The Rector of GTU Academician David Gurgenidze Presented Honorary Awards to Georgian and American Researchers

Based on the resolution of the Academic Council of the Georgian Technical University, the rector, Academician David Gurgenidze, awarded the title of honorary doctor of the university to the American scientists and awarded with the gold medal the meritorious teacher and employee of the Faculty of Informatics and Control Systems of the GTU.

The award ceremony was held at the meeting of the Academic Council, which was attended by a member of the Supervisory Board of GTU – a famous scientist, one of the leaders of the CMS collaboration of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Professor Tiziano Camporesi, deans of faculties, representatives of the administration, directors of scientific research institutes, and guests.

At the academic council, the rector, the university community, and foreign guests honored with a minute silence the memory of Professor Tengiz Tsintsadze, the director of the scientific research Institute of Hydrometeorology of GTU, a famous scientist-hydrologist and geographer.

The Rector, Academician David Gurgenidze introduced the decision of the Academic Council to the audience, according to which the American researchers – Dr. Albert Joseph Turner Jr., Francis Edward Noel, and William Henry Hayter – were awarded the GTU Honorary Award for their voluminous work and special merits in promoting the process of internationalization of educational programs of Georgian Technical University. 

The American scientists were granted the title of doctor, and the rector presented awards confirming the title of an honorary doctorate.

“We are motivated by the best wishes and express our hope that the American scientists who have been clothed with the mantle of honorary doctors of our university will become ambassadors in the international scientific and academic space, who will deservedly contribute to the international success of the Georgian Technical University, its researchers, and its students”. Dr. Albert Joseph Turner Jr. is an Emeritus Professor of Computer Science at Clemson University, USA, and a leading trainer for the ABET program. He has extensive experience in evaluating computer science programs. Dr. William Henry Hayter is a research fellow in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMASS) and the founding director of the University’s Center for Transportation. As for Dr. Francis Edward Noel, he holds degrees from Syracuse, Oregon, and Pennsylvania Universities, is a member of the ABET Accreditation Committee, has worked for IBM for many years, and has 34 US patents to his name.

We thank the American colleagues for their particular contribution to the process of internationalization of the educational programs of the Technical University of Georgia and for the great work that included long-term teaching – training, workshops, and meetings, including online format, in which the faculties, academic and scientific staff, students of our university were involved. All these processes will help our university and its students to implement educational and research activities and expand international collaboration successfully. The processes actively started at the Technical University of Georgia. The principle of research-based teaching has been introduced in many programs, and we see tangible results, which once again confirms the great importance of these processes”, – said the rector of GTU.

David Gurgenidze, by the decision of the Academic Council, to the meritorious employee – Levan Matsaberidze, head of the educational, scientific, and expert laboratory of the Engineering Physics Department of the Faculty of Informatics and Control Systems of GTU, awarded for his 68 years of work and particular merit in the university, and connection with the 90th anniversary handed him over the gold medal of GTU and wished him longevity for the benefit of the Technical University of Georgia.

The Honorary Doctorates of the Georgian Technical University – Albert Joseph Turner Jr., William Henry Hayter, and Francis Edward Noel thanked the Chancellor of the Academic Council for supporting the initiative. The American researchers wished the university, its rector, students, and researchers many successes in the direction of integration and internationalization in the international space.