Teaching Process Dynamics and Control at the Department of Chemical Engineering to tasting the world-famous Cypriot cuisine. Staff exchange Destination: Limassol, Cyprus Year: 2022 Why did you choose your destination? Though hard to believe given the proximity to my birthplace and the many friends therein, I had never been to Cyprus: visiting the Cyprus University of Technology (C.U.T.) in Limassol was a great opportunity, especially given the upcoming closure of the Erasmus+ Staff Exchange programme, and how great the weather is even in December, after the end of Semester 1 and the conclusion of my teaching and MSc programme director duties... Share your experience During my stay, I had the pleasure to teach Process Dynamics and Control at the Department of Chemical Engineering in C.U.T. - it was actually the last week of classes, and the final exam was just a few days after my departure. I felt right-at-home as if this were the University of Edinburgh, it almost felt like a Revision Session. Am I really travelling or is it Groundhog Day at 25 Celsius? :) The class size was smaller, but the passion to understand every single derivation and detail in the problems we discussed was clear. It felt great to debate problems, calculus, Laplace transforms and data-from-plots on the whiteboard, while the sun was shining bright outside. The week was full of exciting discussions on research views, challenges and possible collaborative projects on biochemical engineering, too. I gave a research seminar on our recent papers on Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Optimisation, in a superbly renovated building (C.U.T. occupies dozens of buildings in the Old Town of Limassol, yet another common feature with UoE - again, the sunny December is a stark contradictive reminder!). While not exactly a mishap, the building has a 'Classroom 1' on the floor above 'Amphitheater 1' - hosts, guests and audiences had to figure out which is where, as there were events planned in both, at the same time! The Cypriot cuisine is world-famous, and adequately different (I'd say, tastier!) from my home (Greek) cuisine - I had enough time to taste a variety of local dishes, but the best part was doing so right next to the beautiful Limassol Castle - a strongly recommended experience! Dr Dimitrios Gerogiorgis Reader, School of Engineering Share a story about someone who made your experience special I can't thank enough Lesley Balharry, whose everlasting kindness and care has been amazing through the years - aside of experiencing wonderful Erasmus+ Staff Teaching Exchange opportunities myself, I had the privilege to set one up myself with the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) - several UoE Sch. Eng. students benefited from this link, and even journal publications (aside of MEng research projects and theses) were published as a result. Working with colleagues overseas is always a pleasure, and planning ahead predictably pays dividends in regard to collaborative prospects. A vibrant network is always a precious professional asset, and it's both exciting and rewarding to maintain ties, especially when opportunities arise - even the not mutually beneficial ones. The most exciting part is brainstorming, conceiving and discussing how new challenges can be translated to projects, and how the latter can be started, funded, and seen through... no surprise so far. The most exciting part, however, comes when you land and arrive. Right. You're here. You have time booked and ring-fenced. No more bureaucratic tasks for a week (or more) - no more 'same-old, same-old', no more self-emerging excuses to spend hours and hours, days and days grinding through. Open your mind. You're here to meet new people, listen to new vistas, understand new opinions - it's not fun if it's known and predictable. Broaden your views. The clock is ticking. Make the best of every hour, and be sure to pack as many ideas as you can into your notebook. No, not the smartphone. Stick with A6-size and your pen. Dr Dimitrios Gerogiorgis Reader, School of Engineering And that's the best tips I can give my 20-year old self. I never managed an Erasmus+ Student Exchange trip back then. So I couldn't get enough of them later... Current opportunities Find out more about all the staff opportunities available: Staff opportunities Read other staff stories Staff stories This article was published on 2024-06-24
