Supporting displaced students in Linz

Dynatrace donates notebooks to students from Ukraine

The war in Ukraine is forcing many students to leave their country. About 40 university students have come to Linz since the war began to continue their studies at Johannes Kepler University (JKU). Many of them had to leave everything behind. Dynatrace is now supporting the displaced with much-needed notebooks so they can take up life at university and continue their studies.

“This cruel and senseless war is harrowing” says Professor Thomas Gegenhuber, who teaches “Managing Socio-Technical Transitions” at JKU and coordinates aid for students who have fled Ukraine. One student, whose parents could not get out of eastern Ukraine, fled Kyiv overnight with a backpack and the equivalent of 40 euros, Gegenhuber recounts. After arriving at JKU, she is now starting her bachelor’s degree in Artifical Intelligence. “With the laptop from Dynatrace, she has decent basic equipment to pursue her studies. On behalf of the students, I would like to express my sincere thanks for this aid” Professor Gegenhuber is glad to say.

“It was important for us to help quickly and without any fuss. For students, notebooks are essential work equipment and a means of communication in one” states Andreas Hametner, Leader of the Dynatrace research lab at JKU in Linz. The devices are often the only direct line to family and friends, he says, and are now making it easier for students to start their new lives in Linz.

“The first priority was to organize housing and accommodation for the students — this was possible thanks to the commitment of WIST and the Studentenwerk” explains Professor Gegenhuber. Now it’s a matter of helping them to gain a foothold. In addition to notebooks, this also includes arranging company contacts. More than 50% of the university students who come to Linz from Ukraine study a STEM subject (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). “The students belong to the group of those highly qualified specialists who are highly sought after in this country. Since the students want to put their knowledge to use and are asking for employment opportunities, it is an obvious next step to link them now also with companies and encourage them to apply for jobs” Professor Gegenhuber, explaining his future plans.

Supporting displaced students in Linz was originally published in Dynatrace Engineering on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.