Costel Birsan

University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest

University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest is the oldest and most prestigious engineering school in Romania. Its traditions are related to the establishment in 1818 by Gheorghe Lazar, of the first technical school with teaching in Romanian. UPB assumes the mission to train specialists in different technical fields, able to use valuable scientific, technical and cultural-humanistic knowledge, to contribute to the technological, economic and socio-cultural progress of the Romanian society and of the contemporary world. UPB ensures the achievement of a performance education, developed and perfected through a complex research activity, continuing the tradition of the Polytechnic School of Bucharest, in accordance with the exigencies and the means offered by the modern informational society. UPB's mission has been thought over as a blend of education, research and innovation, which represents a key towards a knowledge-based society and economy. Creating knowledge mainly by scientific research, giving it out by education and professional training, disseminating it by information technologies, as well as the use of technological innovation are elements that define the university distinctive profile. The engineering profession has continuously transformed and adapted itself to the new demands of the society, but being an engineer, a person who knows and is able to make life more comfortable, has remained unchanged.