Welcome, Carmen Sourij!

Hi Carmen. It’s a pleasure meeting you. Would you like to briefly introduce yourself?

Hello, my name is Carmen Sourij and I am the new team member in the Active & Assisted Living Team. On my path to Carinthia University of Applied Sciences the recurring theme throughout my professional stations was that I was working with and / or for people. The vocational basis lies in the pedagogical area with a very young target group and has differentiated and developed over the years: as a supervisor and deputy team leader in a socio-pedagogical living community, as a trainer with adolescents to prepare them for their entry in the job market, as region responsible employee in a coaching project and 10 years in education and project management.

That sounds very exciting. Since you were active in the field of education in the past, I would be interested to know about your experience and prior-knowledge about Carinthia University of Applied Sciences.

The first contacts with CUAS started a long time ago. As a longtime and innovative cooperation partner, I already had a pretty good insight into what’s happening at the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences. In search of professional change and new challenges I could not pass this educational institution. From the very beginning, I was able to identify well with the AAL research area, because I believe that ultimately it is all about us: products, developments and tools that help us to live well in a familiar environment as long as possible.

Now you’re part of the Active and Assisted Living (AAL) Team. What’s your opinion on this exciting field of research?

The more I learnt about the research field, the more I was fascinated by it: creating framework conditions so that everyone, regardless of their financial means, can use the latest technologies. Achievements that do not distinguish between rich and poor. This form of accessibility is simply important and great!

Tell us a bit more about how this is actually implemented in the research group.

It’s all about smart choices. SMART HOME, the creation of an intelligent living environment, SMART HEALTH for rehabilitation and therapy support, prevention and SMART INTERACTION, the connection between humans and technology. And honestly, those who have not entered the world of smart support structures have not yet arrived in 2019!

What are your goals and expectations working in the field of AAL?

As a result, my expectations are quite high. Work on the burning issue for many companies, collaboration on lighthouse projects, and even find something like professional self-fulfiment. Everything goes…we will see!