Demola is an innovation platform that connects businesses and students. The concept was created in Finland, but the platform and the Demola Community has developed into an international network involving more than 60 universities from 16 countries around the world. University of Pécs joined this platform in 2019.
In the online period of last spring, Demola PTE, in cooperation with Green University Programme of UP launched a challenge aiming to support the strategic work of the GU Program. The project team including five students from University of Pécs, successfully worked together and created several innovative ideas for GU Program. Due to the Covid-19 situation, the entire challenge had to be put in the online space.
The project team of GreenIdea challenge was very diverse regarding the cultural and scientific background. Selima Usenkanova’s home country is Kyrgyzstan and here in Pécs she is studying Tourism and Catering at the Faculty of Business and Economics.
What motivated you to apply for the GreenIdea challenge, did you have any prior expectations?
Since I began studying at the university, I started hearing more about current climate situation. During many classes, we talk about what effect economic activities have on the environment. I was really affected by those discoveries and thought that
I cannot afford NOT to care about this issue.
And here it was, the perfect project for my new interest: GreenUniversity. Of course, climate change is a worldwide issue and I know I cannot change the world in a day, but I can influence my community bit by bit. “Think globally – act locally."
How did you feel, could you become a cooperative team soon? Did you experience any difficulty working in an online team? How could you work together, what was your strategy?
Although we managed to work via online platforms, it was sad not to see each other face-to-face. After all,
real human communication cannot be replaced.
It makes your work personal, and you can discover so much more about the people you’re working with. We managed to work productively by separating our duties and I came up with a good solution.
What has been your most defining experience with the project, be it professional, collaborative, technical or even personal? Do you think you have learned some practical, professional skills that you can use later in your work?
For me, it was really surprising to find out about the efforts UP makes to reduce the environmental impact and even more surprised to discover that students are not very familiar with it! That was a very interesting finding, and I thought about it a lot.
I think one of the most important things I learnt is the way to conduct research via interviews and analyse different resources. It helps me in my studies now. And of course, during ideation process, you train your creativity muscle!
What advice would you give to UP students who are thinking about joining an international innovation project?
Try it! It is a great opportunity to do something outside of your studies and connect with people all over the world, bringing your experiences and opinions together to solve a problem.
You will definitely develop necessary skills not only to your studies but also for your future!
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Contact us: demola@pte.hu
