07/10/2024
We are happy to introduce our new Austrian volunteers Andreas and Mohan, who have been a great help at AIAT for a month now. Here is an insight into their training, impressions, goals and feelings, with photos.
"My name is Andreas Patuzzi, I am 19 years old and volunteering at the AIAT for 10 months. I completed my mechatronics high school diploma in Austria, while already doing my best to assist the teachers and improve the education. In addition, I have 3 years of professional experience in the IT sector and I participated in or even taught at multiple local as well as international courses, events, conferences, and competitions.
I wanted to work at the AIAT because it is a great place to share my passion for technology. I appreciate the idea of high-level skill-, practical-, and project-oriented education and want to do my part to make it a reality. My first month at the Institute was interesting, and proved, that I am at the right place, while also showing me some tasks that I can do to improve the status quo. It feels great to be here, but there are so many options and tasks that I could work on and my time is unfortunately limited.
For the next 10 months, I am going to teach and participate in projects, especially in the field of coding and robotics. For this purpose I also brought my robot and 3D camera, from former hobby and professional projects, to use at the institute. I am currently working together with the electronics and computer science teachers in their lessons and projects. I also plan and work on my own robotics and computer vision projects and want to prepare specialized lessons in the future. Besides the technical work, I am also the primary school photographer and work on social media. With my capturing and editing experience, I want to provide and publish high-quality material about the lessons, projects, and events regularly, while currently focusing on Instagram."
"My name is Mohan Furthmaier, and I am a 20-year-old volunteer from Austria. Before coming here, I completed an apprenticeship at the Austrian Railways and now work in telematics enabling technology there. Alongside my work, I am pursuing a bachelor's degree in business informatics.
For the past four weeks, I’ve been volunteering at the Auroville Institute of Applied Technology, and it has been an amazing experience. The students here are incredible—full of ideas and energy, and always eager to learn. I’ve had the pleasure of working on a biogas project with a group of students from production and green technology, along with two highly experienced and supportive teachers. Their knowledge and guidance have been invaluable, and the students' enthusiasm has made the project truly rewarding.
Volunteering at the institute has not only been a learning experience but has also allowed me to form strong bonds with the students and staff. I’ve made great friends, and each day has been filled with new discoveries. My time here has been fantastic, and I look forward to continuing this journey with them."
