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The City of Bijeljina

raSTEM Conference: the Youth in IT - Drivers of Community Development



The scientific conference raSTEM, which is focused on information technology and robotics, gathered experts in the field of information technology in Bijeljina today. The conference aims to introduce the world of information technology, robotics, and programming to young high school students and university students from Bijeljina, Belgrade, Sarajevo, Mostar, Tuzla, and other neighbouring local communities.
 
The first day of the conference, held at Cultural Centre Semberija, was reserved for lectures by experts. Notable speakers included the director of the development agency at IBM in Germany, Dr. Vladan Lazarević, a member of the Swiss scientific research centre ABB, mathematician Dr. Edin Husić from IDSIA Institute in Switzerland, Gorica Stevanović, a software programmer for the automotive industry at TTTech in Serbia, and others. On Saturday, 20th May, numerous workshops will be held at the Technical School Mihajlo Pupin.
 
The organizers of the conference are the City of Bijeljina and the BH Futures Foundation.
 
Expressing gratitude to all the speakers and attendees, Mayor Ljubiša Petrović said that today Bijeljina is a global hub because it has managed to gather prominent names in this field who have acquired their knowledge and experience throughout Europe and the world.
“Top experts, with respected careers, are our guests today, which is a great honour for us. This is the first conference of its kind, and it is up to us to turn it into a tradition in the years to come. We are all aware that in the era we live in, whether we acknowledge it or not, we must utilize everything that new information technologies and robotics offer,” stated the Mayor. He further added that the knowledge presented to the attendees will be beneficial for their future career choices.
 
Momčilo Amović from the BH Futures Foundation emphasizes that the collaboration with the City of Bijeljina has been crucial in the decision to organize such an event for high school students and university students not only from Bijeljina but also from the entire region.
“I believe that we will continue to gather in the future and acquire the latest knowledge and research findings from proven experts. It is important for young people to establish contacts in a timely manner, which can create new business opportunities for work and development in the coming period,” said Amović. He added that their Foundation is focused on career counselling and education with the help of new technologies, aiming to create a new network of individuals who can make positive changes in the society we live in.
 
He further explained that today's lectures are related to various areas of artificial intelligence and robotics, providing an opportunity for young people to see concrete examples of work in well-known and large technological companies.
 
One of the speakers today was Vladan Lazarević, originally from Bijeljina, who has been living and working in Switzerland for years. He emphasized that today's gathering was an opportunity for him to engage with young people and discuss the experience he gained while working abroad. He aimed to convey to them the fact that software engineering can be applied in various fields.
 
“Based on my experiences during education and studying abroad, as well as participating in over a hundred knowledge competitions and similar events, I firmly believe that informal education is equally important as formal education. Therefore, I think that young people who recognize the significance of this type of education, such as the raSTEM Conference, have better starting positions in achieving their life goals and represent the future of our society,” emphasized Filip Božić, the representative of the City of Bijeljina in the Conference Organizing Committee.