Intel Corporate Vice President Zane Ball revisited the University of Szeged

Zane Ball at the University of Szeged. Photo: Ádám Kovács-Jerney

Zane Ball, Corporate Vice President at Intel Corporations, paid a short visit to Szeged, where he spent 6 months researching excimer laser polymer interactions in 1994, as part of his university studies.

In an interview he gave to SZTE, Ball recalled the best and most memorable moments of his student life in Szeged. The VP talked about his favorite cafés back in the day, as well as his experiences with learning and using the Hungarian language.

"I had a lot of fun. There were quite a few foreign students here at that time from the Netherlands, and Germany for example and we had a little group of foreign students and we would have coffee and sweets every day at the Virág Cukrászda. I was also a big fan of rétes, I would eat that pastry every day at Hatos Rétes. For me, having lived only in the United States, it was kind of a mind-expanding experience. I met a lot of interesting people. Everyone was such a good host here. I loved everything, the people, the food… I had a great time." - he recalled.

Apart from visiting the laboratories at SZTE Institute of Physics, his host and former professor, Prof. Dr. Gábor Szabó took Ball to the ELI-ALPS where he gave a presentation for the staff at ELI and could gain an insight into the work at the laser facility.

"Gábor gave me a tour of the facility. I’m truly impressed, I don’t think there’s any other laser facility like this in the world. The technology is amazing and it can be a resource for scientists from all over the world. Things have come a long way since I was here 30 years ago and I was really happy to see this progress. We had the idea that I could give a seminar while I’m here, so I gave a presentation this morning at ELI-ALPS about the semiconductor industry. There were a lot of really good questions from the staff."

To read the full interview with Zane Ball, visit the website of the University of Szeged.

Featured image by Ádám Kovács-Jerney