Dr. Maria Drakaki, Professor in Humanitarian Engineering in the Department of Science and Technology, University Center of International Programmes of Studies at IHU and Director of the IHU Institute for the Management of Refugee Flows and Crises, and Dr. Janet Ellzey, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Humanitarian Engineering Program at the Cockrell School of Engineering, University of Texas at Austin (UT at Austin) have collaborated for a Maymester program in Thessaloniki for the Humanitarian Engineering Program of the UT at Austin. Prof. Drakaki is a UT at Austin alumna and considers this collaboration an amazing opportunity to disseminate humanitarian engineering in the academic community, as well as an excellent activity of the IHU Institute for the Management of Refugee Flows and Crises. A group of 18 UT at Austin students and Prof. Ellzey are going to attend a course on Refugee Logistics and Management, led by Prof. Drakaki at the University Center of International Programmes of Studies, IHU and then they’re going to visit a refugee camp close to Thessaloniki, aiming to develop a humanitarian engineering project to address technology related needs of refugees in the camp.

The collaboration is aiming to strengthen the IHU’s internationalization potential and also deepen the understanding of humanitarian engineering as an academic discipline by applying it in a real life project.