Dr. Maria Drakaki, Professor of Humanitarian Engineering, Dean of the School of Science and Technology, University Center of International Programmes of Studies of the International Hellenic University (IHU) and Director of the IHU Institute for the Management of Refugee Flows and Crises, and Dr. Janet Ellzey, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and former Director of the Humanitarian Engineering Program at the Cockrell School of Engineering, University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin) have developed a partnership for the implementation of a UT-Austin Maymester program in Humanitarian Engineering in Thessaloniki. The collaboration continued for a fourth consecutive year.

The collaboration extended this year as well, to become a collaboration between the Institute for the Management of Refugee Flows and Crises of IHU, the Humanitarian Engineering Program of the Cockrell School of Engineering of the UT-Austin, and the Ministry of Migration and Asylum. The aim of the new project is mainly to build terracing within a small soccer field in the Polykastro refugee camp. The project is being conducted in phases. The first phase took place in May 2026.

14 UT-Austin students, staff and faculty members, namely students, a Graduate Teaching Assistant and led by Prof. Ellzey, participated in Maymester 2026. The first phase of the project included attendance of a 5-day IHU Course on Refugee Logistics and Management to introduce UT-Austin students to refugee logistics and management in Greece and EU, followed by field visits to the Polykastro refugee camp.

Moreover, students of the interinstitutional MSc in Humanitarian Logistics and Crisis Management attended the 5-day IHU Course on Refugee Logistics and Management and interacted with the UT-Austin team in various activities.

The 5-day Course on Refugee Logistics and Management took place on the IHU Thermi campus of the University Center of International Programmes of Studies. The Course is an activity of the IHU Institute for the Management of Refugee Flows and Crises with the support of the IHU Center for Lifelong Learning. The Course modules were delivered by IHU faculty members, namely Prof. Maria Drakaki and IHU Vice-Rector of Academic Affairs and Quality Assurance, Prof. Panagiotis Tzionas; representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Greece (in Thessaloniki), namely, Senior Durable Solutions Assistant, Mrs. Dora Kokozidou; and representative of the International Organization of Migration (IOM) Greece (Field Office in Thessaloniki), namely, Project Engineer (Architect), Dr. Romana Mandeganja.

Since May 2023, when the evolving partnership between IHU and UT-Austin started, more than 80 UT-Austin students, faculty and staff have participated in the Maymester program in Humanitarian Engineering in Thessaloniki.

The collaboration between IHU and UT-Austin is aiming to strengthen IHU’s internationalization potential and deepen the understanding of humanitarian engineering as an academic discipline by applying it in a real-life project. Humanitarian engineering is a new and evolving discipline focused on engineering solutions in low-resourced settings. The engineering project of Maymester 2026 will be completed in May 2027 with the completion of the construction within the small soccer field in the Polykastro refugee camp.