On 19-23 December, professor John Liobe from the University of Rochester (the USA) visited VGTU's Faculty of Electronics and the Laboratory of Micro and Nano-electronics Systems Design and Research.

 

The professor specialises in CMOS, CCD sensor matrices and design of integrated circuits. He wrote a great number of scholarly articles and implemented many projects with the U.S. Department of Defence, the U.S. Department of Energy, CORNING, KODAK, INTEL and other well-known U.S. companies.

 

During a meeting with VGTU community at the Faculty of Electronics the guest presented his projects with the U.S. Department of Defence, met with doctoral students, and told about the opportunities for internships and training visits at the University of Rochester. Professor Liobe invited doctoral students to use the excellent opportunities provided by the Erasmus Plus programme and visit the University of Rochester or join the projects the University is working on.

 

Professor Liobe also visited the new VGTU's Laboratory of Micro and Nano-electronics Systems Design and Research, which is located in the science and technology park "Saulėtekio slėnis" (Sunrise Valley). He was impressed with the laboratory's equipment and the possibilities it provides. The professor noted that it is here – at such labs – the high-tech ideas and micro / nano-electronics systems' start-ups are to be born. The meeting laid the ground for several ideas on further, more intensive cooperation.

 

VGTU's creativity and innovation centre "LinkMenų fabrikas" was also appreciated by J. Liobe, who thought that it is an excellent place for students from various study fields to meet for joint activities and start-ups. It is an excellent example, that is worth bringing back to his university. The University of Rochester also has a similar space for engineering students studying in the fields of electronics, mechanics, transport engineering. But bringing in students from management and creative industries adds a totally new dimension to such centres, and could increase the success of start-ups significantly.

 

It was the second professor's visit to Lithuania. He was quite pleasantly surprised with the progress that VGTU has made since his last visit in 2014: the new building for VGTU's administrative staff, laboratories in the "Saulėtekio slėnis", a lot of international students. On the departure, the guest was joking, that possibly upon his return in several years he might find things at VGTU which are not yet present at the most prestigious universities in the United States.