WEST UKRAINIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

 The first project team meeting of the WUNU STEM Lab project was recently held at the Education and Research Centre of Communications of WUNU. The establishment of the hub was made possible thanks to funding from the American non-governmental organisation VOVK Foundation and the BlueCheck Ukraine Charitable Foundation, as well as the joint efforts of the International Institute of Communications.

‘The project is aimed at introducing STEM education at WUNU as part of the ILLUME programme. This hub opening at the university is an important and strategic step for the development of innovative education in Ukraine. It will serve as an important impetus for training the next generation of pupils, students, scientists and entrepreneurs in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics,’ said Yuriy Vovchuk, Director of the VOVK Foundation, donor.

West Ukrainian National University will act as the provider of STEM education, connecting American and European foundations and organisations with universities and secondary schools in Ternopil and Ternopil region.

Viktor Ostroverkhov, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs and Research of WUNU, assured: ‘We are ready for new challenges and interesting innovations. The STEM laboratory at West Ukrainian National University will become a platform for the integration of modern educational technologies, the development of innovative thinking and practical skills among students. Traditional teaching methods no longer provide all the necessary skills for employment in a rapidly changing global environment. The introduction of project-based learning, the integration of interdisciplinary approaches and practical experience through makerspaces is becoming critical to the development of creative thinking and the ability to solve real-world problems. We will make every effort to effectively develop STEM education in Ukraine.’

Oksana Koval, Chairman of the Board of the NGO ‘International Institute of Communications’, introduced the main objectives of the project, outlined the functional responsibilities of the team members, and coordinated the first steps of the project with Mr. Yuriy Vovchuk and all those present.

Other team members who joined the meeting included representatives of West Ukrainian National University (Ihor Lishchynskyi, professor at the Department of International Economics, Anastasiia Martynevych, deputy director of the ERCC, Andrii Pukas, head of the Department of Computer Science, Vitalii Smal, lecturer at the Department of Software Engineering, Yaroslav Tsapiv, director of the Sambir Education and Research Centre of WUNU, Liliana Bilohorka, translator at the ERCC, and Ihor Romanets, director of the Information Technology Education and Research Centre, as well as external experts and specialists involved in the project.

We sincerely thank the director of the VOVK Foundation, our donor, Mr Yuriy Vovchuk, for his trust and incredible opportunities for the powerful development of young people in Ukraine.