International Mentor training

On 12th and 13th of March We held a two half-day mentor training in English for international student mentors, new to mentoring and also for those who have been mentoring for some time now.

One of the aims of the workshop was for the mentoring team to get to know each other better, to get a personal impression of each other and to build the trust that is needed to support each other. Another aim was to look at the mentoring role and the challenges and opportunities for development that can come with it.

We played several games that gave us a chance to reflect through immediate experiences and, like a thread hanging out of a sweater, we could begin to unravel what this opportunity means for mentors as well as for the students they support. It was interesting to be presented with how much of a professional challenge, human dilemma, communication and boundary-pushing a seemingly simple role can be if it is to be managed in a way that brings the most for both mentor and student.

We talked about the expectations and fantasies of students as perceived by the mentors, but we also discussed what professional competences are required and what ethical considerations may arise during mentoring. We hope that this training was just a start, and that we will have the opportunity to reflect together on concrete life situations, the best responses to them and the huge impact that mentoring can have on the careers of mentors.

In connection with the national holiday of 15th March 1848, the Government of Hungary awards state honours every year. In 2024, several citizens of our university were also recognised.

ANDRÁS GUTTMAN, chemical engineer, external member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, professor, head of the Csaba Horváth Separation Laboratory of the Institute of Bio-Nanotechnology and Technical Chemistry of the University of Pannonia, was awarded the Order of Merit of Hungary, civilian category.

Awarded with the Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary, civilian member DR. BEÁTA FEHÉRVÖLGYI, economist, Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics of University of Pannonia, Associate Professor of the Department of Innovation Management and BÁLINT OTTÓ VEISZ, agricultural engineer, Corresponding Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, former Director of the Agricultural Institute of the Hungarian Research Network, Research Professor, Professor Emeritus of the University of Pannonia, Honorary Doctor of the Széchenyi István University.

Awarded with the Hungarian Gold Cross of the Order of Merit, civilian category: Dr. ILDIKÓ GALAMBOS, Head of the Ernő Soós Research and Development Centre at the University of Pannonia, Nagykanizsa, Associate Professor; Dr. RENÁTA BERTA GERENCSÉRÉNÉ, medicinal chemist, Deputy Director General of the University Centre for Circular Economy at the University of Pannonia, Nagykanizsa DR. ISTVÁN HECKL, Associate Professor, Department of Systems and Computer Science of the University of Pannonia, Faculty of Engineering Informatics; Dr. ANNA MEDVE, retired research associate, Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Systems, University of Pannonia, Faculty of Engineering Informatics.

Awarded the Hungarian Bronze Cross of the Order of Merit, civil category: DR. NÓRA HANSÁGI-HAYDN, Head of the Directorate for Legal and Procurement Affairs at the University of Pannonia; GABRIELLA VAJDA TÜNDE, Head of the Communication and International Centre of the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Pannonia.

Congratulations to all our honoured colleagues!

15th March is a day of pure, unspoilt national unity, said Dr. András Gelencsér at the ceremony commemorating the 1848 Revolution. Quoting Friedrich Schiller, the rector of the University of Pannonia added that there are moments in a person's life when he is closer to the spirit of the world than at other times. In the life of the Hungarians, 15 March 1848 was such a moment.

According to the Rector, the idea of revolution is also exalted by the desire for collaboration and unity. He believes that this is a natural human need, which, in today's alienated society, we only have the opportunity to experience in tragedies and emergencies. And the fervour and glory of the revolution may have been helped by the failure of the subsequent struggle for freedom. "It was simply not possible to discredit the noble ideals of the revolution on the great mill wheel of life," he said. And although the revolution did not directly achieve its goal, two decades later it laid the foundations for a strong Hungary at the forefront of Europe, and 1848 remains an ideal that still holds sway today.

1989, the beginning of the regime change, began as a great event that shaped history, and as a similarly great thing. However, according to the Rector,
"The fabric of unity soon split, the momentum faded, enthusiasm waned and a quarter century of strife began. We can all feel the truth of the saying from an unknown source that today Hungary is held together by disunity."

Yet, in his view, 15 March is a message to us to look to the glorious past as an example, to believe and dare to believe that by working together we can achieve great things. To work together, first and foremost we need trust, without which neither a country nor an institution can function. And a community can only stand out from the rest if its members help each other.

András Gelencsér said that the example of the March youth is an obligation for us too: "we must use all our talents, will and best knowledge to create and improve for the benefit of the community".

At the 15th March commemoration, Csaba Páli, a traditional Hussar lieutenant colonel, gave a lecture on the Hussar tradition.

One of the main virtues of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences over the past two centuries has been that while remaining faithful to its traditions, it has been able to constantly renew itself, while cherishing the traditions handed down from its predecessors and successive generations of scientists" - this was one of the main messages of the welcome speeches delivered by the members of the Presidium of the Academy at the annual general assemblies of the regional committees. As the Academy approaches its 200th anniversary, one of this year's main themes was the celebration of tradition and renewal in Debrecen, Miskolc, Pécs, Szeged and Veszprém.

In the last days of February and the first days of March, the MTA regional committees held their traditional annual general meetings. The participants were welcomed by a member of the Academy's Board. Tamás Freund, President of the MTA, opened the meeting in Pécs, Péter László Kollár, Secretary General in Miskolc, Anna Erdei, Deputy Secretary General in Veszprém, Vanda Lamm, Vice President of Social Sciences in Debrecen and Ferenc Hudecz, Vice President of Natural Sciences in Szeged. As they said, the ability to remain faithful to tradition and to constantly renew itself is of particular importance for a community that cultivates and organises science, since "science does not simply follow the spirit of the times, but also plays a decisive role in shaping it through its results".

Following the welcome speech, András Gelencsér, President of VEAB, gave a report on VEAB's activities in 2023, and then briefly outlined its plans for 2024.

After the President's report, Ferenc Lakatos, Professor of the Faculty of Forest Engineering at the University of Sopron, gave a lecture entitled Invasive Insects in Forests, which included a presentation on the research currently being conducted at the University of Sopron on the subject.

Each year, the prize is awarded to inspiring researchers who have made a lasting contribution to both national and international science. In the Earth Sciences category, the award went to Edina Lengyel, a researcher at the University of Pannonia, University of Pannonia, Limnology and HUN-REN-PE Limnoecology Research Group.

This year's winners of the Women in Science Excellence Awards are researching cancer cells and climate change. Gyöngyi Munkácsy and Edina Lengyel were honoured for their outstanding scientific achievements and mentoring activities.

The awards are presented annually to inspiring women researchers who have made a lasting impact in both the domestic and international scientific community and who are also keen to promote science and engineering careers to young girls, according to a statement from the Women in Science Association sent to MTI on Thursday. As they write, the Nature Prize-winning Women in Science Association established the Women in Science Excellence Award in 2013 to recognise the work of the most outstanding women researchers in their field, which was awarded for the eleventh time under the auspices of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Hungarian National Commission for UNESCO in connection with this year's Women's Day.

In the Earth Sciences category, the award was given to Edina Lengyel, a researcher at the University of Pannonia, Limnology and HUN-REN-PE Limnoecology Research Group, who is working on the important group of organisms of shallow wetlands, diatoms. Through field and laboratory work, he seeks answers to how human activities are altering the presence and ecosystem services provided by diatoms in freshwaters and saline environments. Their results, published in peer-reviewed journals, and the specific indicators developed by their research team have since been widely used, including for ecological condition assessments of lakes," the release says. Edina Lengyel is quoted as saying: "The importance of water is unquestionable, so preserving our waters and keeping them in good condition is a priority and an urgent task for the present and the future.

Congratulations to our colleague for this recognition!

Olympic silver medallist, two-time world champion, two-time European and junior world champion swimmer, and not incidentally a student of electrical engineering at the University of Pannonia. No more exams, but the thesis is still to be written. Understandably, however, Kristóf Rasovszky is not focusing on his thesis topic, the sizing of energy elements in residential buildings, but on the Paris Olympics, where he is determined to expand his medal collection. We also talked to Kristóf about the Olympics, the burden on the favourites and his Plan B on his "easy day": in addition to ten swimming sessions, he also has three land-based strength training sessions on the weekly "menu".

- The World Championships in Doha have just finished, what's your schedule until August, the Olympics?

- There are four World Cup races scheduled for this year, three of which will be completed by the beginning of June, followed by the European Championships in mid-June. In addition to ten swims and three land-based training sessions a week, I'll have two two-week training camps in Turkey before the Olympics, so I won't be home much.

- Do you know exactly in which categories we'll see you in Paris?

- The Olympic programme will not be finalised until June. The 10 km open water is an Olympic event, but unfortunately not the relay, although we have been on the podium at the World Championships for the last three years. In addition to the 10 km, I have three level times in the 400, 800 and 1500 freestyle in the pool, but which of these will be included in the programme will be decided later. I think that the 800m freestyle is a possibility, but we will have to think about it. We need to work out the days, if we do it, where and how we can train without hitting the 10 kilometres.

- It's incredible how close the finish can be even at 10 kilometres. How well have you been able to gauge the strength of the others this time? What kind of shape are your opponents in?

- That will be pretty much the picture in terms of the balance of power at the Olympics, which is what it was this time - except for the two Germans, who finished well behind the expected pace this time. So it's us, the two Hungarians, the Australians, the French, the Germans, with a Greek and an Israeli coming in - roughly the ten or so people who will be the only question at the Olympics is who finishes in which place. Of course you can pick out those who have already won a medal in a big world competition, like the two German guys, the Italians, I'm one of them, but they've both won in the French. So it's very difficult to say who will be the winner, especially as we're swimming in a river.

- You won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics, and at the recent World Championships in Doha you brought the only gold medal for the Hungarian team. How much does that weigh on you?

- It is not a burden anymore, because I expect the same from myself. Fortunately, in the past few years I have always been able to go to the big competitions with more or less the same line-up: they expected me to win a medal. So it's a familiar burden - if you can call it that.

- If we talk in August, what would Kristóf in the future be happy with?

- After Tokyo, I would like to win a medal in Paris. If it's bronze or silver, I'll be happy with that, but if it's gold, obviously I couldn't do better. But if, God forbid, I finish fourth and I come out having done that much, that's all I could do, and that's all there was, then I'm not sure after the race, but I think I'll be satisfied in the long run. Luckily this year has started well, I still see it as very realistic to win a medal and I will do my best for that.

- Preparation is not just about physical training, it's also about mental training. Is someone helping you with that?

- I have been working with a sports psychologist for almost a year now. I think I was not bad in this area before, fortunately I didn't have any big problems. When it comes to competitions and sports, I have the right amount of ego and the right amount of competitive spirit to want to win. I think the basics were good, but I think at this level it's good to have someone to talk to about it, to add extra things. It's a matter of nuances. Even in the ten kilometres, there is a finish photo that decides the placings, so here it really depends on things like psychologist, nutrition, who is resting, how they slept the day before. So I'm trying to grab everything I can to add a little bit more.

- Do you have a mascot, a ritual, a point of reference before a race?

- Roughly the last two or three days of your daily routine is a mascot. I find it very difficult to deviate from it, I don't like it, I don't do it. It's my mainstay.

- Sport is obviously at the forefront of your life right now, but you're in the final stages of your university education. How do you see yourself in a few years time, what is your plan B for your life after graduating, after the sport?

- Fortunately, I am open to more ideas. For a long time, I couldn't imagine staying in sport when I finished my elite sport, but I've been moving more and more in the last eight or nine years towards staying in sport at some level. We've talked a lot about sports diplomacy, it's something that would suit me, and we'll see what the future brings. I'm confident that I have three or four years left in my career after the Olympics. Of course, it could be two, or it could be five. But I am absolutely concerned about the future. I would also love to be an entrepreneur, all I need is a good entrepreneurial idea. I am trying to stand on my own two feet so that I can move around more once I stop swimming.

The Senate of the University of Pannonia unanimously supported the candidacy of Dr. János Abonyi for the post of Rector by a vote of 19:0. In the final stage of the rector election process, the Board of Trustees of the Rector will hear his application in a week's time, on 7 March, and in case of a positive decision, the President of the Republic will appoint him with effect from 1 July.

"Since I have been here in Veszprém, I have always felt the support, love and trust of my colleagues, and now - as I wrote in my application - this increases my sense of responsibility. Such a vote is a manifestation of this trust, and it is a very touching feeling. It is in this emotion that I have sent back to my colleagues that I do not wish to abuse this trust and love for a single moment. I have asked the members of the Senate and all university citizens to continue to turn to me with this trust and when they see that, God forbid, I would stray from the path that serves the interests of the university, they should let me know", Dr. János Abonyi shared his thoughts after the Senate meeting.

He added that he looks forward to Thursday when he will have to report to the Board of Trustees. He is preparing an exciting presentation on what he thinks is the ideal relationship between the Rector and the Board of Trustees, although he believes it is ideal at the moment and would like to strengthen the way it is working.