The Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology of the University of Pécs, in
collaboration with the Baranya County Chamber of Engineers, organized the MIK Partners
professional day, which this year also hosted the Join-Rise Multiplier Event, in cooperation
with University of Burgos in Spain, Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, and
Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. Technology is essential in solving challenges of
sustainability and engineering and architecture at the university level have an important role
to play. The Join Rise initiative was the most popular session of the day, primarily focusing on
the integration of sustainability into education. Within this framework, the project’s key
results were presented in person and online by the project partners. The morning session
focused on educational methodology in sustainability and outlining the projects outcomes.
Presentations were given by Professor Zoltán Orbán, Marcus Juby, Dr. Bernadett Mészáros,
and Juhász Tamás from the University of Pécs, and Luana Presti from the University of
Burgos, Dr. Maria Nogal from Delft University of Technology, and Dr. Sara Pavia from
Trinity College Dublin.
The afternoon session presented practical building and architectural projects from the faculty’s
two traditional international partner universities: Wolfgang Schmied, leading architect, and
Jan Werner, architectural professor from FH Joanneum in Graz, and Ivica Guljas, university
lecturer and civil engineer from the University of Josip Juraj Strossmayer in Osijek.
These practical projects provided concise examples of integrating different aspects of sustainability
into education, providing clear illustrations of specific problems and their solutions. The afternoon concluded with two practical demonstrations, Dr Carissa Champlin, a lecturer at Delft University presented the GameLab programme, which shapes awareness through gamified learning, and Ignazio Muniz, the lead developer at Bjaland Technologies, introduced and allowed testing of a virtual educational platform specifically created within the framework of the Join-Rise project. This platform is expected to make sustainability knowledge and perspectives accessible through teaching materials, educational modules, and new courses from the partner universities in the second half of 2024.
In the evening, the main square of Pécs, Széchenyi Square, hosted a poster exhibition
showcasing the engineering profession, featuring over 100 posters. This exhibition is open
until October 12th.
The second day of the international event continued with an international project meeting,
also with partners connecting online. Two leading educators from the Faculty of Engineering
and Information Technology, Dr János Gyergyák, an architect, and Tamás Juhász, a civil
engineer, presented how they transformed existing curricula in their respective fields for
international collaboration on the online platform. The morning provided a valuable
opportunity for informal discussions with the developer of the virtual platform, fostering a
better understanding of its potential use in online education. In the afternoon, the hosts
presented three sites in Pécs, each highlighting a different aspect of heritage preservation and
management. Following a walk in Tettye, led by architect Tamás Molnár, the project team
visited the Cella Septichora Visitor Center and the Early Christian Mausoleum of
Pécs/Sopianae, both UNESCO World Heritage sites. Finally, at Pécs Cathedral, Zoltán
Zidarics, a programmer, showcased the unique electronically assisted hybrid additions to the
original pipe organ which can be programmed to give impressive performances, that was
developed by him and his colleagues.
We believe that both these events contributed significantly to our collaborative efforts, both in
promoting the project and in expanding and strengthening partnerships. As a follow-up to this,
we would like to highlight a training project mentioned at the conference, not as a conclusion
but as the opening of a new area of cooperation. The Faculty of Engineering and Information
Technology, as well as the University of Pécs is deeply committed to sustainability. Under the
leadership of Professor Zoltán Orbán, a specialized engineering training programme has been
created specifically designed to provide knowledge about sustainability to engineers
–Sustainability Engineering for the Built Environment Postgraduate Specialist Training. The
programme, which has already been accredited, is taught in English, and is scheduled to start
in the autumn semester of 2024.
We would like to thank our colleagues and professional partners for their collaboration and
participation, which contributed to the successful realization of this event.
