On September 27, teachers and students of the Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University (EUNU) presented the new USAID-equipped Digital Prototyping and Manufacturing Laboratory (FabLab) to 15 students from the Kyiv Technical School of Electronic Devices and representatives of USAID.
The FabLab is one of three new labs equipped by USAID through its Economic Resilience Activity (USAID ERA) to help EUNU attract more students to study engineering and provide a space where they can gain practical skills working with cutting-edge equipment. Originally located in Luhansk Oblast, EUNU was forced to move twice following Russia’s invasions of Ukraine in 2014 and again in 2022, eventually settling in Kyiv. More than 5,200 students are currently studying at EUNU in eight different departments.
At the event, EUNU teachers and students demonstrated a 3D printer making engine parts and a laser cutter creating a phone holder out of plywood. The university also presented a mockup of an agricultural drone produced with the USAID-provided equipment. Attendees discussed the lab’s possibilities and professional prospects for engineering graduates, and EUNU invited students to join their new “scientific circle,” a free club that will host workshops.
“I have been studying software engineering for several years and am particularly interested in using a 3D printer for design,” said Bohdan Ihnatiuk, a 4th-year student at the Kyiv Technical School of Electronic Devices. “I think that in the future engineering will be in great demand, especially for the reconstruction of Ukraine, and workshops like the one today help us understand certain aspects of the profession, and even try to make something practical.”
From September to November 2024, EUNU plans to hold 10 similar events for applicants of various educational institutions of Kyiv to help attract more students to the university and the field of engineering.
Serhii Kudryavtsev, Dean of the Engineering Faculty, said,
“Through such events, we popularize engineering majors among applicants and promote the reorientation of young people to the professions needed for the economy of Ukraine.”