Andrej Virscek, Slovenia

 Ekonomska fakulteta Ljubljana

I wanted to go to Summer school to keep my brains sharp and wanted to go somewhere far and interesting. When I found Ukraine I knew this is it. I knew about its monumental, yet sad history and wondered what kind of people stood behind it. I read about the Great War and the bravery of the people that fought in it. I knew they had many exceptional engineers and mathematicians who built amazing machines and theories. I knew they’ve sent the first man into the space and built the biggest aircrafts in the world. Furthermore, Ukraine lived through the biggest economic experiment in the history of mankind. I knew I was going to have a rich experience.
I’ve already gotten a friend even before the plane landed at Boryspil airport. I was introduced to other students and we started to hang out immediately. So in a day or two it already felt like home. Class days were pretty intense and there was just a short break before social activities started. Days were packed and varied. I had to learn so many social games, how to sew, dance and more. We played football, did tours, drink together and had a lot of fun. The music on campus was always playing and people were rollerblading all around the place. Food is also special. I still get cravings for borscht every month or two. I tried it at home and it doesn’t even come close. Smoked fish, vodka, kwas and salo are other specialties with very specific taste.
Classes were stimulating and topics varied. Overall I was amazed by the various possible applications of Operations research – from optimizing product design, planning disaster operations to improving financial portfolios. I appreciated the opportunity to be able to hear from so many lecturers in such a short time. Sample size was still small but we noticed how different the study approaches could get. On one extreme the Russian professor was very thorough and formalized models to the fullest, while Spanish professor taught by hands-on examples.
But in the end people made the biggest difference. We were noticing day by day how different mix we are culturally, but we still felt very relaxed and close to each other. I think student volunteers and local students were responsible for that. They were really open, caring and in those two weeks they really shared their life with us in every meaning of the word. But beware: it took me almost a year to lose a heavy accent I’ve got in Ukraine. Whenever I had to use my English, people assumed that I’m from Russia, drink vodka and dance with the bears.

 Dragos Popescu, Great Britain

 King's College London

Last year, I was part of the Operational Research stream in the AACIMP Summer School. I can say that both socially and academically I achieved skills and abilities I will certainly use in the future life. During the classes, we had great professors from different parts of the world, who gave their best to teach us at least the basics of some areas which have applications in many research fields. Using some of the suggested software programs, I have managed to get an insight of how difficult real-life problems can be solved. On the other hand, the social side of the summer school was one of the greatest experiences in my life. The organizing team was extremely friendly and I got to see most of Kiev’s wonderful attractions, as well as some of the surroundings of the Ukrainian capital (e.g.: the excursion to Pereyaslav-Khamelnytskyi). The photo contest was one of the most entertaining social events as we had to work really hard as a team in order to win a prize in the final stage of the competition. I would definitely recommend the summer school to anyone who is keen to learn and do something useful during the summer, as well as meet new people and create lifelong relationships.

 Bakai Taalaibek, Kyrgyzstan

Istanbul Technical University

Thanks to AACIMP I have 80+ new Facebook friends. As Ghandi once said, we never know how particular events can affect our lives. I can't say, and I won't, I had any vibes the moment I saw AACIMP poster at our university, but I decided to apply.Probably because I was interested in Android Development and one of the courses at AACIMP was about Mobile Software Development. Well, I applied for summer school with no expectations and hope. Later I got my acceptance letter, booked my tickets and here, I was at Kyiv airport. From the moment I was met at airport by organizing team member till the last day of Summer School, thanks to organizers, I felt myself at home. Felt myself part of big AACIMP family. Classes were perfect mix of both theory and practice. We were working on projects in teams. The last day we were going to present our projects in front of whole Summer School family. (So I got a chance to improve my presentation skills :)) Organizers were successful at drawing the line between classes and social activities. I think it was perfect choice to spend two weeks of my summer. I have learned new stuff. I have met a lot interesting people from different backgrounds and cultures. I have seen amazing sights of Kyiv. I have made a good investment in my career. And although I came for Summer School to have classes, which are supposed to be boring, by nature I had a lot of fun. So, to conclude Ghandi's words, it is important we take part in those events, since everything we do in our lives have meaning. If not today, then maybe tomorrow. If not in our lives, then in lives of other people.. P.S. Eventually, I decided to stay in Ukraine for two more weeks and travel to other cities of this wonderful country.

 Lindsey Williford, the USA

University of Missouri-Columbia

During my time spent in Summer School in Ukraine, the most interesting thing to me was all the different people I got to meet from all over the world and the delicious food I got to eat. The studies were very interesting. While none of the streams were directly related to my degree, I still learned a lot. My favorite outing was the day we went on a tour of Kiev. It was very interesting, and I think the city is beautiful. I think that AACIMP summer school is a great program, and hope to maybe go back if I have the chance.

 Baber Chowdhrey,Pakistan

Society of Actuaries

After doing a project on Route Optimization, working at at Coca Cola Pakistan, I realized that I needed to further strengthen my academic knowledge on the subject but I didn’t want to do it in a boring way. Hence I started to search for something exciting and I was lucky to find the AACIMP Summer School. I applied to the operational research stream – Got accepted – and was off to Ukraine to spend a memorable 15 days. From hard marathon hours of studying during the day to fun-filled social events in the evening; It was a journey where I made amazing friends from all around the world. It was definitely a special experience to have so much diversity come together. Sitting in a class with students and teachers from all over the world with various backgrounds gave me a chance to learn and approach problems from multiple perspectives. Kudos to the organizing team for arranging a very well planned summer school - something I would love to attend again!

 Zarja Mursic, Slovenia

University of Ljubljana

Last year in August I attended the AACIMP Summer School. Due to my study interests, I joined the neuroscience stream. The classes were interesting, and we also did some practical work in computational neuroscience. However, what really made this summer school the best experience for me, was that there were many additional activities organized by local students. They organized board game events and many other activities beyond the frame of the classes. We joined the guided tour of beautiful Kiev. Furthermore, we attended additional lectures about history of neuroscience in the afternoons, being in position to listen to well-known invited professors.Overall, the summer school at the KPI was a great experience for me. It combined attendance of interesting lectures with great presentations, and making of new friends from all over the world. It was definitely worth to spend these two weeks in Kiev, socializing with other participants, and, of course, with excellent organizing team.

 Vadym Buncha, Ukraine

What reminds me of the Summer schools AACIMP that I`ve been participating, are many friends, who I’ve met there. My friends are young and talented students and also outstanding scientists. I’ve seen the rising of new scientific collaborations and friendly, warm relations among people from different countries and cultures. AACIMP is an island, on which you spend two weeks in the middle of summer. Moreover, it is an island of information,where you discover something new about yourself and about outward things every day. No doubt, every new morning on this island will be much harder then the previous one, but when it comes to the end, you wake up next day and realize that something in your life is missing.The school affected on me and my graduated future. One thing I regret about is that I didn’t become acquainted with it some years earlier. All that I can say in the end – Thanks to KPI, Thanks to SSA and Thanks to AACIMP.

 Zafer Iscan, Turkey

Istanbul Technical University

I participated in the Neuroscience stream of AACIMP in 2011. Thanks to this summer school, I had a chance to know many students and professors from different countries. It was a good opportunity to learn about different aspects of neuroscience. Besides, the social program was very rich. Thanks to the “Photo Quest”, I learned the main attractions of Kiev and we were the champions! The organizers were very kind, helpful and informative. Gathering together with the participants to go out was also great. So many activities full of joy... Yes… When I think about summer school, I really miss AACIMP 2011. KPI, science, documentary, film, photo quest, Pirogovo, Dnipro, dormitory, mafia, volleyball, beach, Хрешатик, Caribbean Club, tequila boom boom, salsa, bachata… So many things to remember. In short, AACIMP 2011 was an unforgettable experience for me. Thank you dear organizers! Zafer

 Tyler, the United States

University of Missouri-Columbia

I had an amazing time at the AACIMP-2012 Summer School at Kiev Polytechnic Institute. This summer school gave me a chance, not only to see a unique and beautiful city, but also to meet and establish friendships with people from all over the world. The organization did a great job at getting people involved with activities on and off the KPI campus. Even things such as language barriers were minor due to the all the students helping each other navigate and communicate with other people in the city. I will always cherish my time there, and it was a trip to remember.

 Neslihan, Turkey

Middle East Technical University

Hi everyone! Last year, I have participated to the Summer School in Kiev which was a great experience for me! I have gained invaluable knowledge about operational research and I have substantially benefitted from the courses. In addition to this acquisition, I have met new and glorious friends even we are still in contact. I should admit that the most enjoyable part of the summer school is meeting with glorious friends! Furthermore, in this summer school I have caught the chance of visiting the most magnificent monuments and the places of Kiev in Ukraine. I can heartily say that in all aspects, this summer school was a great experience for me and I sincerely suggest the other students to participate into the Summer School AACIMP!

 Evgenija, Ukraine

National Technical University of Ukraine

I have attended AACIMP two years in a row. And the most pleasant surprise was that the second time was even more interesting and completely different experience. This year I was more active in social activities and had lots of fun, so, guys, you’d better not skip them)

 Igor Kasianov

I'd like to express my experience of participation in AACIMP Summer School IX. So, first I have heard about Summer School from my roommates, who have had already taken part in this school, and I've decided to try it. As I study in FICT, the choice was obvious, and I've chosen ACS stream. The first nice thing was Yandex grant, which covered participation fee, for winners of school Olympiads and protection of scientific papers of Junior Academy of Sciences. When I first came for the lesson of the Summer School, I was pleasantly surprised by the high level of organization and mostly by the interior of the class. It was really comfortable rooms which meet all common requirements of the modern IT office.
But all this is secondary in comparing of the education level. So already the first tutor grabbed my attention and I was going to the lessons like on holiday)
So, let's describe education in order:
Firstly, I'd like to note very high level of tutors, which not just theorists, like in our university, but they work on real problems, and thus give you a really useful practical advises.
There were two types of lessons:
1)lectures, but this not very appropriate word, because most of the audience were involved in the discussion.
2)practice, where we were solving some interesting tasks.
Should be noted that, all lessons, were aimed to motivate students and explain main direction of motion. That's why after the end of the School, I have continued studying material by myself. Also it was great, that School covered all main topics of Data Science, from collecting and preparing data up to learning algorithms and visualization.
Besides there were some interesting reports from CEO and CTO of companies, that successfully use Data Science toolbox, as main components of their products.
The rest was organized in high level too, as well as everything in this school. There were interesting excursions, games, workshops and so on. But the main advantage of these events was, that you were able to communicate with tutors in the informal atmosphere. The wasn't any barrier in communicating, that I can often feel, during speaking to lecturer in my university.
Also it was hackathon in School, and it was interesting to work on projects together with other participants. We have had a lot of fun during this event)
So, in conclusion, I can say, that it was unforgeable 2 weeks, and I have gotten a lot of really useful knowledge, maybe even more than during the previous semester at the university. And what is the most important, because of this School I loved Data Science and continued study it by myself