At the end of December, Leonardo da Vinci Center for Italian-Ukrainian Cooperation was established at Lviv Polytechnic. On the University’s website you can find information about the Center and its plans for this year. Orest Vasylko, CIS employee, translator, Secretary General at the Italian-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Head of the Center tells more about cultural and educational relations of the two countries.
– For the first time I visited Italy in 1996. I studied and worked there. The Italians are a special nation, psychological factor is very important for them during the interaction: if you are sincere and open, you will gain their affection and trust, says Mr. Vasylko.
Soon Polytechnic students will learn more about the mentality of the Italians by studying there under exchange programs. Currently two Italians have been studying at Polytechnic: the first one was writing a diploma for two months, the second will continue studying Sociology at the end of February. To launch the student exchange program from September, we are awaiting for the arrival of Professor Marco Moschini from the Department of Philosophy, the University of Perugia.
The program also includes the exchange of academic staff. Paolo Corvo, Associate Professor at the University of Gastronomic Sciences, will come to Lviv Polytechnic for the second time. He will be teaching here for a week. Giuseppe Granata, the University of Cassino, will also visit us. In general, such visits are quite precious for international academic staff – they will learn something about new country and there are lower costs. The trips will be funded by their universities.
February will rather be a hectic month: Giovanni Neri, the Rector of the University of Milan, will come here to sign a cooperation agreement; we also expect the visit of Riccardo Ferretti, President of the Italian-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. We have developed an online study program and we need an agreement to implement it in Polytechnic.
Lviv Polytechnic, together with Global Security Agency (owner – Antonio Innocente), will set up a research group in the field of Telecommunications and Security Systems. It will study how to transmit information over long distances, basing on the use of wave energy. This alternative to the Internet is attractive because it is completely protected from hackers – it is impossible to intercept transmitted data. The project will be funded by NATO.
Lviv Polytechnic will also become a partner in cultural cooperation. In particular, it will take part in the cultural and artistic event «Month of Italian Culture and Art in Lviv», organized by Quirino Martellini together with the Lviv Regional State Administration. The event takes place from April 2 to 25.
