Blog Archive

I cannot start this report without saying that this European mobility experience has been great thanks to the people that I met and the beautiful city that welcomed me. My traineeship took place in Valencia (Spain) from the 17th of October to the 31st on January.

The CMT – Motores Tèrmicos – Universidad Politecnica de Valencia was the hosting organization, and the professor Ricardo Novella was my supervisor and leader of the research group in which I was involved.

I worked in the field of innovation for a cleaner and efficient transport. In order to mitigate global warming, also caused by the high CO2 emissions of the transport sector, a revolution of the transportation system with more efficient powertrains is mandatory. Several countries are planning strategies to achieve this goal through fiscal incentives and regulations. The European Union proposed a ban of internal combustion engine-powered vehicles starting from 2035 and trucks manufacturers in Europe must reduce the CO2 emissions of newly sold vehicles by 30% until 2030 compared to 2019.

Even though hydrogen is not the only path to decarbonization, it is considered an essential option among a set of other technologies. It has the advantage of being a versatile and clean energy vector acting as a buffer for renewable energy sources.

In this scenario, fuel cell powered vehicles (FCVs) represent a key technology for the automotive industry. Interest in them is constantly growing, as well as their market share. In order to contribute for this energetic transition, I worked with numerical simulations of FCVs. Once I arrived, I started analyzing data from the literature to develop my numerical model. A validated and optimized fuel cell system model has been integrated into the complete vehicle model developed in the GT-Suite
environment.

Subsequently, I developed a proper energy management strategy to minimize the hydrogen consumption of the vehicle, coupling the vehicle model with artificial intelligence features. With the achieved results, I was able to write a scientific paper in collaboration with the research group that hosted me. During my work I certainly increased my skills, both from the technical and personal point of views. Thanks to regular meetings I increased my capability to work in group sharing my idea.

This is the professional part of my experience that I liked the most. I’ve also increased my competences in data analysis, time management and autonomy. I’m sure that this experience will help me in my future professional career. It is something I would redo and would recommend to anyone.

Marco Piras, student at University of Naples_Federico II

I’m extremely proud to have concluded my Erasmus+ Traineeship experience at St. Vincent’s Hospital University, in Dublin.

It has been such an inspiring, challenging and enriching journey, which made me realize even more clearly that surgery is my path. I was given the opportunity to develop practical skills for my professional
career, whilst engaging with different cultures and social groups.

In these 2 months in the Hepatopancreaticobiliary Unit I was able to attend several surgeries (i.e. liver resection, Whipple’s, pancreatectomy, splenectomy, cholecystectomy, etc); including liver transplants and organ retrieval, which were truly unforgettable experiences. I was lucky enough to be scrubbed in to practice my suture skills, actively learning everything about surgical techniques, instruments and operating theater protocols.

Another big part of my training was taking part to MDMs (Multidisciplinary Meetings), which entailed the discussion of several difficult cases to assess and improve their care plan; as well as attend the General HPB Clinic, where I performed patient interviews and physical examinations.

I’m beyond grateful to the HPB and Transplant Group for letting me be part of their team, learning from them and training with them. I felt challenged every day to do better and learn more. This experience has given me more than I could have asked for, both professionally and personally.

Bianca Bertirossi, student at University of Padua.

I am Carmelo Cona specialized in Economics and Business Management at the Kore University of Enna.

I decided to participate in the Erasmus+ Traineship call offered by the Send Consortium, because upon completion of my master’s degree I could take advantage of this wonderful internship outside Italy, and honestly an internship abroad allows you to grow culturally, professionally, and personally.

My experience took place at the University of Granada in the Faculty of Labor Relations and Human Resources, in Spain. My Tutor allowed me to interact with the world of work, entering in a practical way to carry out lessons and analyze practical cases with university students. The purpose of my internship was to learn, teaching and research in the university environment.

Personally, I lived an unforgettable experience, because thanks to this internship I met new people in the university environment, who allowed me to participate in international congresses obtaining certifications and acquiring new skills useful for a future job opportunity.

Participating in this opportunity is the best solution to learn about different cultures and to acquire intercultural skills. Furthermore, it helps you grow in all areas, especially in the work and professional one.

Carmelo Cona, student at University of KORE_Enna

At Flor de Rosassa  was the first time receiving an ERASMUS student and we didn’t know what the experience would be like. In our team some of the staff are over 45 years old and do not speak English, so it could be a problem for Erica or a learning barrier as she is Italian.

The surprise for us has been enormous, Erica has learnt Spanish at an amazing speed and has immediately been able to communicate and establish links with the whole team.

In addition to being very hard-working, very organised and professional, she has shown herself to be very human, which is fundamental for us.

She has been able to adapt at all times to the circumstances; it’s been a end of the year with many changes and Erica has always been part of the solution to any problem or setback that emerged.

And we have been committed to making her feel comfortable and part of the team and the family that is Flor de Rosassa.

We hope to continue having contact with her because she has won a piece of our hearts!

Erica’s tutor at Flor de Rosassa, Spain

From 2^nd August to 29^th October, I have been an Intern of Don Bosco Youth-Net thanks to the selection of SEND Mobility Consortium. The internship was mostly related upon communication management, as described in the Learning Agreement Traineeship, and devoted to the development of specific competences and knowledge, such as: learning about the Organisation and its operations and aims, as well as the European mainframe; being aware of how the team works, of the tasks and the relations between the network; developing skills in social communication, in particular towards young people from different backgrounds and origins.

During the internship I developed my skill in social media management and in the creation of content targeted to different kind of audience. I became more aware of the role of a Sociologist into a big organization such as DBYN. I have put in practice my study about public communication, organizations, group theory, and data, for example by inquiring how to improve the “public cyberspace” of the organization, such as the website and the social media, and how to make them closer to the target expectations, also by spreading survey ad hoc. Carrying out different social media campaigns, trying different kind of contents to test the audience, being involved in the process behind the events of DBYN was a highly formative experience, that helped me to know better which could be my professional profile and role in such organizations.

The best part of the internship, besides the skills acquired, has surely been the human relations between the team and the whole network. I found the staff really supportive and always ready to give me advice and answer my questions, even when overworked. Especially the general Secretariat, Aubérie, who was my Tutor, has always been opened to listen to my ideas and suggestions, making me feel truly part of the team, and of the DBYN family. Without the kindness of these people my internship could have been quite different.

To conclude, I think that doing this internship at the DBYN has been an enriching experience. I would recommend it to all the young people who want to spend themselves doing something great for the community. No matter which field, country, personal experience you are coming from, you can be sure to feel really useful to the others, and surrounded by the best team you can dream of.

So, DBYN team and family, keep it up, and see you next time!

Viviana Condorelli, student at University of Catania

Since the planning process of my mobility, I had to face the extremely difficult pandemic context, keeping constantly up to date both with my university, the hosting institution and SEND.

I received all necessary support and, even if I had to postpone my mobility of two weeks, I managed to reach the hosting institution and start my internship without any further obstacle. Naturally, I received all the info regarding the pandemic and the measures taken in the hosting country to be prepared and manage my mobility experience in the safest way possible.

The hosting institution, Culture & Media Agency Europe aisbl– CUMEDIAE, is an organisation based in Brussels working in management and communication in the cultural sector. The agency is in charge of curating and communicating several European/international cultural projects; it is also responsible of curating Culture Agora, an online platform keeping track of all relevant news and opportunities in the cultural sector around Europe; moreover, it provides consultancy services in the field.

My tasks regarded various aspects linked to management and communication going from project development to graphic design: the agency has provided me the necessary training and has allowed me to develop both my existing skills and new ones. The whole mobility period has not only reinforced my competences and strengthened the possibilities for my professional career: it has given me the possibility to encounter a new context, live in an international environment, better understand other cultures.

It has truly been a life-changing experience: everyone who has the possibility should take part in this mobility programme because, besides the working experience, these exchanges allow us to personally develop our conscience and responsibility as European and global citizens.

Davide Musco, student of Arts and Humanities at University of Pisa

My internship at the National Museum of Archeology in Lisbon was a good experience, even if it was a bit conditioned by the pandemic situation.

The first part of my internship was dedicated to study the catalog of the temporary exhibition, “Idols – Millenial Gazes”, and to visit the museum collections and the museum ambients. The catalog was in Spanish and Portuguese, and for this reason at the beginning,  it wasn’t easy, but it was an opportunity to learn new languages.

The support that my tutor Margarida Carmona gave me was fundamental. Initially, she was always with me, and whenever there was a need she was always ready and available. For me she was an important point of reference.

After this study period, we did some visit simulations in English. In the same period, beginning and mid of May, we attended some meetings with two professors of archeology from the University of Lisboa. They were helpful in integrating with translations.

Later we joined Margarida during the visits by listening and learning new things and curiosities about the Museum. Most of the visits were in Portuguese . This was useful to try to understand a little bit of Portuguese, which it was useful to integrate there.

In the second part of my internship, I was finally ready to lead some visits on my own about the temporary exhibition; while Margarida did tours on permanent collections.  Even in this period
Margarida has always been attentive and available. She was always present. In this second part of the internship, I keept in touch more with both the museum workers and with the tourists. Furthermore, by doing the visits alone was also a way to improve my English and talk more with people.

In June, an interesting project was proposed to me: “ZOOM GUIDE”, a start-up that
develops digital audio guides in different languages. Initially, I translated the texts of the permanent collection in Italian and then we read and recorded the texts with our own voice. For this project, the help and support of Ana Caessa with the translations were fundamental.

In conclusion, I am very satisfied with this internship, even if two months is a too short period to integrate and experience the city of Lisbon at full speed. It is a very beautiful city to live in, much quieter than Italian cities. Concerning my host organization, I was really happy  about the activities proposed, although I would liked to have more time to do some other type of activity concerning communication and organization of events.

Finally, I would like to thank the director Antonio Carvalho for the opportunity and for acceptingus for this internship. The restorers and Susanna for their availability of the library and Ana Caessa for having involved us in an innovative digital project. Finally, a heartfelt thanks finally goes to Margarida, for her important advice and a point of reference for this experience.

Simone Tortora, students of Cultural Heritage Management at University of Naples_ FedericoII

My name is Cristiana Messina, I’m a 25 years old Italian Architect, recently graduated at University of Palermo. In order to increase my knowledge in a new environment, comparing myself with different mentalities and cultures and adding a positive experience to my resume, I decided to participate in the call for applications of SEND for post-graduate mobility.

The reasons   why I chose Barcelona, mainly concern the characteristics that make this city, a dynamic and constantly evolving reality, in areas ranging from design to advanced architecture.

Thanks to a previous study experience at the ETSAB, University of Barcelona, I developed and improved personal characteristics such as greater sense of responsibility and organization, spirit of initiative and collaboration, to acquire new practical skills thanks to the different design approaches, in continuous experimentation through the sharing of ideas and opinions.

My experience in Barcelona and in Miralles and Tagliabue’s studio was inspiring and exciting. I worked in different phases of international projects and competitions, which allowed me to share knowledge and creativity and to work in a dynamic team.

I gave an important contribution in the design development, sharing my knowledge and creativity in the field with the rest of the team and thus helping to improve the working environment of the office with new, innovative and fresh ideas.

Furthermore, this experience has made me independent from various points of view and has allowed me to broaden my horizons with a new vision of architecture, thanks above all to the opportunities that this city has given me.

Cristiana Messina, degree student of Architecture at the University of Palermo

At the end of November 2020 I concluded my Erasmus traineeship experience, promoted by the  organisation SEND Sicily, at the Pediatric Surgery Department of Tübingen’s University Clinic in  Germany.

The aim of the project was to promote social innovation, in my case in the health field.  During my internship at department 32 of Crona Klinik in Tübingen, I faced myself with my future  job and had many interesting experiences that increased my professional and personal background. 

The traineeship included 42 hours a week to be spent in ward carrying out the pediatric patients  admissions, in the pediatric emergency department, in the outpatient clinic and in the operating  room to assist surgeons during their work. Very interesting and instructive were also the daily  meetings to discuss the clinical cases of the day. 

My work was supported by the pediatric clinic team who guided and assisted me during each  procedure, explaining step by step the main tasks performed in the ward. Many tasks were still  assigned to me independently, thus promoting my ability to manage personal responsibilities.

In my opinion, the growth of my professional figure can make a fundamental contribution to the  development of social innovations in the future, through my future commitment to improving health conditions and developing new personalized assistance strategies for each patient, of any social and  economical condition. From this point of view I can be fully satisfied with my experience and a  special thanks goes to the staff of the SEND Sicily organization, who supported me efficiently and  promptly. 

Through this project I have significantly increased my specific technical skills in the medical field,  my ability to work in a team, the relations with the public as well as my language skills. I believe I have greatly enriched my personal background and I would highly recommend this  experience to everyone.

Daniele Scordato, student of Medicine at University of Palermo.

After my graduation in Political Science and International Relations, I decided to undertake an  experience of working abroad with the Erasmus+ project. Despite the  difficult year that we are living , I tried to jump into this project in Poland. 

Having already done an Erasmus period I was already psychologically prepared for all the  unexpected and dynamic that could happen but fortunately the work in Poland was handled very  well. 

So , I was part of a WiPjobs company that deals with Recruiting, helps to find work for people who  require a certain type of job and conversely for entrepreneurs who ask for a certain type of skills  from the candidate . In this experience, WiPjobs worked with its main partner: MaterEuropei, a  highly qualified Master that takes place in 4 different countries.  

WiPjobs has focused on guiding the students of this master’s degree to the best of their abilities,  preparing them to manage new challenges, improving their personal qualities and supporting  them throughout their growth path. The main tasks were in fact the Cvs & Cover Letter Editorial  support, Job interview simulations in English/Italian, support for the care of the personal & self  brand of the students, support for the optimization of the Linkedin profiles, sharing of  differentiated job offers for each master’s degree, updates on Reporting and on all the daily  dynamics; Care of relations with partner companies.  

Moreover, organization and planning assistance to the didactic and documentation internship,  responsible to the search of company and external partners. All this clearly keeping the necessary  distances and precautions to contain the covid-19 emergency.  

We also had a few days of distance support at the end of the internship, doing career coaching on  Skype. 

The working hours were 40 and we worked every day inside the Vistula University, except on the  days off that often happened on the weekend. In fact, in addition to the work experience, my  team and I were also able to manage small trips out of port to see the Polish culture and  cities. Always maintaining all prevention measures for covid-19 . For example in Krakow to see the  concentration camps of Auschwitz and the next day the salt mines. 

With this I want to underline that in addition to the work experience and the commitment I put in  the first person in carrying out this activity , you can also enjoy the experience looking at new  realities and cultures. 

I highly recommend this experience of internship abroad, clearly keeping a focus on the work and  tasks to be performed. This helps the institution but also helps the trainee to get in touch with the  world of work . With WiPjobs, it was a perfect match.

Chiara Bellanca, graduated student at University of Palermo.