NEWSLETTER

No. 61May

2017

Between 24 and 28 April Transilvania University of Braşov hosted an event attended by teaching and administrative staff from 21 universities from both EU countries (Italy, Finland, France, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia) and non‐EU (Russia, South Africa, Turkey).

The International Week ‐ IWeeK's topic was New times ‐ same practices? How to address international challenges as Erasmus+ participants.

Throughout the entire week, workshops and cultural visits were organized in order to offer to our international partners a better understanding of the university and the surroundings of Brașov city. The participants presented their universities and shared their experience as Erasmus+ participants. An entire afternoon was dedicated to incoming and outgoing Erasmus+ students of Transilvania University of Brașov, and to their experiences as participants in the Erasmus+ mobility schemes for study and for practical placement.

The enthusiasm behind the dialogues and the creativity of the suggested strategies aimed at promoting the program indicate that the event has been an excellent opportunity for mutual recognition and openness towards new partnerships.

Corina Silvia Micu, Coordinator of International Relations Office,Laura David, Erasmus+ Coordinator, Incoming mobilities

Dr Carmen Elisabeth Puchianu

INTERNATIONAL WEEK @ TRANSILVANIA UNIVERSITY OF BRAȘOV

LUTHER'S REFORM AND ITS IMPACT ON THE CULTURE, LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE OF THE GERMAN

COMMUNITIES IN SOUTH‐EASTERN EUROPETHE CREDO – GLORIA DOMINI FESTIVAL

SPECIAL DISTINCTIONS EARNED FROM SUNY OSWEGO, USANATIONAL CONFERENCE DEDICATED TO GHEORGHE

CRĂCIUN'S WORKTHE CONFERENCE HIKING TOURISM IN ROMANIA AND EUROPEPOETRY BOOKS BY VLAD DRĂGOI AND VLAD MOLDOVANWORKSHOP IN “INFORMATICS EDUCATION IN BRAŞOV”

AN EXTRAORDINARY RECITAL BY DOREL GOLANPIANO RECITAL BY BOTOND SZÖCS“AN EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCE” AT THE UNIVERSITYMOOT COURT COMPETITION THE eHERITAGE PROJECT

THE STUDENT NATIONAL CONGRESS ON COMMUNICATIONCONFERENCE BY LAMA GONSAR TULKU RINPOCHE AT AULA MAGNAPROFESSOR ALISTAIR BATH VISITS THE FACULTY OF SOCIOLOGY AND

COMMUNICATIONSUCCESSFUL ALUMNI

LUTHER'S REFORM AND ITS IMPACT ON THE CULTURE, LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE OF THE GERMAN COMMUNITIES IN SOUTH‐EASTERN EUROPE

The half‐millennia celebration of Martin Luther's Reformation was the central theme of the Conference on German Studies this year. This topic is

consonant to the Evangelic tradition in Transylvania region in general, and to Brașov County in particular. Soon after Luther's reform, Johannes Honterus

made changes in the spiritual affiliation of the German speaking community in Brașov and in the curricula of the local Saxon school. With

this parallel in mind, the contributions of the 30 researchers from universities in Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Turkey, and Romania

were centred around these two key figures in the course of the Reformation, considered from the theological, sociolinguistic,

linguistic, and literary perspectives.The participants were introduced to academic works

germane to the research conducted at our university: Kleinschreibungen. Literatur, Gesellschaft, Emanzipation

(2016) by Dr Robert Gabriel Elekes, Kronstädter Beiträge zur germanistischen Forschung, vol.15/16 and 17,

edited by Carmen Elisabeth Puchianu, and the Festschrift Schreiben zwischen Kulturen (2017),

coordinated by Dr Delia Cotârlea. This event as well as the opening of the conference featured Mr

Harald Fratczak, Vice Consul of Germany at Sibiu, and the Dean of the Faculty of Letters.

The theatrical ensemble Duo Bastet got on the stage of the local Arlechino Theatre to perform in Das neue Stück, a piece that earned them an Excellence Diploma on the occasion of the Days of German Literature held at Reșița and the two century jubilee of the first attestation of a theatre in Romania.

� The conference concluded on 1 April with the annual meeting of the Executive Committee of the Society of Germanists in Romania chaired by Dr Carmen Puchianu, Executive Manager.

INTERNATIONAL WEEK @ TRANSILVANIA UNIVERSITY OF BRAȘOV

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

FIDES ET EXCELLENTIA

It is not the walls that make a school, but the spirit that reigns within.

ÎNCREDERE �I EXCELEN��

STUDENTS AT FACULTY OF LETTERS TAKE PART IN QUEST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCErd rdStudents Melania Zita Boacă (3 year American Studies), Cristiana Adina Huiu (3 year

nd stAmerican Studies), Reka Orsolya Szekely (2 year American Studies) and Denisa Elena Păun (1 year Cultural Innovation, MA), and faculty staff Dr Georgeta Moarcăs and Dr Cristian Pralea were invited to take part in the QUEST International Conference held at the State University of New York at Oswego (USA), on April 5.

Our students presented research papers of an outstanding academic quality in front of a large audience consisting of students and staff from SUNY Oswego University and were awarded special prizes. Romanian students were invited to publish their papers in the SUNY Oswego Students Journal. Their Romanian coordinators were invited to give two extended lectures on contemporary historical and cultural themes.

�During the visit to SUNY Oswego, the Romanian academics were invited to several meetings with US academic officials (Joshua S. McKeown, Associate Provost for International Education and Programs, Director of Office of International Education and Programs, Rameen Mohammadi, Associate Provost for Undergraduate and Special Programs, Adrienne McCormick, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Murat Yașar, Assistant Professor of History) with a view to establishing a formal agreement of collaboration between our universities. SUNY Oswego's invite to participate in the QUEST International Conference is part of a collaborative agreement which began two years ago. Within the frame of this agreement, in 2016 our faculty co‐organized, together with our US partners, a students' conference on historical, political and cultural topics.

Dr Georgeta Moarcăs, Dr Cristian Pralea

SPECIAL DISTINCTIONS EARNED

FROM SUNY OSWEGO, USA

On 2 April, Aula Magna was the venue for an organ concert performed by Hans Eckart Schlandt and Ursula Philippi, with the participation of the Bach Junior Choir of the Black Church, conducted by Steffen Schlandt. This event was part of the concert season organized by the Musical Centre in partnership with CREDO – Gloria Domini Festival in Braşov. The program was selected so as “to shed light on the Easter celebration” and “to reenact the Biblical content in the presence of all good Christians”, as the conductor pointed out.

The first part of the concert consisted of a heartfelt organ performance by Hans Eckart Schlandt, who played Fantasia No 2 in A Minor for Organ by G. Ph. Telemann, the Chorale Prelude Herzlich tut mich verlangen by J. Brahms, Tonstück in D Major by N.W. Gade

and the Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 537 by J.S. Bach. The sensitive, sacred message and the fine interpretation permeated the entire atmosphere with deep emotions.

On the same religious note, in the second part, the harmonious voices of the members of the Junior Choir of the Black Church, conducted by Steffen Schlandt artfully covered an impressive repertoire, including Bach's Das Blut Jesu Christi, Fauré's In Paradisum (from Requiem), as well as And the Mother Did Weep (Stabat Mater) by K. Jenkins and Agnus Dei (A Little Jazz Mass – p. X) by B. Chilcott. Last but not least, organist Ursula Philippi performed a suite of chorales by Max Reger, namely Kyrie eleison, O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden, Benedictus, Mit Fried und Freund ich fahr dahin and Te Deum Laudamus. The audience was entranced by the sensitivity and force of all the performances and shared in a unique musical experience.

Fulvia Anca Constantin, Musical Centre expert

THE EASTER CONCERT

On 28 April, the Faculty of Letters organized the third edition of the National Conference dedicated to Gheorghe Crăciun's work, event which took place at the Multicultural Centre of the university. Organized every five years (2007, 2012, 2017), each edition of this conference consists of studies by PhD students, researchers and teachers which open up new vistas for the interpretation of texts authored by Gheorghe Crăciun ‐ novelist, theoretician, essayist, diarist, and, last but not least, professor.

In commemoration of a decade since the passing of the Brașov‐born writer, this year's conference included original manifestations – a short film by Adrian Timar, the opening of Gheorghe Crăciun graphic art exhibition, and the launch of the latest two volumes of the author series, Doi într‐o carte (fără a‐l mai socoti pe autorul ei) [Two in a book (discounting its author)] and Imagini, litere și documente de călătorie [Images, letters and travel documents]. Also present at the event, Oana Crăciun, the writer's daughter, continues, alongside literary critic Carmen Mușat, to publish the author series at Cartea Românească/Polirom Publishing House. This editorial project has substantially increased the access to Gheorghe Crăciun literary fund both for the passionate readers and for researchers.

These conferences raise theoretical challenges, offering the opportunity to debate ideas and perspectives stemming from various universities, to return to issues which have not been sufficiently discussed before, and to (re)define and rethink in a new context the concepts generally accepted by literary critics. The reception of Gheorghe Crăciun's oeuvre has a long tradition of rich and ample studies which have been fuelling the readers' fascination with this author.

Ioana Zenaida Rotaru

NATIONAL CONFERENCE DEDICATED TO GHEORGHE CRĂCIUN'S WORKTHE LAUNCH OF THE

LATEST TWO VOLUMES IN THE AUTHOR SERIES

THE CREDO – GLORIA DOMINI FESTIVAL

ÎNCREDERE �I EXCELEN��

At the beginning of April, on his book promotion tour, Doru Șupeală, an experienced journalist and mass‐media manager in Brașov and Bucharest, with an important career in marketing, communication and management, met with the students of the Faculty of Sociology and Communication to promote his book Experiența face diferența [Experience makes the difference]. With the help of many examples and case studies, the Brașov‐born author explained why the communication industry is currently undergoing a radical shift in paradigm.

The global and impersonal approach to marketing which targets huge segments of consumers through traditional channels is a thing of the past. At present, communication is becoming more and more customized, adapted to each individual and delivered to his/her mobile phone. It is a bidirectional and continuous information flow shaped by the individuals' preferences, profiles, their precise context and their personal history with that particular organization or trademark. In this sense, Doru Șupeală invented in an online advertising campaign the term “rightketing” to mark this fundamental change in marketing, namely “The art of delivering the Right Message, to the Right Target, at the Right Time, in the Right Place and Context”.

The students present at the event had the opportunity to learn how, with the help of technology and creativity, we can achieve a better, cleaner and more precise communication, different than before, and offer people new, pleasant, lively and passionate experiences, able to create healthy long‐term relationships with the products and services we offer on the market.

PROXIMITY MARKETING IN THE ERA OF THE MILLENNIALS

On 4 April, the Faculty of Food and Tourism organized the Conference Hiking Tourism in Romania and Europe in partnership with SKV Carpathian Tourist Association.

The topics approached were Hiking and tourists (Short history in Europe and Romania; Features and advantages of hiking as a form of tourism; The current situation of hiking in Romania among the other Carpathian countries and in Europe); Footpaths and markings (The European network of long distance tourist footpaths; Via Carpatica; European, national, regional and local footpaths; Marking systems; Criteria for evaluating the quality of footpaths); Mountain cabins and retreats (Location; Construction solutions; The cabin network); Mountain associations and education (Romania vs. Europe; Maps and the Internet; Types of hiking maps; The contribution of the Internet); Protected and unprotected areas (Protected areas in Romania; Dos and Don'ts – photo examples and films); Economic aspects (National potential; Directions for Development).

� The presentations were delivered by Vlad Spiru (participant in Via Carpatica tour) and Mircea Noaghiu (alpinism trainer, former president of the Sports Club of our University), members of the SKV association. The conference was organized by Marcel Șofariu from SKV and Dr Diana Foriș from the Faculty of Food and Tourism. The aim of the conference was to increase the visibility of this type of tourism among students and raise their interests in it.

Dr Diana Foriș

On 6 April, the university's Multicultural Centre was the venue for a double poetry book launch: Sergio Leone, by Vlad Drăgoi, and Glitch, by Vlad Moldovan. The moderators of the event were Adrian Lăcătuş, Ramona Hărşan, and Caius Dobrescu.

Although Sergio Leone, Vlad Drăgoi's third poetry book, continues and perfects a formula developed previously, local audience has kept a vivid interest in the poet's work. As Ramona Hărşan emphasized in a detailed analysis of the new volume, Vlad Drăgoi has moved on from his bully persona in Metode (Methods, 2013) – his first poetry volume, to a softer poetic voice. The reference to a certain type of cinema taken over from the Italian director by the same name and later adapted by Quentin Tarantino showed, once again, the poet's passion for the seventh art.

Glitch is Vlad Moldovan's third poetry volume, after Blank (2008) and Dispars (2012). Caius Dobrescu reviewed the possible meanings of the English word “glitch”, a term has come to be associated with IT and video‐gaming, defining the errors occurring in a program or game. This goes to show that the IT field can find a place in contemporary poetry, through either content, or method, or even both.

Iulia Stoichiţ, MA student

THE CONFERENCE HIKING TOURISM

IN ROMANIA AND EUROPE

TWO BOOK LAUNCHES AT THE MULTICULTURAL CENTRE OF TRANSILVANIA UNIVERSITY

FOOTPATHS AND MARKINGS, MOUNTAIN CABINS AND RETREATS, MAPS, PROTECTED AREAS AND ECONOMIC FACTORS

EXPERIENCE MAKES THE DIFFERENCE

EVENINGS AT THE FACULTY OF LETTERS

WORKSHOP IN “INFORMATICS EDUCATION IN BRAŞOV”Between 20‐25 April, Braşov was the venue of the National Olympiad in Informatics for the

339 highschoolers from all over Romania. The opening and award‐giving ceremonies took place at Aula Magna of Transilvania University, a co‐organizer of this event. On behalf of the Department of Mathematics and Informatics, Dr Vlad Monescu acted as member of the Central Committee of the High School National Contest for Computer Science and of the Tiebreaker Committee.

On 21 April, the Workshop “Informatics Education in Braşov” took place at the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics for the benefit of the tutors and supervisors of the highschoolers who took part in the National Olympiad. The winners of this year's Olympiad were generously rewarded

by the main IT partners involved in the organization of this event.Dr Marius Păun

Dr Florin Nechita

THE NATIONAL OLYMPIAD IN INFORMATICS

ÎNCREDERE �I EXCELEN��

The university's concert season occasioned a new meeting, on 18 April, with Israeli pianist Dorel Golan, and yet another outstanding artistic experience for the local audience.

The exquisite musical repertoire was proof of musical maturity and covered a wide range of selections. In the first part, F. Mendelssohn – Bartholdy ‐ Variations Sérieuses in D minor, Op.54, F. Chopin ‐ Nocturne in E‐flat Major, Op. 9, No. 2 and Nocturne in B Major, op.9, no. 3, G. Fauré – Nocturne in E‐flat Minor, Op.33, No.1 and Ch. V. Alkan ‐ Etude Op. 39, No.12‐ Le Festin d'Esope. The second part featured Bach's – Chorale Prelude in G Minor „Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland” BWV 659, arrangement for piano solo by F. Busoni, and the Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22 by Camille Saint‐Saëns, arrangement for piano solo by Bizet.

With each piece she performed, the pianist reconfirmed her virtuosity, her genuine comprehension of music, her extensive artistic knowledge, her particular adroitness in gliding through styles and rhythms.

The impeccable artistic stance, the rigorous technique and the aesthetic education peculiar of grand performers immediately reached the enchanted audience who gave the artist a standing ovation. With grace and generosity, the pianist offered five encores selected from classical pieces and jazz improvisations.

Fulvia Anca Constantin, Musical Centre expert

AN EXTRAORDINARY RECITAL BY DOREL GOLAN

The meeting with Paul Bulencea on 11 April cannot be described in just one word. It would perhaps be more accurate to say that it sparked a range of complex emotions. It was great to see that a university alumnus succeeded in developing such a complex and beautiful concept in a relatively short amount of time. Not only was the topic interesting and the insights based on the speaker's experience, but the manner of the presentation itself was engaging and clear. To follow the steps that Paul Bulencea took to implement his idea was captivating, and so was his interaction with the audience.

Quite remarkable is the fact we, Sociology and Communication students, were given a chance to share in this new concept, The College of Extraordinary Experiences, to explore it and discover our own potential.

The meeting ended on a high note, with Street Ghosts playing a selection of their songs.

stMaria Cristina Bularca, 1 year student

PRESENTATION GIVEN BY PAUL BULENCEA, GRADUATE OF THE FACULTY OF SOCIOLOGY AND COMMUNICATION

“AN EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCE” AT THE UNIVERSITY

THE CONCERT SEASON AT TRANSILVANIA UNIVERSITY

The piano recital organized on 30 April by the Musical Centre in collaboration with the th

Multicultural Centre of Transilvania University as part of Celebrating Braşov – the 15 edition featured young pianist Botond Szöcs, student at the Faculty of Music.

In keeping with his constant interest in the study and performance of chamber music, this year's recital covered Beethovenian opuses: Variations in C Minor and Variations in D Major, as well as Sonata No. 21 Op. 53 Waldstein and Sonata No. 23 Op. 57 Appassionata. The repertoire revealed the leading interpretative features of the soloist: an impressive range of musical means, consummate artistry, sensitivity, interpretative energy and focus. The highlight of the event was certainly the performance of the two sonatas composed by Beethoven in his “middle period” (1803‐1806): the Waldstein Sonata and, moreover, the Appassionata Sonata, considered by the author himself as the

thmost impetuous, tempestuous and technically difficult of all his sonatas up to Hammerklavier, his 29 one.

All chamber music buffs look forward to attending the next performances of pianist Botond Szöcs and will certainly agree with pianist Verona Maier's acknowledgement of the fact that “in a very short while, [this] young pianist is going to be a highly‐praised musician admired by all those interested in refined and elaborated chamber music”

Dr Gheorghe‐Alexandru Radu

CELEBRATING BRAȘOV AT TRANSILVANIA UNIVERSITY

PIANO RECITAL BY BOTOND SZÖCS

ÎNCREDERE �I EXCELEN��

On 28 April, ELSA Brasov, via its Academic Activities Department, in cooperation with the Faculty of Law within Transilvania University and Braşov Court of Appeal organized a Moot Court Competition held at Brașov Court of Appeal. This competition was coordinated by Dr Maria Magdalena Bârsan and Dr Cristinel Costel Ghigheci.

Moot Court Competitions have become a tradition in the USA and in many European countries. Their aim is to help with the successful accomplishment of the students' legal career by giving them the chance to put into practice their theoretical knowledge and to develop their oratory skills and argumentation techniques.

The audience consisted of students at the Faculty of Law, and the contestants were both third year BA students and second year MA students. In this Moot Competition they could apply what they had learned in their courses and took all the prescribed steps in a court trial. The roles the students played were those of judge, prosecutor, court clerk, barrister and defendant.

We intend to turn this Moot Court Competition into the beginning of a tradition for both ELSA Brașov as well as students of law at Transilvania University.

Dr Maria Magdalena Bârsan

FACULTY OF LAW AND ELSA ‐ THE EUROPEAN LAW STUDENTS' ASSOCIATION‐ JOINT EVENT

Within the eHERITAGE project (“Expanding the Research and Innovation Capacity in Cultural Heritage Virtual Reality Applications”), the event “Advanced Study Institute” took place between 11‐13 April. Hosted by the University of Padua (Italy), the topic was “Virtual reality technologies and applications in culture and art”. The student participants came from the Transilvania University of Brașov (Romania), the Jožef Stefan Institute at Ljubljana (Slovenia), Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa (Italy), as well as from the host university. Courses were held by renowned specialists from Italy and Slovenia (Jožef Stefan Institute, Universita Degli Studi di Padova, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna Pisa, Istituto di Scienza e Tecnologie dell'Informazione, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 3DSurvey), and also focused on practical applications. In this context, the eHERITAGE consortium also drafted future research directions (http://www.eheritage.org/advanced‐study‐institute/).

Dr Mihai Duguleană

The Student National Congress on Communication, The Clickbait Era, took place on 6 and 7 April in Bucharest.

We were attracted by the topics approached by the guest speakers featured by our colleagues from PRIME Bucharest. With the slogan To click or not to click? in our minds, we discovered phenomena such as clickbait and newsjacking, through examples which helped us understand their topicality as best as possible. The case study presented by Dana Iordache, Regional Marketing Manager at Pepsico, awakened our interest in Tomorrowland, and enriched our knowledge with the story behind the Lipton brand. The experience continued with the simultaneous workshops held at the end of the day, when each of us had the opportunity to translate into practice various specifications from fields such as advertising or PR.

Do you think that taking photographs is easy? Apparently not. We had the opportunity to find out just how much work is behind a photo, be it a portrait, a product photo, or a commercial photo. The second day was dedicated to photographers, each of them having a favourite type of photo, a field of advanced study and experimentation. Apart from several tricks of the trade which the speakers shared with us, the experts in photography offered us tips on the optimal use of software, such as Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. Like on the previous day, the second day of the conference ended with workshops that were run simultaneously.

To conclude on the CNSC experience, it is envisioned that it will continue next year and will be managed with the eagerness and enthusiasm specific to the PRIME Brașov team.

rdRuxandra Cioacă, 3 year student

THE eHERITAGE PROJECT

THE STUDENT NATIONAL CONGRESS ON COMMUNICATION

AN “ADVANCED STUDY INSTITUTE” EVENT

MOOT COURT COMPETITION

THE CLICKBAIT ERA

ÎNCREDERE �I EXCELEN��

SUCCESSFUL ALUMNI

On 24 April, we had the privilege of attending a conference by Lama Gonsar Tulku Rinpoche, one of the earliest masters to have introduced the Western cultures to the Buddhist teachings. The speech focused on the points of commonality that Western science and Buddhist philosophy share, and on the ways that the knowledge derived thereof can be integrated into our daily lives.

Organized by the university's Multicultural Centre with support from the Faculty of Sociology and Communication and Rabten Compassionate Wisdom Association, the event opened with an eloquent and informative speech delivered by Dr Ștefan Ungurean. Our guest speaker took over, imparting insights into the specificities and importance of spiritual life improvement via self‐questioning, meditation and introspection, practices apt to give us access to a kind of understanding of the world around us comparable, in the final analysis, to the kind of knowledge yielded by scientific pursuits.

The personal charisma of the speaker, the perfect clarity of his discourse added to the visible impact that his speech had on the audience of nearly 500 people. Beyond this, the conference was a unique opportunity to meet with a genuine Buddhist master who embodies in the most convincing way the principles and values that he disseminates.

Maria Ghiurţu

Alexandru Herlea is a 1965 graduate of the Faculty of Mechanics within the Polytechnic Institute of Braşov. Between 1972 and 1977, he studied at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM) at Paris, Centre de Documentation d'Histoire des Techniques – CDHT, and in 1977 he received his PhD in History of Science and Technique with the thesis entitled Theory of Internal Combustion Engines under the supervision of professor Maurice Daumas ‐ founder, in France, of the History of Technology discipline. Between 1978 and 1979, he pursued postdoctoral studies programs

at Princeton, Harvard and Pennsylvania universities, as well as at the Smithsonian Institute.In his academic career he moved from assistant researcher (1972‐1977 ‐ CNAM, Paris), research

engineer (1977‐1987 ‐ CNAM, Paris); associate professor (1987‐1995 ‐CNAM, Paris); professor (1995‐2011 ‐ Université de Technologie Belfort‐Montbéliard); Emeritus Professor (2011‐ present ‐UTBM).

At the same time, he holds the positions of adjunct associate professor at Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, Paris (1980‐1988) and adjunct professor at Michigan Technological University, USA (1990) and Centre d'Etudes Supérieures Industrielles ‐ Evry (1987‐1998).

He is a member of several academic bodies, among which: Société Française d'Histoire des Sciences et des Techniques; Society for the History of Technology; The New York Academy of Sciences; International Committee for Cooperation in History of Technology; Comité des Travaux Historiques et Scientifiques; Association des Écrivains Scientifiques de France; Académie Internationale d'Histoire des Sciences.

Professor Alexandru Herlea is the recipient of many awards, among which the silver medal of 'Société d'Encouragement au Progrès' (1990, France), 'La Légion d'Honneur' (Knight, 1997; Commander, 1999 France ) 'Les Palmes Académiques' (Knight, 2008, France); 'The Faithful Service' (Grand Officer, 2000, Romania), Doctor Honoris Causa ‐ Transilvania University of Braşov (2005, Romania); 'Soziale Marktwirtschaft' award (1997, Germany); 'Mérite de l'Invention' (Knight, 2006, Belgium).

Dr Bianca Tescașiu

CONFERENCE BY LAMA GONSAR TULKU RINPOCHE

AT AULA MAGNA

ALEXANDRU HERLEA, PROFESSOR EMERITUS

On 11 April, the students in Sociology and Communication had the opportunity to meet Professor Alistair Bath from Memorial University Newfoundland, Canada. His very amusing and captivating speech was related to the conservation of wild life in which man has a very important

role. Attitudes, values and beliefs which determine human behaviour result in changes in nature and act on various animal species.

In professor Bath's view, the human dimension is the most important factor in terms of nature conservation; no conservation measures can ever be taken without directly working with people. Student participants were delighted to find out that professor Bath cherishes wildlife in Romania and is very interested in cooperating with them for the study of the communities living in protected natural areas and for the conservation of Romanian wild life.

The speech concluded on a high note with questions from students and staff, which the Canadian guest enthusiastically answered.

ndAnna Baștiurea, 2 year student

PROFESSOR ALISTAIR BATH VISITS THE FACULTY OF SOCIOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONNATURE CONSERVATION

AND HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

WESTERN SCIENCE AND BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY – DIALOG AND CONVERGENCE