"Budapest is the perfect place for a first international experience, and the programme itself is outstanding" - interview with ME3+ students at BME

Two master's degree in one from different European universities? Yes, it does exist! In the ME3+ programme, you can obtain your next master's degree from IMT Atlantique in France, Boras College in Sweden, and Trento and Bolzano Universities - and also BME in Budapest. Assem Akzhamova, Macarena Puche and Carlos Villamar are international students in the multiple-degree Erasmus Mundus master programme ME3+. We interviewed them about why they chose the programme, how they like Budapest, and so on.

Assem Akzhamova

Where did you study before?

Assem Akhzamova: My home country is Kazakhstan, and I came from its biggest city, Almaty, where I received my Power Engineering degree at Satbayev University.
Carlos Villamar: I’m from Monterrey, Mexico. I did my bachelor’s degree at Monterrey Higher Institute of Technology (Tec de Monterrey), and I have a BSc degree in Chemical
Engineering.

Macarena Puche: I come from Argentina, from Buenos Aires, to be more precise. I obtained my bachelor’s degree at Universidad Tecnológica Nacional in Chemical Engineering.

Why did you choose to study at the ME3+ program?

Carlos: I decided to study Chemical Engineering because it provided versatility, and a broad range of opportunities for further studies. As I continued my studies, I realized I was interested in specializing in sustainability and energy transition. I was already working in my field when I found the ME3+ programme on the website of the European Commission. At that time I already knew what living abroad meant, because I had a DAAD Stipendium (German academic exchange scholarship) in 2020-2021. After this experience I realized I had a good profile for the programme and decided to apply.

Carlos Villamar

Macarena: After graduating as a Chemical Engineer, I started working in the oil and gas industry. However, as I became more conscious of climate change and the environmental impact of my field, I felt the need to shift my focus toward sustainability and renewable energy. When I found this program, it felt like the perfect step forward and a big chance to grow professionally while also learning from people with diverse cultural and academic backgrounds.

Assem: During my bachelor’s studies, I focused on three areas: electrical engineering, thermal power engineering, and renewable energy. Over time, I realized that I wanted to concentrate on sustainable development for my master’s degree. That’s why I chose the ME3+ program — it was the perfect fit for my goals. I wanted to learn from leading experts at top European universities. After completing the ME3+ program, I plan to return to  my home country and apply my knowledge to support the development of the sustainable objectives in Central Asia.
 

What do you think, is it easy to get used to the local culture in Hungary?

Assem: In Hungary, I feel fully integrated and at home. It was easy to adapt to the local culture because the city offers everything an international student could need.

Macarena Puche

Carlos: Being an international student is not the easiest way to get into the Hungarian social circle. There are language barriers and we only share classes with international students, so we end up spending time with internationals.

Macarena:  I agree, having classes in English and with other internationals makes the integration into Hungarian culture a bit difficult. I think, though, the most simple way to connect with locals is through sport or other hobbies. In my case I could meet some people while joining an international sport association.

Do you have any favourite locations or sights in the city?

Macarena: I really like Gellért Hill, for instance. It’s close to the university and offers a very nice view together with a portion of nature.  Sometimes I climb the hill, I just sit there in the park on the top, enjoying the view to the city, and if I’m lucky, I’ll have a glimpse of cute hedgehogs. Also, I’ve just discovered Szabó Ervin Municipal Library, and I think it’s a perfect place to study, because there are plenty of rooms and some of them are gorgeous. During the night I enjoy visiting the local pubs. 

Carlos: Budapest is a cosmopolitan city, allowing you to do basically whatever you like. Culture, museums, nature, activities, parties… My favourite place is Normafa, where you can walk along  a panoramic park walkway from a high-end residential area to a Belle-Époque lookout point. All surrounded by vast forests. It is wonderful, especially now, during fall. I also prefer the vibes of the Main Market, near the Danube. I often run at the National Center of Athletics (Nemzeti Atlétikai Központ), and sometimes we go out to explore some music pubs in the city.

Assem: I live near Oktogon, so my favourite place is Andrássy Road. Sometimes I just take a walk on this broad avenue, with embassy villas on both sides, and the Heroes’ Square in the end.

What are your experiences regarding the ME3+ programme?

Carlos: For me, it is a programme that forces you to adapt to different circumstances: adapting to cultures, meeting new people, learning languages. Last year we were learning French at IMT École Mines-Télécom, the other stage of our ME3+ study track. It pushes you towards time management, which is a crucial criterion in the labour market.

Macarena: It’s a great program that helps you grow in many different ways. Beyond the academic aspect, I believe I’ve grown a lot thanks to the different situations we’ve experienced. Moving to a new country every six months, adapting to different cultures, languages, and bureaucratic systems each time, really pushes us out of our comfort zone, or rather, kicks us out of it. It’s also really special to share so much with people who start out as strangers and, after a few months of living and studying together, end up feeling like family.

Assem: I truly love this programme — it’s great. Where I come from, the education system and student life are completely different, and I can confidently say it has met all my expectations. I’m one of the first Kazakh students to join, and several students from my country reach out to me with questions. If anyone has doubts about coming, I always encourage them to do it.

Budapest is the perfect place for a first international experience, and the programme itself is outstanding. I’ve met people from all over the world, built lifelong friendships, and gained a lot of confidence. It has also inspired me to set much higher goals for myself. It’s a pity there was no intake this year, but I truly hope the programme continues to grow.

(Laszlo Benesoczky. Photo credits: interviewees.)

We aim to utilise these opportunities - interview with Prof. Yuyuan Zhao from Ningbo University of Technolgy

Yuyuan Zhao, professor of Ningbo University of Technology, and former Head of Department at Liverpool University, visited Professor Imre Orbulov, Dean of BME Faculty of Mechanical Engineering during his visit in Budapest at Feb 6., 2025. 

How do you like Budapest? Is it your first time here?

Actually, this is my second time. The first time when I visited Budapest, was 15 years ago, as a tourist that time. With my family, we travelled from Austria by train, to Budapest, for a brief visit, and then went to Czech Republic. This time we are staying here for 3 days. The weather is brilliant, also the buildings and the river Danube.

Left: Professor Yuyuan Zhao, right: Professor Imre Norbert Orbulov

Please, tell us about your research field!

I research porous metals, metal matrix syntactic foams and powder metallurgy, so two of my three research fields are aligned with Professor Imre Orbulov, Dean of The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, with whom we worked alongside of each other. We frequently review each other’s papers as well.

After a PhD in Oxford, I was a post-doc at Birmingham University, then I moved to Liverpool University, where I worked for 24 years as a professor.  Two years ago I joined Ningbo University of Technology and set up a laboratory there.

Are you planning a joint project with Professor Imre Orbulov?

Yes, we have already started collaborating with each other. The Hungarian and Chinese governments have some funding schemes for joint projects, and we would like to utilise these opportunities to strengthen our research collaborations in the field of syntactic foams for impact energy absorption applications. I also met Professor Péter János Szabó, Head of Department of Material Science and Technology.

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Professor Yuyuan Zhao  graduated with a BEng in 1985 and MSc in 1988 from Dalian University of Technology, China, and a DPhil in Materials from University of Oxford  in 1996. He was a Lecturer at Dalian University of Technology from 1988 to 1991 and a Research Fellow at University of Birmingham from 1995 to 1998. He worked at University of Liverpool from 1998 to 2023 as a Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Reader, Professor and Head of Department. He joined Ningbo University of Technology, China, in 2023. He pioneered the Sintering and Dissolution Process (SDP) for manufacturing aluminium foam, which inspired the subsequent developments of several powder-based space-holder methods for manufacturing metal foams. Professor Zhao is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, UK. He was awarded the Ivor Jenkins Medal in 2015 for an outstanding contribution to powder metallurgy in developing and commercialising innovative powder based technologies for manufacturing metal foams. His current research is focused on the manufacture, characterisation and applications of porous metals and metal matrix syntactic foams. His hobby is badminton.

 

László Benesóczky