LUC Sweden: Christmas event

Details

Published on Wednesday, 08 December 2010 18:03

December 8th, 2010: Gothenburg

As the snow fell heavy in Gothenburg, LUC Sweden met for a Christmas event, doing the traditional Swedish activities as baking lussebullar and drinking glögg. As many of the UNITECH students now leave Gothenburg for internships all over the world, this social event created a good opportunity to get to know each other better and for LUC Sweden members to share experience from already finished internships.

LUC Italy: Pizza with Andrea Vigevani

Details

Published on Sunday, 07 November 2010 21:30

Written by Andrea Floris

To give interested UNITECH students and alumni the chance to gain an insight into his exciting life and to ask some questions the local chapter Milan organized one dinner with Andrea Vigevani:

Alumnus 2001, he did his exchange at Paris Tech and his internship in PSA Peugeot Citroën. Graduated, he joined the Boston Consulting Group in Paris, and later in Milan. After 4 years as a consultant changed his direction and moved to an NGO. Andrea has been in the last 4 years Secretary General of ICU – Istituto di Cooperazione Universitaria (www.icu.it) –, an organization that runs development co-operation projects in Africa, South America and Middle east.

After a nice welcoming and first exchange of UNITECH experiences with the rest of the group Andrea began to tell us about his career and how UNITECH has contributed to it. Firstly he explained how and why – after his UNITECH year in France – he joined BCG in Paris, and he told us about the experience he gained there. Afterwards he described his change to the NGO: one day one friend suggested him to start working for ICU and to bring him his competencies and passion, he accepted.

The change to and NGO has been a big one: people might consider the sector like charity or voluntary work but it needs to be done in a professional way! ICU deals with local authorities an local citizens coordinating projects covering different areas, from agricultural activities to local trade support. The goal with this projects is to create a positive cycle that can foster the development of local citizens and a self-sustainable economic activity. At the centre of this activity there is people, human beings with their conditions, needs, dignity and value. In a project it is challenging to understand the social and political problems that hamper the desired development, then the technical solutions will usually be found. A continuous pressure comes also from fundraising and political relationships with governments and the European Commission, so that the new projects can be supported adequately. In this context Andrea says that his past experience helps him to manage daily work. Furthermore, he says “I don’t believe to be better than other people because of what I’m doing, working in for-profit sector – in an honest business – is not less good!”

It was very interesting to hear how his experience working as a consultant is now being used effectively in his position in the NGO: a career path which initially may have seemed discontinuous now has proven continuous!

Robert Riesebieter and Andrea Floris

LUC Sweden: Visit to SKF Göteborg

Details

Published on Wednesday, 03 November 2010 16:02

November 3, 2010: Gothenburg

To learn more about the corporate partner SKF and to get the chance to walk in one of their bearing factories, LUC Sweden went to Gamlestan and the head quarter of SKF to meet Liesbeth van Haarlem and some of her colleagues at SKF in Gothenburg. Besides visiting the factory, we also learned how SKF works with sustainability and how they develop the company through their Manufacturing Excellence program. The afternoon gave students and alumni a chance to learn more about SKF and time to ask questions around internships and open vacancies. One of the highlights of the afternoon was when the guide Anders, with help of an experiment, explained the high level of precision that is required when manufacturing bearings and the impact of a single fingerprint.

After the visit, SKF invited us all to a dinner at HardRock Café at Avenyn where we had a good time, being served generous portions of both hamburgers and ice cream while old videos of Rolling Stones or Clash was shown in the background.

UAA Council & LCC Kickoff Meeting 2010, Zurich

Details

Published on Friday, 22 October 2010 10:51

Written by Jona Hampe

October 22nd - 24th, 2010: Zurich

Without knowing each other, it is hard to communicate the same UAA values and to collaborate efficiently across Europe. For this reason, the Council and the Local Chapter Coordinators (LCCs) meet in the beginning of every UNITECH year in order to get to know each other and to set the goals for the upcoming months. Furthermore, newly elected council members or LCCs need to learn UAA\'s internal processes and policies.
This year\'s kickoff meeting, held in Zurich at the end of October, was dominated by the constitutional changes, which were approved by the UAA members at the previous GA. In particular, we had to translate our overhauled strategy into concrete events and services. Having a more fleshed-out strategy in place simplified this mapping and avoided lengthy discussion that we used to have in previous years when our overall goals were not as clear-cut as they are today.
To give some concrete examples, we decided on a partial redesign of our website, to weave our online presence together with social networks, and to avoid duplication of information and work. These updates will take place in the next quarter. In addition, the Local Chapter Coordinators have many ideas and plans for events in every Local Chapter. Stay tuned for more details to follow.

LUC Switzerland: Welcome Dinner: The Swiss Local Unitech Chapter starts up

Details

Published on Wednesday, 13 October 2010 20:50

October 13th, 2010: Zurich

More than 20 people between old alumni, new incoming students and representatives from the Unitech Office gathered together for the first Unitech Alumni event of the Swiss Local chapter. The event took place in Les Halles, a very easy and relaxed restaurant in the zone of Schiffbau, near by Escherwyss Platz. Even though the house spacialty "moule et fritte" was not available for the seafood lovers among us, we still had our great dose of international mix, smiles and good Unitech spirit. Used bikes, a mix of French, Italian and Arab dishes, colorfull people and friendly atmosphere: the perfect environment for our first Unitech event.

LUC Germany: Welcoming Event for Incomming Students

Details

Published on Wednesday, 06 October 2010 02:00

Written by Florian Garms

October 6th 2010, Aachen

On Wednesday October 5th Incomming students at RWTH Aachen University met UNITECH International president and RWTH president Prof. Ernst Schmachtenberg for a welcome get-together. Prof. Schmachtenberg asked the new students about their goals and projects during their UNITECH year at RWTH and offered his support in finding projects and jobs at the University. He also presented some facts and figures about the University and its current projects such as extending the Campus and pushing Innovation and excellent research through special programs funded by the German government. In a very relaxed atmosphere with coffee and muffins the Local UNITECH representatives Christian Wilms and Florian Garms presented the UAA to the new students and explained what they are planning to do during the upcoming year. The event ended with a table football game in which the Swedish/Spanish mixed team won with a lucky goal against their Dutch/Irish opponents.

LUC Sweden: Welcome event

Details

Published on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 21:00

September 29^th, Gothenburg

The first LUC Sweden event, 2010-2011, took place at the bar Publik at Andra Långgatan. More than 20 UNITECH alumni and students met up to get to know each other over a drink. As a pleasant surprise, Liesbeth van Haarlem joined us and also invited the members of LUC Sweden to visit SKF in Gothenburg. A visit that will be arranged in the end of October/beginning of November. The evening went on with interesting conversations and a lot of laughter in one of Gothenburg’s best bars.

General Assembly 2010 - Zurich

Details

Published on Tuesday, 31 August 2010 22:35

Written by Marta Serrabou

Many thanks to all of you who made the Annual Reunion in Zurich such a big success. Furthermore, we are happy to report that more than 60 students decided to join the UAA!

It was great to see old members again and to expand our association! Thank you very much for the active and constructive discussions as well as the valuable insights you offered us throughout the "UAA Strategy Discussion" and the "UAA General Assembly". You can find our Strategy Discussion flyer here all pictures of the event are available in our photo gallery.

Summer Session 2010, Prague

Details

Published on Monday, 07 June 2010 17:42

Written by Jona Hampe

June 4^th - 6^th, Prague

More than 50 UAA members, Honorary Alumni, UNITECH students, and Corporate Partners joined the UAA Summer Session 2010 in Prague in the beginning of June. We would like to thank them all for their active participation. The first day was dedicated to the session\'s theme “Envision your career! Are you on the right track?”. We are very happy about the overwhelmingly positive feedback of the participants. We conclude that more sessions of this nature should be organized in the years to come.

{youtube}28B7N0o3kc8|480|385|0{/youtube}

LUC Sweden June Event: Drinks in the sun at Linnéterrassen

Details

Published on Wednesday, 02 June 2010 02:00

June 2^nd, 2010: Gothenburg

Swedes had been enjoying unusually warm and sunny summer weather in the beginning of June. To benefit from this extraordinary weather, the last event of the LUC Sweden year 2009/2010 was organized in a hurry. The members met for drinks at Linnéterrassen, the bar which enjoys the sun for the longest time in the evening on Linnégatan. A perfect summer evening in Sweden!

LUC Italy: Shape your LUC pizza

Details

Published on Thursday, 13 May 2010 22:30

Written by Administrator

May 13^th, Milan

One group of alumni and UNITECH students met to discuss the plans for the coming activities of the local chapter. While eating a pizza we put the foundations for the coming year.

We came to say that the network can be strengthen through regularity of the LUC’s activities. With a stronger basis it will be interesting to invite some guests to the activities that can share their experience. The challenge for the next events will be to get the students involved as well as the alumni graduated in the past years. This could be done by addressing their specific desires and by easing the exchange between different members.

LUC Germany: Alemannia Aachen Soccer

Details

Published on Saturday, 24 April 2010 22:40

Written by Jona Hampe

April 24th, Aachen

The members of the LUC Germany voted for a Alemannia Aachen soccer match a the (localy) famous Tivoli. We met up already at 11h in the morning for a good and solid breakfirst and some chatting. Afterwards we headed to the nearby stadium, accompanied by perfectly warm spring weather. The match started quite boring, but became more and more interesting and we saw four goals - unfortunately only two for the Alemannia. Before leaving we sat down in the park and enjoyed the sun and good mood with a cold beer.

LUC Germany: Implementing a new brand

Details

Published on Tuesday, 09 March 2010 01:00

Written by Roman Stiehl

March 9th, Aachen

Alexandra Schwarz came to Aachen, to give us a presentation about "implementing a new brand". She has worked for many years at the same company, which changed from Degusse to RAG to Evoik. Therefore she has been introduced to many new brands in her professional life. She showed us, that it is most important to undestand the differences between company cultures in order to make people comfortable in their working environment. Thanks to many stories and examples, the time flew by and two hours passed very quickly. Thanks a lot for sharing your experiences with us this honestly!

UAA Council & STF Meeting, Aachen 2010

Details

Published on Thursday, 25 February 2010 20:05

Written by Jona Hampe

February 19^th-21^th, 2010: Aachen

LUC Germany: UNITECH future Diskussion 2010: follow-up

Details

Published on Monday, 08 February 2010 01:00

Written by Roman Stiehl

February 8^th, 2010: Aachen

Following the discussion with all stakeholders, some Alumni felt the ideas brought up should be worked out in more detail. Therefore we met in a smaller group and not only discussed the issue "Future of UNITECH" but also wrote down some ideas and worked on them. It was a very nice discussion with many diferent ideas and opinions. In the end we had absically worked out two ideas, which will be shared with the UAA council:

1. How can Alumni help to get UTI in contact with potential Corporate Partners?
2. How can an "educational" or "professional" aspect been worked into a UAA Summer or Winter Session?

We all hope these ideas are useful and look foward to seeing the results.

Winter Session 2010, Bormio

Details

Published on Sunday, 07 February 2010 15:01

Written by Jona Hampe

February 4^th-7^th, 2010: Tirano/Bormio

The Winter Session 2010 took place in Bormio, in the heart of Italian Alps, starting from Thursday, 4^th to Sunday, 7^th of February. A group of more than 20 people, travelling by plane all the way from Sweden, Holland, Germany, Spain, France, Portugal and even from Morocco(!), or by train, or car from Switzerland and Italy, met in Tirano on Thursday night. The excitement was high for the next day excursion with the Unesco Bernina train towards the Swiss Alps! Although the weather didn’t allow us to admire much of the breathtaking landscapes of the region, the whole group had great fun sledging on the two sledging tracks available in the lovely village of Bergün!

In the evening we headed to Bormio, back in Italy, where Hotel Rezia welcomed us with its rustic but elegant atmosphere. After a regenerating hot shower, we gathered for dinner at the restaurant Agriturismo Rini. A cosy atmosphere and some delicious food were the perfect conclusion for such an intense day on the snow!

More people joined us after dinner at the restaurants, on Friday night. Altogether we were 38 people, counting 6 different Unitech years and at least 7 different nationalities! The enthusiasm of the reunion (de)generated into a giant snowball fight which eventually called for some more beers at the Clem’s pub, to warm up the bodies again!

Saturday was thought to accommodate everyone’s preferences: someone was skiing or snowboarding, enjoying the fresh powder that blessed us during the night, someone was snow-shoe hiking or relaxing at the ancient Spa Bagni Vecchi. 

Saturday’s program brought everybody together again for dinner at Chalet la Rocca, at more than 2000 mt above the sea level. A small bus took us up, curve after curve, to 2000 mt, where a big snowmobile was waiting for us to take us to the final destination: a cosy restaurant lost in the mountains. The trip up to the restaurant was faster for a couple of ladies that could enjoy a ride on a motorbike-like snowmobile!

The dinner at La Rocca was a never-ending series of different dishes taken from the gastronomic tradition of the region. Wine was unlimited and helped warming up the group for the dancing floor. The party, started early at La Rocca, continued in town at the Sunrise club and lasted until 5 am!

On Sunday the group left Bormio rather early in the morning to go back to Milan and catch a flight in the afternoon. The group went to Pizzeria Spontini for a quick lunch, an authentic must for the city, before heading to Milan top spot, the Duomo. The sun and the blue sky, finally there after a couple of cloudy days, created a magnificent scenic effect together with the white of the guglias! This was finally the moment to say goodbye… at least until the next UAA event!

Thank you again to everybody that joined the Winter Session in Bormio! We definitely had a great time there and we are all looking forward to seeing many of you for another great weekend together!

LUC Sweden February Event

Details

Published on Wednesday, 03 February 2010 20:11

Written by Jona Hampe

February 3rd, Gothenburg

In February, LUC Sweden met for the third quarterly event of the LUC year 2009/2010. Eleven alumni enjoyed an evening of great conversation and exotic drinks at the cozy Lotus Bar. And true to tradition, the night did not turn out exactly as planned. For those of you who have been unable to attend, here is a short summary of the unexpected twists of previous events. At the first event, the alumni were greeted by the sound check before a heavy metal rock concert. Thus, alumni shared a chilly evening on the outdoor terrace. During the second event, the promised after-work food did not materialize and was replaced by peanuts and chips. Surely, the third event must be the charm. What else could possibly go wrong?

The third event in February had its own unexpected surprise. One hour before the alumni were supposed to meet, chapter coordinator Therese Johansson received a call from the manager of Lotus Bar. The manager informed her that there would be a show in the bar that evening and offered to reserve a table at another bar. Suspecting that few people would check their emails before joining the event, Therese agreed with the manager that the alumni did not have to pay for the ticket and that the group would move up to the second floor once the show started. Despite not being able to see the show, the alumni enjoyed the music and the periodical comical interruptions of a theater lady who dramatically asked the group to “Please be quiet, there is a show going on downstairs!”

Please stay tuned to see what unexpected complications the fourth LUC Sweden event has to offer.

LUC Germany: UNITECH future Diskussion 2010

Details

Published on Wednesday, 03 February 2010 00:38

Written by Roman Stiehl

February 2^nd, 2010: Aachen

As you probably have heard from different sources, the UAA is in the process of re-evaluating its strategy, and actually, so is UNITECH International (UTI) in Zurich. As this effects all UNITECH stakeholders, information and discussion on this topic is important. Therefore the local UNITECH chapter Germany organised such a discussion. The Assessment Center in Aachen provided a perfect setting, as Aleksandar Sibilia from the UTI office as well as Alex Schwarz, Stefanie Marwitz and Lisa Eilmes from Corporate Partners could attend.

The evening started with a short introduction into the goals and work of the Strategy Task Force. Following Aleksandar Sibilia presented an overview about the situation of UNITECH in general and the future plans. This led to a very lively and creative discussion. A lot of new ideas were created and everybody enjoyed getting some insight into the thoughts and opinions of others.

I hope we can continue this open dialogue so that the entire network can benefit from it. Thanks to all participants and their interests and energy!

LUC Germany: Powerpoint Karaoke

Details

Published on Monday, 11 January 2010 13:57

Written by Roman Stiehl

January 11^th, 2010: Aachen

Based on an idea that came before Christmas, we met for a night of PowerPoint Karaoke. The idea behind it is quite simple. You present a presentation which you have not seen before, so you have to improvise. This especially is important when you do not understand the topic you are talking about or you do not know an abbreviation. It was a lot of fun, to see old Mid-Term-Week presentation being presented in a VERY new way. And we also learned a lot: Nanotubes are not dangerous at all, figures are only about colors, Voiht has strange name for departments and Albert Einstein was/were the most important persons of the century.

UTI Mid-Term-Week in Delft

Details

Published on Wednesday, 06 January 2010 01:00

Written by Roman Stiehl

Delft January 6^th to 8^th

This year\'s Mid-Term-Week for the current UNITECH students was hosted by TU Delft at the beginning of January. As every year, several Corporate Partners gave the students some case studies to think about and create new ideas. This year they were joined by the UNITECH International (UTI) office, who gave out a case about the brand "UNITECH". What is its value, its core competence and how can it be improved?

Since UTI and the UAA are both part of UNITECH, the UAA also played a role in this assignment. Therefore we supported the groups by distributing a survey among the Alumni and were also interested in the results. Over Christmas the idea came up to go to Delft in person and see, which ideas the students would come up with. Spontaneously, Marta and Roman decided to take that chance and went to Delft.

On Wednesday they presented the UAA and also the work of the Strategy Task Force to the students and also got some feedback on it (you can find our presentation here: www.unitech-alumni.org/documents/2010-01-presentation-to-students.pdf and the questionnaire used for our strategy anlysis here: www.unitech-alumni.org/documents/2009-12-stf-questionnaire.pdf). But even more interesting were the presentations in Friday. The students really put a lot of effort into their projects and the results were impressive. Congratulations! Friday night, the Local Chapter Netherland organized a party for the students to bring their week to a good end.

We are glad that we took the opportunity to promote the UAA not only among the currents students, but also among the Corporate Partners. As always, it was great fun to be in and work together with the UNITECH network. A big THANKS goes to Martin and Aleks, who made these last-minute changes possible despite an already packed schedule.