2022. június 01.
International relations
Almost 60 foreign civil engineering students traveled to Budapest to an event between the 20th and 27th of March 2022, organized by BME Zielinski Szilárd Civil Engineering College for Advanced Studies. The participants came to the Mid-Term Meeting of the international association called IACES. During their stay they were also introduced to education and research at the BME Faculty of Civil Engineering.
The Zielinski Szilárd Civil Engineering College for Advanced Studies has been part of IACES (International Association of Civil Engineering Students) since 2017. IACES is an international, non-profit and politically neutral organization founded by civil engineering students. It has local committees (LC) which have similar activities to the College for Advanced Studies. The LCs are in active contact with each other. The main goal of the organization is for students to build international connections, learn about other technologies and cultures and develop their communication and leadership skills during their university studies. IACES is present in 25 countries, 16 universities around the world. The Civil Engineering College for Advanced Studies has joined IACES with the aim of providing opportunities for Hungarian students to gain experience across borders.
The two most important events of IACES are the MTM (Mid-Term Meeting) held every spring and the ACCESS (Academic Congress for Civil Engineering Students) held every fall. MTM 2022 took place in Budapest between the 20-27th of March organized by Zielinski Szilárd Civil Engineering College for Advanced Studies, also known as LC Budapest.
Nearly 60 people from 10 different countries traveled to Budapest for the event. The guests who came from the farthest are from the Dominican Republic while the ones who came from the closest are from Romania. There were participants from French, Germany, Portugal, Greece, Serbia, Bosnia, Turkey, Egypt and Ethiopia.
The one-week long event consisted of many smaller program elements which can be divided into three categories: professional programs (lectures related to the civil engineering profession, construction and laboratory visits), cultural programs (sightseeing, entertainment) and programs related to the IACES organization (delegation meeting, workshop).
Several programs took place on the campus of the university and in the building K. The iconic building of our university impressed the guests. Participants were also able to gain insight into teaching and research at the faculty. As part of the campus tour they visited the asphalt laboratory of the Department of Highway and Railway Engineering, the laboratory of the Department of Construction Materials and Technologies and drone with a teacher from the Department of Geodesy and Surveying.
Participants listened to lectures about researches of the departments. The Department of Structural Mechanics, the Department of Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering, the Department of Photogrammetry and Geoinformatics and the Department of Construction Materials and Technologies also presented a lecture.
The range of professional programs was enriched by two construction site visits. The foreign engineers visited the Budapart project and the renovation of the Chain Bridge. There was no shortage of cultural programs either. After seeing the unmissable sights of Budapest the tourists went to the hills of Buda as well as to the Széchenyi Bath. The bath turned out to be the favorite program of most people. Since they are students the bars and pubs of our capital city were also tried out.
The participants really enjoyed their time in Budapest and returned home with lots of positive experiences. They were very impressed by our faculty and teachers too. Several guests were interested in the opportunities for further study and Erasmus at the Faculty of Civil Engineering. Hungarian students also had an excellent opportunity to get to know other cultures and customs. All participants were enriched with international experiences and many new friendships were made. All in all it can be said that the event gave everyone unforgettable memories and we managed to further enhance the reputation of our institution.
Source of the pictures:
- https://magyarepitok.hu/mi-epul/2022/03/nemzetkozi-mernokhallgatok-latogattak-a-lanchidra
- photos of organizers and participants