TSI recently hosted its winter graduation, and some of the TSI alumni shared their success stories with us. The first person to express his views on education, student life, professional life, and the future we’ll be Ivan Gercev, who completed his studies in the Bachelor’s programme in Robotics.
Ivan is among the first group to complete the Bachelor’s programme in Robotics, and this significant event was also marked in a festive event on March 1.
“When I explored all the available options for my education, I discovered that TSI offers a comprehensive study of engineering sciences, and the university also has strong ties to aviation, indicating that the technical aspect of education would be of the highest standard. And, indeed, it was!” – Ivan comments on his choice of university and programme.
The experience of the now Bachelor of Engineering cannot be solely fit in academic frames. In addition to active participation in lab work during lectures, Ivan continuously develops prototypes and ideas in the robotics labs of TSI, assists researchers and students in project implementation… You can often briefly hear the phrase “I’ll go to Ivan’s!” among students and lecturers, when someone’s heading to one of the labs of the TERC, Telecommunications, Electronics and Robotics centre.
“The advantage of the TSI university and the most interesting part of the education for me is not only in the practical tasks within the study programme, but also various projects where knowledge is applied in hands-on experience and ideas are turned into reality,” the graduate shares. Beneficially leveraging the resources at TSI, Ivan also engaged in several projects with the support of the innovation and entrepreneurship centre “iDEAHUB“, where he and his younger sister – Victoria – secured 3rd and 1st place with unique projects – a multifunctional, cost-effective, and adaptable drone system DiPROGer designed for a wide range of applications across various economic sectors, and the project -winner – special modules for the automatic control and storage of colour reagents in the medical industry DiPROGer RoboReag, created to aid effectiveness in diagnosis of cancer diseases. This year, at the Tech Industry 2024 exhibition, you can visit the stand and learn more about this unique technology in the field of medicine and robotics.
Reflecting on his professional and personal development within the framework of his studies, Ivan shares: “There was an opportunity to make my ideas a reality, and one of such ideas was my bachelor’s thesis. I particularly appreciated that all the projects and topics weren’t dictated by the university’s team, yet everyone was always open and ready to help. The academic staff members were consistently able to address questions of any complexity, providing deeper insights.”
When asked, “Do you plan to continue your studies?” Ivan responds, “Of course! In a master’s programme in electronics!” and, discussing his career plans, adds: “For now, the professional future seems uncertain… I plan to complete my studies and dedicate my work to robotics and manufacturing. Currently, I’m contemplating whether it will be large-scale production robotics or mobile robots…”
According to surveys among TSI undergraduate students, one of the main reasons (52%) for selecting TSI as their university is the professional experience of the faculty members. Ivan notes, “Each professor contributed to my learning. I am pleased and grateful to everyone for their dedication and willingness to help.”
Looking back on the rich experiences gained during his studies, a graduate of the Bachelor’s programme in Robotics shares: “Student’s life is a great time to get to know yourself and become more independent… It’s a time that I’ll cherish, while also missing my teachers and coursemates.”
