22.07.2018. 01:55

The Rector of the University of Sarajevo, Prof. Dr Rifat Škrijelj, described them as “a well-meaning group of the best ambassadors of BiH in the world of science and higher education” at a reception held for the founders of the Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology (ANNT): young BiH researchers and former UNSA students, most of whom are now at some of the most prestigious European universities and laboratories, which also rank among the most prestigious in the world. The initiative to found the Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology came from young researchers who were the best students of their generations, recipients of the UNSA Golden Badge and of prestigious international awards.

Motivation

The members of the Association are Dr Admir Greljo, awarded a two-year contract in a position granted each year to two candidates from non-member states of CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research); Dženan Lapandić, a master's student in Robotics, Systems and Control at ETH Zürich, where he is employed as an assistant at the Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control; Selver Pepić, the first recipient of the ETH Foundation Excellence Scholarship for study at ETH Zürich; Suad Krilašević, a final-year master's student at the UNSA Faculty of Electrical Engineering and one of the organisers of the Sarajevo Innovations Festival, League of Robots and Arduino Battles; Nudžeim Selimović, a recipient of the ETH Foundation Excellence Scholarship for study at ETH Zürich, a lecturer at numerous physics camps and initiator of the project Working with Pupils with a Special Interest in Physics and Preparation for Competitions; and Dr Adnan Mehonić, who has been a member of the academic staff of the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at University College London since last year, and whose answers to our questions we present here.

At the recent reception at the UNSA Rectorate you said that you are aware of the good aspects of our education system, but you did not name them.

The very fact that there is a large number of former students who completed part of their education in BiH and are now successfully continuing their careers at the world's most prestigious universities shows that the fundamental education is good. It is key to preparing students for further work and professional development. What we must work on, however, is meeting the ambitions of students who want more.

Besides education, which you consider to be very well covered, research has been neglected. What generally needs to be done to bring it closer to European standards, that is, to make it competitive with the best, which is also one of the Association's goals?

We are aware of a number of financial and legal constraints that make the process harder, but we believe that the foundation of research lies in one's own motivation and discipline. What makes a good student is obvious, as the metrics are clearly defined through grades. We need to educate our students about the metrics of top-level research and motivate them appropriately to strive for excellence according to those criteria. If we succeed in this, there is no doubt that our students will be the main drivers of research.

THE BEST STUDENTS OF THEIR GENERATIONS WITH UNSA RECTOR RIFAT ŠKRIJELJ / ANGELINA ŠIMIĆ

Another great opportunity the Association wants to realise is establishing a stronger link between people from BiH who currently work at the world's leading research universities and academics in BiH. By establishing mutual collaboration, the progress of our universities can be accelerated significantly.

The motivation of academics and students with regard to research was also mentioned, as well as the need to create an environment in which they are sufficiently motivated. How can the many difficulties be overcome and such an environment be created?

Again, I want to emphasise personal motivation. I believe our students are ambitious in their pursuit of excellence. Our task is to define the characteristics of excellence in research and to make their path towards achieving it easier. I think we must clearly define short-term and long-term goals before we can work effectively on overcoming difficulties: they will always be there; what matters is that we evaluate our progress often, have a clear picture of the main difficulties and know which ones we can work on. This is a never-ending process, because we should always strive for better.

What is the first step the members of the Association will take in promoting science and technology at their home university (UNSA)?

The Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology was created through an initiative to connect successful scientists and experts in Bosnia and Herzegovina and around the world. The Association offers help and support in guiding and assisting study and professional development at prestigious world institutions, but strongly advocates for returning to, or maintaining ties with, the academic community in BiH.

Competitiveness

Although we are a young association, formed a few months ago, we have a number of ongoing and planned activities. Some of them include organising public lectures aimed at educating students and the academic community about the opportunities and paths to establishing international collaborations and strengthening the competitiveness of domestic higher education and research institutions in science and technology (STEM). We are also currently working on a larger project: organising a camp school for secondary school pupils from all over BiH and promoting STEM disciplines.

Source: Oslobođenje