTWARE BRAŞOV

RESUMES ITS PROGRAMMES FOR STUDENTSATRACTING THEMATIC WORKSHOPMEETING WITH JÉRÔME FERRARIAN INTRODUCTION TO AUTOMOTIVE ELECTRONICSEVENINGS AT THE FACULTY OF LETTERS

CHRISTMAS AT WE PROFESSORS WE TAKE PRIDE INGUESTS TO OUR UNIVERSITY SUCCESSFUL ALUMNI

Dr Toader Pălășan

MEETING WITH JÉRÔME FERRARI, GONCOURT PRIZE WINNER IN 2012

SIEMENS INDUSTRY SOFTWARE BRAŞOV RESUMES ITS PROGRAMMES FOR STUDENTS

The second event in a series of meetings in praesentia dedicated to recent Goncourt Prize winners took place at the Faculty of Letters on 14 January. It featured Jérôme Ferrari, a 2012 Goncourt laureate for Le Sermon sur la chute de Rome (The Sermon on the Fall of Rome), a novel translated into Romanian.

The meeting started with a dialogue between the writer and the students present; the debates touched upon the major themes, symbolic representations and the message of the book, the techniques employed to erect the structure of the novel and, from a wider perspective, the cultural implications of the story which the author retells in his novel, and the relationship between Ferrari the philosophy teacher and Ferrari the fiction writer. This first part of the meeting concluded with a short ceremony during which the jury of the Goncourt Romania Prize in Brașov received participation diplomas awarded by the French Institute in Bucharest.

The second part of the meeting with Jérôme Ferrari took place in the evening on the premises of “Șt. O. Iosif” Bookstore, and involved the general francophone public in Brașov. Developing along the traditional lines of the French “café littéraire”, this interaction became a most welcome opportunity to extend (temporally and otherwise) the discussions started earlier in the day.

For the success of this meeting credit is due to the French cultural services in Romania for the support – via the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) ‐ in setting up this meeting. We extend our thanks to Mr. Fabien Fleuri, Head of Bureau Europe Centrale et Orientale of AUF, for taking part in the event, to all our partners (the AUF and the French Lectorate in Brașov, Libris Brașov, The Embassy of the Republic of Lebanon and the GADIF ‐ Groupe des Ambassades, Délégations et Institutions Francophones). We are also grateful to all the people who contributed to the project ‐ Adèle Gosset, the French Lecturer in Brașov, Monica Hărșan, teacher of French literature at the Faculty of Letters, Adrian Lăcătuș, Dean of the Faculty of Letters and Rodica Ilie, Head of the Literature and Cultural Studies Department. Last but definitely not least, we wish to thank our special guest, Mr. Jérôme Ferrari, for his extremely engaging participation in this event.

OPEN DIALOGUE ON THE NOVEL THE SERMON ON

THE FALL OF ROME

At Siemens Industry Software (SISW) we believe and are committed to maximize each student's technical and teamwork potential.

For this purpose, we have developed a series of programmes designed to extend the students' knowledge of and skills in operating with C++ language. In this way students will be given the opportunity to interact with and be mentored by Siemens experts in this field.

The programmes organized by SISW are targeted especially at those students in Mathematics and Computer Science and in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science who are interested in building a career in the area of C++ based software.

The C++ initiation module Curious Minds Optional Course (March–May 2105) is a ten‐week credit‐bearing programme, organized at the SISW headquarters in Braşov. The students will benefit from an interactive and innovative teaching and learning method, ARDUINO training and permanent online support.

During the three‐month Curious Minds Internship at SISW (July ‐ September 2015), students will have the opportunity to interact with leaders in the field and to acquire hands‐on experience in C++. In this intensive credit‐bearing programme, the students benefit from a three‐month scholarship, one‐to‐one mentorship within the team and permanent online support. The fifth edition of the Curious Minds Summer School (3 August – 18 September 2015) is designed for students with intermediate C++ competence currently in their second year of study at the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science and third year of study at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Students will benefit from a three‐month scholarship, intensive mentorship, permanent online support, prizes and awards, the chance to earn another six‐month scholarship and write their diploma thesis under the supervision of SISW experts.

CURIOUS MINDS OPTIONAL COURSE, CURIOUS MINDS INTERNSHIP ȘI CURIOUS

MINDS SUMMER SCHOOL

ATRACTING THEMATIC WORKSHOPBetween 19 and 22 January, the thematic workshop Advanced magnetic materials for

reducing energy consumption and manufacturing sensors was organized as part of Project POSDRU/159/1.5/S/137070 – “Increasing the attractiveness and performance of training programmes for doctoral and postdoctoral researchers in engineering sciences 2014 – 2015 ‐ ATRACTING”, coordinated by Dr Gheorghe Scutaru, and developed in partnership with Politehnica University Timişoara.

The lectures and workshops took place in the magnetic measurement laboratories at the Research‐Development‐Innovation Centre ICDT of Transilvania University, and were conducted by Dr Corneliu‐Bazil Cizmaş and Dr Marius Volmer, researchers in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics.

The aim of the workshop was to identify new ways of applying theoretical concepts and experimental methods from the field of magnetic nanostructures and of sensor science in order to

optimally design and exploit the database systems and the advance energy management systems through magnetic refrigeration.The workshop was highly interdisciplinary, both through the lectures held on the topic of the applications of magnetic materials

in advanced technologies, as well as through the multidisciplinary interactions within the group of PhD candidates in the fields of chemistry, mechanical, material and electrical engineering.

The quality of the practical activities performed and the active involvement of PhD candidates from our University and from Politehnica University Timişoara illustrated the growing interest in the field of applied physics and electrical engineering.

A GATE TO A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

FIDES ET EXCELLENTIA

Simona Şandru,Senior Technical Author, Siemens Industry Software Romania

Dr Elena Helerea, Dr Marius Daniel Călin

Dr Ramona Hărșan

EVENINGS AT THE FACULTY OF LETTERS

On 8 January the Evenings at the Faculty of Letters project resumed the series of cultural events on a high note: the launch of Fermoare, nasturi şi capse (Zippers, Buttons and Snaps), a volume authored by playwright and university lecturer Mihai Ignat. On the premises of Okian Bookstore, Adrian Lăcătuş, Dean of the Faculty of Letters, and Alexandru Funieru introduced the book to the group of connoisseurs and drama lovers present at the event.

Crize sau Încă o poveste de dragoste, Moartea pentru patrie, Aici, acolo, as well as the title play form the contents of what might be considered the best of Mihai Ignat's literary output, judging by its warm reception by critics and independent playhouses alike.

The discussions around the volume highlighted a few general features of the plays, focusing on their thematic and stylistic cohesion, the balanced mix of humour and drama, which steers them clear of pitfalls like shallow entertainment or stern, frigid seriousness. In fact, Mihai Ignat's plays are

stylistically unobtrusive: the language he makes use of is down to earth, quite far from any experimental extravagance. Both speakers emphasized the realistic substance that lies at the core of the plays – which, despite the author's adherence to dramatic conventions, comes close to the minimalist approach taken by the Romanian cinema today.

Mihai Ignat recapped some of the circumstances in which his plays were put on stage, and referred to the importance of keeping a balance between the playwright's intention and the stage manager's approach, as well as to the difficulties facing independent theatre projects today.

Alexandru Funieru, Ph.D. student

THE LAUNCH OF A NEW DRAMA COLLECTION

BY MIHAI IGNAT

The development of automotive industry in our area, on one hand, and our students' interest in this particular field of research, on the other, have prompted the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science to focus on developing partnerships with important companies in this business sector.

An important outcome of the partnership between the Department of Electronics and Computers within our faculty and Continental Automotive Systems, Sibiu was the launch, in the academic year 2014‐2015, of an elective course intended as an introduction to automotive electronics. Two novel elements are worth mentioning here. First, the teaching and laboratory activities were conducted entirely by a specialist from Continental Automotive Systems and second, the course was designed for all of our faculty's students, from all study programmes and all years of study. This is why the teaching materials were carefully chosen to help all students understand the issues under discussion. � The multimedia teaching aids highlighted the role of electronics in the structure of present‐day automobiles and was highly appreciated by the students. Upon completion of a theoretical module, students were administered a gatekeeping test.Thus, of a total 151 students who originally enrolled in this course, 71 were admitted to laboratory activities.

The next step involves the joint supervision of BEng projects on topics dealt with in the course; Continental will recommend students for internship and will provide the best candidates with incentives among which, study grants and, possibly, positions with the company.

Dr Carmen Gerigan, Dr Petre Ogruţan

AN INTRODUCTION TO AUTOMOTIVE ELECTRONICS

Christmas at WE is an initiative meant to unite the “WE Family” in the Christmas spirit by recreating the holiday spirit in the faculty. About 50 students and staff members took part in a volunteer action organised before the winter holiday.

The preparations involved designing and manufacturing Christmas tree decorations in three workshops: chemical ornaments, WMB ornaments and eco‐ornaments. Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen materialised in funny decorations cut in plywood by means of laser equipment then finished by painting. Leaves, fruit, fir cones, fir‐tree branches became WMB (wood manufacture bases) ornaments. The one of a kind eco‐ornaments were representations of the producers' ideas or Christmas memories. The top of the tree (designed by Ioan Muscu) nicely completed the whole work. The snowman was a small furniture item designed by Claudiu Iacob –IVth year student.

The Celebration days started by the lighting of the Christmas tree. The first carol singers were the WE children (children or grandchildren of staff) who took part in an ornament production workshop and sang wonderful carols. The Christmas atmosphere was nicely completed by Santa's sledge parked in the faculty atrium ‐ the contribution of the members of the Furniture Restoration Club. The massive horse‐drawn sledge required complex restoration procedures for the irretrievably lost or damaged wooden elements. The efforts of the volunteer students were rewarded with little WE Christmas trees, apples, and pretzels.

Dr Maria Cristina Timar

CHRISTMAS AT WE

A NEW EVENT AT THE FACULTY OF

WOOD ENGINEERING (WE)

ELECTIVE COURSE ORGANISED BY THE FACULTY OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE AND

CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, SIBIU

FIDES ET EXCELLENTIA

GUESTS TO OUR UNIVERSITYBetween 14 and 16 January the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science received the

visit of Dr Detlef Streitferdt and Dr Frank March from Ilmenau University of Technology (IUT), coordinators of the MITB ‐ Mobile and Internettechnologie in e‐Business – master's programme (Mobile Phone Applications and Internet Technologies in e‐Business).

Together with Dr Livia Sângeorzan, the Romanian coordinator of this joint master's programme, the guests had several meetings with the students enrolled in the MITB programme. The possibility of our students attending some of the subjects at IUT was among the topics under discussion. As expected, most our students showed great interest in this opportunity, all the more so in light of the fact that two semesters at IUT would earn them a double certification. Apart from this case, students will be awarded their master's diploma by the university they graduate.

Besides graduates of Applied Informatics B.S. programmes, any graduate with reasonable knowledge of and skills in Applied Informatics and with a good command of German can apply for

enrolment in MITB.The master's programme is also supported via the DAAD project ‐ Deutschsprachige Studiengänge (DSG) in MOE/GUS. Part of

the courses are run by lecturers from European universities and from prominent IT companies interested in showcasing the latest technologies in the field.

Dr Livia Sângeorzan

THE MITB MASTER'S – A GATEWAY TO AN

INTERNATIONAL CAREER

We deem it as our moral duty to evoke the remarkable personality of Professor Aurel Negruţiu who acted as director of our University Library between 1964 and 2001, turning it into one of the most highly appreciated institutions in the national library system.

The services provided by the library represented achievements which brought it in line with the demands of scientific research dissemination, information processing, growth and updating of its collections, development of cooperation and networking with similar institutions within the international library system.

This was by no means an easy task: in fact, it was a long painstaking process involving different steps. Among the most outstanding achievements there are the development of the national and international publications exchange, the setting up of the special information and documentation service, the initiation of the printing workshop which improved the access to teaching, learning, and research resources, the setting up of the cinematographic laboratory concerned mainly with didactic and documentary film‐making.

During that time, CDS – ISIS, the automated information processing and retrieval system was implemented, the operations were automated, electronic editing and text digitizing began, and Transilvania University Publishing House came into being.

Competence, talent, commitment and hard work are the four pillars on which Professor Negruțiu's outstanding career as academic and library manager has rested. According to popular wisdom, each time a professor retires, a library is shutting down; each time a professor dies, a library goes up in flames.

Dr Angela Repanovici

PROFESSORS WE TAKE PRIDE IN

PROFESSOR AUREL NEGRUȚIU – THE FIRST MANAGER OF THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

SUCCESSFUL ALUMNIClaudiu Covrig is a 2003 graduate of the Faculty of Technological Engineering and Industrial

Management. In 2005 he completed a master's programme in the field of Engineering Design and Management of Renewable Energy Sources and, three years later, he earned his PhD under the supervision of Dr Vladimir Mărăscu‐Klein.

His doctoral research targeted the energy efficiency of different companies and studies of (conventional and renewable) energy markets, trends, and national and European policies in the field.

Since 2008, Claudiu has made a living in Switzerland where he has been working as an economic engineer and economic design analyst of the energy and financial markets, as well as a trader of futures and swaps contracts on the Stock and Trade Exchange Markets (CBOT, ICE, NYMEX).

Claudiu Covrig is currently working as a senior research analyst for the McGraw Hill Financial group, with Kingsman / Platts Company in Lausanne, dealing with the analysis of world sugar and biofuel markets, their relationship to the agricultural and fossil fuel markets, as well as with the impact of the political decisions at all levels. Claudiu Covrig works closely with decision makers, big producers and consumers, different governments and associations in the field, offers consultancy and makes forecasts regarding the supply and demand of different stocks and trades (especially sugar, biofuels, grains and gasoline), as well as appraisals of international commercial flux, analyses of futures contracts, and arbitrage.

Claudiu Covrig is often invited as chairman or keynote speaker to conferences and international summits in the domains of: energy, agriculture and stock exchange, his analyses, forecasts and suggestions being taken by agencies as Bloomberg, Reuters, as well as by financial newspapers.

More recently, he has been teaching classes at master's level with the University of Geneva and has been acting as invited expert of the European Commission in meetings on agriculture and energy.

Dr Mihai Ionescu

DR CLAUDIU COVRIG

FIDES ET EXCELLENTIA