June 28, 2020 - 10:48h] Notes of the Director. Weekly Report (XIV). COVID-19

Dear community,

This week the so-called Resumption Phase has been consolidated, after the multiple and rapid phase changes of the previous week, and it seems that this phase has come to stay a good time with us. The race in the scientific world to find a medical solution to the pandemic is unstoppable, and according to the news, the stakes of public-private partnerships are strong. However, the goal has not yet been reached and the feeling is that the search is slower than our desire to find a cure. Luckily, it seems that we are going fast enough to identify and control the many regrowths that are appearing throughout Europe. In any case, what is certain is that the medical solution will come late for all people who have already been victims of the pandemic. The first thought of this message always goes to them, their families and friends. A hug!!

At the School we finished the second week of final exams with few incidents detected. The volunteers of the Final Exam Support Group continues to do their work and, in fact, will extend it until July 13 to cover the final exams of the Master's Degree in Organizational Engineering.

In addition to the exams, our school, like others at the UPC, is slowly reviving. It sees movement again and many encounters after months. The Resumption Phase has allowed us to recover certain face-to-face activities, although others may not yet be due to logistics and capacity issues. I use this paragraph to remember some of them:

• the remaining final exams will all be NON-Face-to-Face,

• the defenses of Thesis will NOT be Face-to-face,

• the re-evaluations will be Face-to-face, given the small size of the groups and the casuistry of the exams,

• There will be University Admission Tests (selectivity) at our School in person

• and a face-to-face Open Day is expected to be held in person on July 23, albeit in a reduced format.

You need to be aware that all of this forecast could be badly damaged or modified based on breaking news. For this reason we recommend you to stay tuned to the institutional e-mail, the School's website and, in particular, the School's Telegram channel (ESEIAAT_UPC) which allows you to receive information of interest instantly on your mobile.

Through all these channels we have been broadcasting 76 Learning Grants aimed to the school students to perform academic collaboration with Departments. We encourage all students to apply for these Scholarships that will allow you to contribute with the your grain of sand to restore normality after the pandemic, putting into practice many of the skills and competencies you have already acquired, while receiving a interesting economical compensation. You can find all the detailed information in information on Scholarships at TAAIESE.

To close the summary of the School, I remind you that a new Teaching Model is being worked on for next September with a face-to-face attendance that will be between 50% and 100%. Despite the logical uncertainty that we cannot avoid, the good news is that the first simulations indicate that most groups of theory and problems will be able to go 100% complying with the current security measures and, therefore, with a reduced impact on our regular activity. In the coming days we will be detailing the effects of the new Teaching Model on all subjects in the first semester.

At the UPC level, as I commented last week, the measures of Phase 3 of the UPC’s un-lockdown Plan are still in force. But this situation will most likely change after the Governing Council convened for next Thursday, July 2, where we will discuss and vote on the new action measures to be considered from then on in the Resumption Phase of the un-lockdown Plan. If the new document is approved, the measures that will affect the entire university community and all the spaces of the UPC for the next four months will be defined, and will be mandatory for key issues such as: safety distance, personal prevention measures, cleaning and disinfection protocols and action procedures in the detection of cases and contacts. I hope to attach the full final document and a small summary next week as, obviously, its approved measures will very directly affect our day to day of the next course.

Finally, I want to tell you that this damn pandemic has served to strengthen me in my conviction that I have already shared before: without doubt the best thing about the ESEIAAT is its people. These 3 and a half months has made it clear that we are a big family and that, like any family, we can disagree, express different points of view and even have some small heated discussion on time. But in the really important moments we stand by each other, help each other, accompany each other and support each other. This brotherhood has been crucial in the moments of nerves, great uncertainties, fear (and even panic) that we have had to experience. Let’s not forget that when this is over. Because all of this, sooner or later, will end, we’ll go through it, I’m sure.

Thank you very much, encouragement, good health and a big hug to everyone. Please stay safe and be safe!

Xavier Roca 

Director of the ESEIAAT

"Every day that passes we are closer."