Inspired to Build the Future:
Andreas at AIAT
During our AVI USA Auroville site visits in February and March 2025, our group had the opportunity to connect with Andreas, a recent volunteer at the Auroville Institute for Applied Technology (AIAT), one of our AVI USA Auroville partners.
His passion for the work and his dedication to the team are inspiring, and his energy is truly contagious! Following up after our visit, we reached out to Andreas to learn more about his experience, his journey, and the aspirations he’s pursuing at AIAT.
Find out more about Andreas and AIAT below:
Hi Andreas! I have heard so much about you. Tell us about yourself, how long you have been in Auroville and working with AIAT?
My name is Andreas Patuzzi, and I am a 19-year-old Austrian. Last year I finished my mechatronics high school diploma with top honors. Besides school, I gained 3 years of professional experience as a part-time database and web developer, automation engineer and during my computer vision diploma thesis. Furthermore, I was also able to attend additional courses and competitions, as well as learn by myself.
Two of my most memorable and inspiring occasions were my participation at the RoboCup Junior World Championship 2018 in Montreal and the European Conference on Education Robotics 2024. It was always a great pleasure to learn, challenge myself, connect with like-minded people, and teach others.
I landed in Chennai, India, at the end of August 2024 and came to Auroville a few days later. It’s my first time traveling Asia and also the first time completely by myself for many months. So, for exactly half a year, I have been volunteering at the Auroville Institute of Applied Technology.
What determined you to join the AIAT team, what you do there?
In Austria, it is mandatory to do at least half a year of military or civil service. A special option is, to do a social, memorial, or peace service, in a different country, with the Austrian Service Abroad. There I found the unique option of volunteering at the Auroville Institute of Applied Technology College, which perfectly aligns with my interests. I am also very excited about the chance to gain insight into Auroville and the whole of India, including its unique culture, history, nature, and architecture. So I applied for this chance, prepared for a year, connected with like-minded people, joined conferences, and represented, supported, and evaluated all other Austrian Service Abroad candidates for central and south Asia.
At the AIAT, I am taking on a variety of roles, but primarily supporting the teachers. Together with local colleagues, I was able to write Python notes and teach computer science to first-semester bachelor students. I am supporting many of the teachers through different lessons and projects. As a passionate photographer, I became a crucial part of the AIAT social media team, consistently improving my photo and video editing skills. Additionally, I try to embed my own ideas whenever practicable, for example when organizing the first Cloudflight Coding Contest in India.
What is the most inspiring thing about AIAT for you?
Our Bachelor of Vocation aims for more skill, practical, and project-based education than most alternatives, which is a great approach. Since 20 years, we are enabling young students, many of them from rural villages or disadvantaged, with a higher education that matters for future jobs. We are actively working with interesting companies, industry professionals, and international volunteers. Additionally, we provide interesting projects, soft skill education, community opportunities, and financial support.
I always try to stay curious, learn new things, and share my knowledge and I am passionate about technology. The AIAT and Auroville as a whole are great places to do this. Consistently, I am connecting with interesting new people broadening my mindset and network. It is always inspiring to see young people and engage with them. This especially applies, if it’s your students and you can learn a lot yourself. Explaining something to beginners while overcoming the language barrier requires insights into what matters about a topic. When researching for lessons, I regularly deep-dive into topics to teach not only students but also myself and colleagues. I appreciate the unique work and opportunities here at the AIAT. It is the perfect civil service for me.
How do you see your work developing? And projects for the future with AIAT?
Directly engaging with students is a great chance and very educational for both sides. The various mechanical and electrical projects and the computer vision inventory management system I worked on were really interesting. Additionally, I was able to embed my robotics projects into the coding lessons to make them more practical and interesting. Over time, more and more students and colleagues recognized my motivation and engagement and rewarded it with more interest. After half a year, it’s great to see their development across all areas.
The coding notes I am currently writing and the system I set up to make them easily available as a website might have a lot of future potential. My goal with the Python notes is to enable everyone, even coders and teachers, to significantly improve their understanding. We might conduct a second coding contest, which will again include internationally official and self-made certificates, medals, shirts, prizes, and trophies, … Robotics will be a subject of interest, maybe even in the form of a competition. I have a lot of ideas for courses, projects, and collaborations that are potentially just waiting to be explored. So overall, there are a lot of exciting opportunities for the future.
We were happy to finally get Andreas’ notes about his experiences at AIAT – due to his busy work schedule.
If you are interested in contacting Andreas and AIAT and find out more about this inspiring work
Support AIAT, help the school develop their programs and host more volunteers like Andreas!
