Activity in the public sphere, science organizing

She is a founding member of the Transylvanian Museum Society (EME), the secretary (1994-2002) and later chairperson (2002-) of it’s Department of Technical Sciences. Since 2006 she is the secretary general of EME

 She initiated the informatical development at EME in 1996. Between 2000 and 2007 as a scientific collaborator of the EME, besides elaborating scientific research programs she created the EME’s static webpage, the computer network, the locally developed software for library catalogue, the intellectuals’ database and she also elaborated the project for the dynamic webpage. In this period the EME’s digitalization programs were started, she is the founder and manager of the Transylvanian Digital Database[1]  which was inaugurated in 2010 (http://eda.eme.ro/).

In 2002 she initiated the forum Hungarian Science Day in Transylvania which she manages. As the secretary general of EME she handles the multiple tasks of the institution, the yearly reports of the secretary general mirror the EME’s results. In 2001 the Hungarian Academy of Sciences recognized her activity in organizing scientific life with the Arany János medal[2].

In 1995 she initiated within the framework of the EME’s Department of Technical Sciences the yearly carpathian basin forum Scientific Conference for Young Engineers (FMTÜ, http://www.eme.ro/fmtu/) of which she is still an organizer contributing thus to the interest and respect among young people towards the technical sciences. In 2000 she also initiated within the Day of Hungarian Science the Conference of Technical Sciences which is still the yearly forum of those involved in technical sciences (http://eme.ro/muszakitudomanynap/), on this occasion the Jenei Dezső memorial diploma is awarded. A history of the Conference of Technical Sciences can be read here: http://eda.eme.ro/handle/10598/28576.

In 2006 she started an inter-disciplinary program Exploration, Research and Protection of Technical Heritage in Transylvania[3]. Its purpose is to research, protect our technical heritage, restore it to functionality and fit it into the Transylvanian cultural heritage and also the cultural and turistical development of the region. The results of this research are published in the series of History of Science and Technique of which she is an editor and also a co-author to 4 of the hitherto published 8 volumes.

In 2008 she initiated the series of talks and research in the History of Industry, also the process of collecting objects and memorabilia pertaining to the history of industries (she encouraged the inhabitants of Cluj-Napoca to donate to the EME documents, pictures, memorabilia, objects or digital versions of these in order to contribute to the collecting of valuable museum objects, to the preserving and research of these relics and vestiges). In the same time she researches the life and work of the great pesonalities of our technical past (by exploring and digitalizing the heritage  of  Debreczeni Márton, Martin Lajos), she also interviews those great personalities of technical sciences who are still alive.

She includes in her research team young technicians and contributes to the cultivation if technical talent by operating scientific circles.

She cultivates a strong working relationship with Romanian and Hungarian universities, research institutes. The list of publications includes the results of these cooperations.

 

[1] Az Erdélyi Digitális Adattár (EDA): the database contains digital data (books, articles, databases of collections, encyclopedias, pictures, films etc), the uploading of these is an ongoing process in order to aid both teaching and research through the internet: Erdélyi Digitális Adattár (EDA).  More information on the EDA can be found here: Bitay, Enikő: Az Erdélyi Digitális Adattár. In: Tudományos és Műszaki Tájékoztatás (MTM), ISSN: 0041-3917, Budapest, year 60. nr. 5. / 2013. 203–216 p. http://tmt.omikk.bme.hu/show_news.html?id=5784&issue_id=548, illetve itt: Órdög I. Béla: Friss és nélkülözhetetlen az egyéves Erdélyi Digitális Adattár. Már 14 500 digitalizált tétel áll a tudományosság szolgálatában. In: Szabadság, Cluj-napoca, 4th of June 2012. http://www.szabadsag.ro/szabadsag/servlet/szabadsag/template/print,PrintScreen.vm/id/3432/mainarticle/true;jsessionid=A0E196C22C6F1E7523BEE621A228AD3E

[2] The MTA, Arany János medal: http://mta.hu/dijak-kituntetesek/arany-janos-erem-105813; list of previous recipients: http://mta.hu/data/dokumentumok/hatteranyagok/dijak_kituntetesek/Arany_Janos-eremben_reszesultek_2002-2013.pdf

[3] Bitay Enikő: A műszaki örökség feltárása, kutatása és védelme Erdélyben. In: Fedenic Csilla (ed.): Magyar–magyar interdiszciplináris kutatások, intézményi együttműködések lehetősége. MTA, Magyar Tudományosság Külföldön Elnöki Bizottsága, Budapest, 2010. ISBN 978-963-508-588-0. 70–76 p. http://mta.hu/data/dokumentumok/magyar_tudomanyossag_kulfoldon/MTA_konyv_Magyar-magyar.pdf

Bitay, Enikő: A műszaki örökség feltárása, kutatása és védelme Erdélyben. In: Bányászati és Kohászati Lapok, BKL-Kohászat, year 144. Nr. 2. ISSN 0005-5670, Budapest, 2011. 57–59 p. http://www.ombkenet.hu/index.php/bkl-kohaszat?id=105