Jun 10, 2010 - Claremont -

Harvey Mudd College professors Ran Libeskind-Hadas (computer science) and Michael Orrison (mathematics) were recently named the North American co-directors of the new Aquincum Institute of Technology (AIT) study abroad program in Budapest, Hungary. AIT will provide an opportunity for North American students of computer science, engineering and allied fields to spend a semester of study in Budapest.

AIT's unique curriculum offers a novel blend of courses in foundations of computing, design, and entrepreneurship. The foundations courses include theoretical computer science, which builds on Hungary's strong tradition of leadership in the areas of mathematics related to this part of computer science, as well as software design, which builds on Hungary's more recent but very impressive entry into the design of high quality software systems. The design part of the curriculum emphasizes the creative melding of art and technical design, as epitomized by the work of Hungarian inventor, sculptor and engineer Erno Rubik, known for creating puzzles such as the Rubik’s Cube, and others who will be teaching in the AIT program. Finally, the entrepreneurship component seeks to expose students to the joys and challenges of user-centered product development by fostering cross-cultural skills that are a requirement in today's global economy. Gabor Bojar and other Hungarian and European business leaders will contribute to the teaching of these entrepreneurship courses.

“The expected appeal of AIT to North American students is in part the novelty of this curriculum, in part being taught by world-class instructors, and in part by the opportunity to live and experience Budapest while still taking their courses in English,” said Libeskind-Hadas. “There are very few study-abroad programs that focus on computing and engineering, fewer yet that meld the design and business components into the curriculum, and perhaps no other program that does this in English in a non-English speaking country.”

Another unique feature of AIT is that it has partnered with some of the most selective universities and colleges in the United States including Princeton, Harvard, Swarthmore and RPI, among others. The expectation is that these schools will continuously send high caliber students to AIT, contributing to rich and exciting intellectual environment for the students and the faculty members. Additionally, top Hungarian students will participate in the program, further enriching the environment for all.

“We plan to assess the program both by having the North American advisors visit AIT regularly and by asking students to complete evaluations of the program each semester,” said Libeskind-Hadas. “These observations and data will be used to help continually refine and improve the program.”

AIT is running a scaled-down version of the program this summer at no cost to the student participants. The summer program will provide experience for the AIT administration and faculty and will allow students to provide valuable initial feedback. This, in turn, will allow AIT to thoughtfully and deliberately prepare for the launch of its first regular semester in the spring of 2011.

Orrison also feels that it will be of great interest to HMC students. “Ran and I are both very excited about the program. In particular, we think it will appeal to many of our own computer science, computer science/math, and mathematical biology majors,” he said.

Ran Libeskind-Hadas is professor of computer science and associate dean for diversity, research, and experiential learning. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in applied mathematics in 1987 and went on to complete an M.S. and Ph.D. in computer science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1993.

Michael Orrison is associate professor of mathematics at HMC. Orrison graduated from Wabash College with a degree in mathematics in 1995 and went on to complete his Ph.D. in mathematics at Dartmouth College in 2001.