| National Technical University of Athens | |
|---|---|
| Εθνικό Μετσόβιο Πολυτεχνείο | |
 Seal of NTUA (Prometheus Carrying Fire) |
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| Established | December 31, 1836 (OS) January 21, 1837 (NS)[1] |
| Type | Public |
| Chancellor | Konstantinos Moutzouris |
| Vice-Chancellor | Ioannis Polizos Gerasimos Spathis [2] |
| Staff | 1350[3] |
| Undergraduates | 8500[3] |
| Postgraduates | 1500[4] |
| Location | Athens, Greece  |
| Campus | Patision Complex (central Athens), Zografou campus (Suburban)[5] |
| Affiliations | TIME, CESAER |
| Website | www.ntua.gr |
The National Technical University of Athens (Greek: Εθνικό Μετσόβιο Πολυτεχνείο, National Metsovian Polytechnic), sometimes simply known as Athens Polytechnic, is among the oldest and most prestigious higher education institutions of Greece. It was named Metsovion in honor of its benefactors Nikolaos Stournaris, Eleni Tositsa, Michail Tositsas and Georgios Averoff, whose origin is from the town of Metsovo in Epirus.[6]
It was founded in 1837 as a part-time vocational school named Royal School of Arts which, as its role in the technical development of the fledgling state grew, developed into Greece's sole institution providing engineering degrees up until the 1950s, when polytechnics were established outside of Athens. Its traditional campus is located in the center of the city of Athens on Patision Avenue features a suite of magnificent neo-classical buildings by architect Lysandros Kaftantzoglou (1811-1885). A suburban campus, the Zografou Campus, was built in the 1980s.[6]
NTUA is divided into nine academic Schools, eight being for the engineering sciences, including architecture, and one for the general sciences. Undergraduate studies have a duration of 5 years. The university comprises about 700 of academic staff, 140 scientific assistants and 260 administrative and technical staff. It has, also, a total number of 8500 undergraduates and about 1500 postgraduate students.[3] Eight of the NTUA's Schools are housed at the Zografou Campus, while the School of Architecture is based at the Patision Complex.
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History
NTUA was established by Royal Decree on December 31, 1836 (OS), January 21, 1837 (NS), under the name Royal School of Arts.[1] It began functioning as a part-time vocational school (only Sundays and holidays) to train craftsmen, builders and master craftsmen to cover the needs of the new Greek state. In 1840, due to its increasing popularity and the changing socio-economic conditions in the new state, NTUA was upgraded to a daily Technical School who worked along with the Sunday school. The courses were expanded and the intitution was housed in its own building in Pireos Street.[1]
In 1843 a major restructuring was made. There were created three departments the Part-time vocational school and the Daily school and a new department called Higher School of Fine Arts whose object was fine arts and engineering. The new department, which was lately renamed to School of Industrial and Fine Arts, rapidly evolved towards a major higher education institution.
In 1873 it moved to its new campus in Patision Street and was renamed, unofficially, as "Ethnicon Metsovion Polytechnion" (National Metsovian Polytechnic) after the birthplace of its benefactors that financed the construction of this historical campus. In 1887, the institution was partitioned into three schools of technical orientation, the schools of Structural Engineering, Architecture and Mechanical Engineering.
In 1910, the Athens School of Fine Arts is established, acquiring its independence from the NTUA, as a school exclusively focused in the teaching the Fine Arts.[citation needed]
In 1914, new schools were created and the officially now named "Ethnicon Metsovion Polytechnion" went under the supervision of the "Ministry of Public Works".
The NTUA changed form in 1917, when by special law it was organized into the Higher Schools of Civil Engineers, Mechanical & Electrical Engineers, Chemical Engineers, Surveying Engineers and Architecture.
In 1923, the NTUA alumni formed the core of the Technical Chamber of Greece, the professional organization that serves as the official technical advisor of the Greek state and is responsible for awarding professional licences to all practicing engineers in Greece.[6]
Contribution in Greek political life
The National Technical University of Athens has always been a place of vibrant political life, being closely associated to the Greek student movement and the struggles for peace and democracy in Greece. NTUA students participated in popular struggles, with highlights the National Resistance under the German occupation (1941-44) and the struggle against the Colonels' dictatorship of 1967-74. During the Axis occupation of Greece, NTUA, in addition to its function as an academic institution, became one of the most active resistance centers in Athens.
Athens Polytechnic uprising
The most important event of NTUA's history is the Athens Polytechnic uprising on November 17, 1973, which was the first step to overthrow Greece's military dictatorship. In the 14, 15 and 16 of November 1973, the students were barricaded inside the institute, and started broadcasting a pirate radio transmission, calling the people of Athens to rebel. In the evening of November 17 however, a. AMX-30 class tank of the military, broke the main gate and charged inside, after receiving orders from the dictatorship. About 28 students were killed in the incident and the uprising ended. The junta however, was irreparably damaged from the popular outcry. The junta fell in 1974, after the Turkish invasion in Cyprus and since then, November 17 is celebrated as a day of freedom and democracy. All schools and universities of the country remain closed that day.[6]
Schools
The National Technical University of Athens is divided into nine academic schools (Greek: σχολές), which are furthermore divided into 33 departments (Greek: τομείς) [3] :
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Department of Signals, Controls and Robotics
- Department of Computer Science
- Department of Εlectric Power
- Department of Electromagnetics, Electrooptics and Electronic Materials
- Department of Industrial Electric Devices and Decision Systems
- Department of Communications, Electronics and Information Systems
- Department of Information Transmission Systems and Material Technology
- School of Civil Engineering
- School of Mechanical Engineering
- Department of Fluid Mechanics Engineering
- Department of Thermal Engineering
- Department of Nuclear Engineering
- Department of Mechanical Constructions and Automatic Control
- Department of Manufacturing Technology
- Department of Industrial Management and Operational Research
- School of Architecture
- Department of Architectural Design
- Department of Urban and Regional Planning
- Department of Interior Design and Landscaping
- Department of Building Technology-Structural Design and Mechanical Equipment
- School of Chemical Engineering
- Department of Chemical Sciences
- Department of Process and Systems Analysis, Design and Development
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering
- Department of Synthesis and Development of Industrial Processes
- School of Rural and Surveying Engineering
- Department of Topography
- Department of Geography and Regional Planning
- Department of Rural Technology and Development
- School of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering
- Department of Geological Sciences
- Department of Mining Engineering
- Department of Metallurgy and Materials Technology
- School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
- Department of Ship Design & Maritime Transport
- Department of Ship Hydrodynamics
- Department of Marine Engineering
- Department of Marine Structures
- School of Applied Mathematics and Physics
Alumni
- Nicolas Ambraseys - Emeritus Professor of Engineering Seismology at Imperial College London
- Dimitris Anastassiou - Developer of MPEG-2 algorithm for transmitting high quality audio and video over limited bandwidth, Columbia University professor of electrical engineering
- Mimis Androulakis - Greek author and politician
- John Argyris - One of the founders of the Finite Element Method, Professor at Imperial College London and University of Stuttgart
- Costas Azariadis - Professor Emeritus at the Department of Economics, UCLA and Edward Mallinckrodt Distinguished University Professor in Arts & Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis
- Dimitri Bertsekas - McAfee Professor of Engineering at MIT
- Dimitri Bertsimas - Boeing Professor of Operations Research at MIT
- Maria Damanaki - Greek politician
- Athos Dimoulas - Greek poet
- Paris Kanellakis - Computer scientist, professor at Brown University
- Vassilis Leventis - Greek politician, leader of the Greek centrist party Union of Centrists
- Constantine Papadakis - Former President of Drexel University
- Christos Papadimitriou - Computer scientist, laureate of the 2002 Knuth Prize for longstanding and seminal contributions to the foundations of computer science.
- Yannis Papathanasiou - Greek politician, current Minister for Economy and Finance of Greece
- Nicholas A. Peppas - Chaired Professor in Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, pioneer in drug delivery, biomaterials, hydrogels and nanobiotechnology.
- Joseph Sifakis - Computer scientist, laureate of the 2007 Turing Award for his work on model checking.
- Alexander Skabardonis - Professor of Civil Engineering at University of California at Berkeley
- Alexis Stamatis - Greek novelist and poet
- Michael Triantafyllou - Professor of Mechanical and Ocean Engineering at MIT
- Alexis Tsipras - Greek politician, chairman of the SYRIZA political party
- Mihalis Yannakakis - Computer scientist, laureate of the 2005 Knuth Prize for numerous ground-breaking contributions to Theoretical Computer Science.
See also
- Athens Polytechnic uprising
- Polytechnic (Greece)
- List of universities in Greece
- Top Industrial Managers for Europe
References
- ^ a b c "Ιστορία" (in Greek). NTUA.gr. http://www.ntua.gr/history2.html. Retrieved 2009-03-30.
- ^ "Organization - The Rectorial Council". NTUA.gr. http://www.ntua.gr/org_en.html. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
- ^ a b c d "NTUA Schools". NTUA.gr. http://www.ntua.gr/schools_en.html. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
- ^ "Postgraduate Studies". NTUA.gr. http://www.ntua.gr/postgraduate_en.html.
- ^ "General Information". NTUA.gr. http://www.ntua.gr/contact_en.html. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
- ^ a b c d "History". NTUA.gr. http://www.ntua.gr/history_en.html. Retrieved 2009-03-30.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: National Technical University of Athens |
- Official National Technical University of Athens website
- NTUA Central Library
- NOC Network Management Center of NTUA
- Maps and images from NTUA's campuses.
- LTCP Lavrion Technological and Cultural Park
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Coordinates: 37°59′16.31″N 23°43′53.81″E / 37.9878639°N 23.7316139°E
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