“Historical landmarks in Romanian informatics”

50 years since the first informatics high schools, 55 years since the first class of the Electronic Computers specialization, and 60 years since MECIPT-1 was powered up

The Politehnica University Timișoara Museum hosted a soul event on the occasion of 50 years since the first five informatics high schools (in Bucharest, Brașov, Cluj-Napoca, Iași and Timișoara), 55 years since the first generation of students at the Electronic Computers specialization from the Timișoara Polytechnic, had graduated, and 60 years since MECIPT-1, the first Romanian university computer, was first powered up. The event had the motto “Historical landmarks in Romanian informatics” and was organized by Politehnica University Timișoara in partnership with the “Grigore Moisil” Informatics High School, under the aegis of the Romanian Alliance of Technical Universities (ARUT). The event reunited online teachers from pre-university and higher education, directors of informatics high schools, deans of computer faculties, and IT specialists from the five university centers (Bucharest, Brașov, Cluj-Napoca, Iași and Timișoara), and was broadcast live on Facebook.

At the beginning of the meeting, the rector of UPT, associate professor eng. Florin Drăgan, Ph.D., pointed out that, most likely, at the time when the Decision of the Council of Ministers on the establishment of the first computer science high schools was issued, after the universities had only started to conduct studies in the field of computers, no one could predict the scale at which both education and the IT industry would evolve. The event was thus significant for the history of the last 50 years of Romania, considering that, currently, the percentage of IT and Communications fields in Romania's GDP reached, during the pandemic, almost 7%, with a growth trend of 10%, and this with only about 2.3% of the active population working in these fields. Moreover, the acting rector mentioned the concerns for strengthening the partnerships between the pre-university and university environments, in order to keep young people interested in ITC in the country to build the society of the future together.

The first part of the meeting included alternative broadcasts from the five university centers, where representatives of high schools and computer-related faculties met online and celebrated 50 years of collaboration. During the discussions, the beginnings of education in the field of informatics in Romania were recalled, with the inherent difficulties, the courage to develop a new curriculum or to study programming languages without having access to today's computers, but also the good collaborations established between informatics high schools and faculties, the evolution of education in the field, the increasingly important role of computer science in today's increasingly technological society.

Thus, prof. Cerasela Bociu, director of the "Grigore Moisil" Theoretical High School in Timișoara, prof. eng. Marius Marcu, Ph.D., and associate professor eng. Ovidiu Baniaș, Ph.D., dean, respectively vice-dean of the Faculty of Automation and Computers within UPT, prof. eng. Simona Lache - vice-rector of Transilvania University in Brașov, Carmen Andrei, director of the National College of Informatics “Grigore Moisil” Brașov, associate professor eng. Mihnea Moisescu, Ph.D., Faculty of Automation and Computers at the Polytechnic University of Bucharest, lecturer eng. Giorgian Neculoiu, Ph.D., from the Technical University of Civil Engineering in Bucharest, prof. eng. Daniela Popescu, Ph.D., vice-rector of the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, prof. eng. Liviu Miclea, Ph.D., dean of the Faculty of Automation and Computers, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, prof. Dana Vaida, “Tiberiu Popoviciu” High School of Informatics from Cluj-Napoca, prof. eng. Vasile Ioan Manta, Ph.D., and associate professor eng. Adrian Burlacu, Ph.D., dean, respectively vice-dean of the Faculty of Automation and Computers, Gheorghe Asachi University of Iași, associate professor eng. Andrei Stan, Ph.D., director of the Computer Department, Gheorghe Asachi University of Iași, prof. Adina Romanescu, director of the “Grigore Moisil” High School, Iași.

At the end of the first part of the event, in each of the five university centers, the representatives of the universities present at the meeting offered the directors of computer science high schools anniversary diplomas, in recognition of the special merits of growing this field, increasing the quality of pre-university education through the devotion of those who have contributed to training entire generations of professionals who have and continue to honor the Romanian school.

In the second part, the anniversary meeting "Historical landmarks in Romanian informatics" focused on the 55 years since the first generation of graduates in Romania specializing in Electronic Computers, at the Polytechnic Institute in Timisoara, and 60 years since the commissioning of MECIPT-1 (acronym for the Electronic Computing Machine of the Polytechnic Institute in Timisoara), the first alpha-numerical computer in Romania and the first in the university environment. The event was attended by prof. eng. Vasile Baltac, Ph.D., president of ATIC - Association for Information and Communication Technology in Romania, eng. Dan Bedros, Ph.D., president of the Steering Committee of Politehnica University Timișoara and former general manager of Alcatel Romania, the scientific researcher Horia Gligor, all being part of the first teams that worked on MECIPT-1. They recalled the pioneering activities in the field of computers, but also talked about the spectacular evolution of the IT field, from the "reactionary science" in the beginning to today's quantum computers. Also, prof. emeritus eng. Vladimir Cretu, Ph.D., and prof. eng. Mihai Micea, Ph.D., the former and current director of the Computer Department at Politehnica University Timisoara presented historical landmarks regarding the MECIPT Research Center of the Polytechnic Institute in Timisoara, the Electronic Computing Center within IPT, the Department of Computers, and the 55 years of High School IT in Romania.

MECIPT-1 is an important step in the history of computer technology in Romania, given that many generations of students and even university professors have learned how an electronic computer works and to program using it. Also, the premises for the establishment of the first specialization section in computers in Romania were created. The first class of engineers with the specialty of electronic computers graduated from Politehnica Timisoara in 1966. The merit of Professor Alexandru Rogojan was undeniable, him having fought hard to establish the specialization, but undoubtedly the fame of MECIPT-1 as the first computer in higher education mattered much to the Ministry of Education for approval. The Computing Center ran by its graduates was the core of the future IT industry in the area. The creators of MECIPT-1, Wilhelm Lowenfeld and Iosif Kaufmann, were decorated by the country's president in 2003 with the highest rank - the Star of Romania in the rank of Knight - for their contribution to the development of computer technology in Romania. At the initiative of Horia Gligor and Dan Bedros, the MECIPT-1 computer was exhibited in a section of the Banat Museum, in 2001, and along the way it was restored. Currently, MECIPT-1 has returned to Politehnica University Timișoara, being the central piece of the UPT Museum, along with other exhibits that highlight the pioneering role of the Timișoara Polytechnic in the development of computer technology in Romania.