Starting their studies with aerial acrobatics and a lot of music Central reception for first-year students in the stadium in pictures and video
Graceful, wild acrobatic elements in airy hights, deep falls on silky fabrics, a lot of music and information. Hola y bienvenido, Hello and welcome, Olá e bem-vindos, Bonjour et bienvenue: Technische Universität Braunschweig welcomes its 3,000 first-year students in the Eintracht stadium with a colourful and international programme. The event, which over 400 international students attended, was for the first time presented in both German and English.
Stadium becomes the biggest lecture hall
Traditionally, the Eintracht stadium became TU Braunschweig’s biggest lecture hall at the start of the semester. The official welcoming event took place in the stadium on Hamburger Straße for the 11th time already. In good autumn weather and at pleasant temperatures, TU President Angela Ittel welcomed the first-year students: “We are proud that you have chosen to study at TU Braunschweig and encourage you to follow this path with open eyes and an open heart”.
Welcome to Technische Universität Braunschweig, dear first-year students! Yesterday, around 3,000 first-year students were welcomed in Eintracht Braunschweig's stadium. Photo credit: Ahmed Nassef/TU Braunschweig President Angela Ittel (right), Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs Knut Baumann (left) and Vice President for Internationalisation and Regional Relations Tatjana Schneider (center) wished the first-year students a successful start to their studies at Technische Universität Braunschweig. Photo credit: Ahmed Nassef/TU Braunschweig “We are proud that you have chosen to study at TU Braunschweig and encourage you to follow this path with open eyes and an open heart,” said TU President Angela Ittel on behalf of the entire Executive Board. Photo credit: Ahmed Nassef/TU Braunschweig The academic wind ensemble AkaBlas provided the musical warm-up. Photo credit: Andreas Rudolph/TU Braunschweig After the musical interlude, the first-year students were wide awake and ready for the colourful as well as international programme. Photo credit: Ahmed Nassef/TU Braunschweig Hola y bienvenido, Hello and welcome, Olá e bem-vindos, Bonjour et bienvenue, were the greetings of the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) in Spanish, Hindi, Arabic, English, Portuguese and French. Photo credit: Ahmed Nassef/TU Braunschweig ESN's Latin Band “Pico de Gallo” then performed the song “El Lado Oscuro” by Jarabe de palo in Spanish and Portuguese. Photo credit: Ahmed Nassef/TU Braunschweig The event was moderated by TU trainee Dilara Aktaş, who led through the event in English. Photo credit: Ahmed Nassef/TU Braunschweig There was no shortage of good vibes in the stadium. Photo credit: Ahmed Nassef/TU Braunschweig Mathias Steiln, head of the university sports center, presented the diverse range of sports offered by the university, ... Photo credit: Andreas Rudolph/TU Braunschweig ...from which Pascal Issa .... Photo credit: Andreas Rudolph/TU Braunschweig ...and Paula Clasen gave a vivid aerial silks performance. Photo credit: Ahmed Nassef/TU Braunschweig Traditionally, the AStA board presented its tasks and motivated the first-year students to exchange ideas and get involved. Photo credit: Ahmed Nassef/TU Braunschweig Four Chinese students in silk robes performed a traditional Chinese dance from the Tang Dynasty a thousand years ago. Photo credit: Andreas Rudolph/TU Braunschweig Things got rocky with the Queermonics choir, made up of queer students and TU Braunschweig staff, who interpreted the Queen song "Dont Stop me now" with piano, cajon and ukulele accompaniment. Photo credit: Ahmed Nassef/TU Braunschweig The students also wanted to capture this special morning as a memory. Photo credit: Ahmed Nassef/TU Braunschweig The Automotive Research Centre Niedersachsen (NFF) presented with Pauline Fellenberg and Dr. Adrian Sonka the latest research in the field of autonomous driving under the motto “Automated Driving – Made in Braunschweig”. Photo credit: Ahmed Nassef/TU Braunschweig Like in a big lecture hall, the students listened to the speakers of the event. Photo credit: Andreas Rudolph/TU Braunschweig Finally, first-year students and active participants celebrated each other jubilantly with colourful pompoms before heading to the info fair on the central campus. Photo credit: Andreas Rudolph/TU Braunschweig AkaBlas accompanied the choreography of colourful pompoms and the conclusion of the central reception of first-year students. Photo credit: Ahmed Nassef/TU Braunschweig The pompoms were a big hit with the first-year students and provided a little different fun at the event. Photo credit: Ahmed Nassef/TU Braunschweig The scientific working group for studio and broadcasting issues at the TU Braunschweig (ags) accompanied the central reception of first-year students on film and took care of the broadcast on the screens in the stadium. Photo credit: Andreas Rudolph/TU Braunschweig Before heading back to the central campus and thus to the info fair, the first-year students were able to take a look at the electric racing car from the Lion's Racing Team. Photo credit: Andreas Rudolph/TU Braunschweig The Universitätsplatz (university square) filled up for the info fair! Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs Knut Baumann also visited some booths. Picture credits: Madeleine Franke/TU Braunschweig Our Sport-Leo could also be found at the Universitätsplatz (university aquare). Photo credit: Madeleine Franke/TU Braunschweig
Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs, Professor Knut Baumann, added: “With more than 16,000 people you are the largest group at our university. For us on the Executive Board, it is of great importance to understand you and take up your impulses. Get involved in student representation on different levels – whether it is in the parliament, the senate, student councils or student initiatives. Make your voices and ideas heard. Vice President for Internationalisation and Regional Relations, Professor Tatjana Schneider, was particularly pleased about the many international students: “About 20 percent of our entire student body are international students. That’s great, because the different perspectives you all bring, the different learning cultures, the diverse academic and cultural backgrounds enrich us all, let us learn and grow together.”
A lively musical start to the semester
The program offered numerous musical interludes. The academic wind band AkaBlas took over the musical warm-up. Things got rocky with the Queermonics choir, made up of queer students and employees of the TU Braunschweig, who interpreted the Queen song “Dont Stop me now” with piano, cajon and ukulele accompaniment.
The central reception of first-year students in video
Acrobatics at dizzy heights
A highlight was the aerial silk show of the university sports center. Mechanical and electrical engineering students Paula Clasen and Pascal Issa offered spectacular aerial acrobatics with power and elegance. They climbed up the fabric, wrapped and knotted themselves into the fabrics again and again: standing, sitting, upright and overhead, with and without hands, sometimes at airy heights and sometimes close to the ground.
Colourful and international
The Chinese first-year students, who make up the largest group of internationals, were able to feel at home. Four Chinese students in silk robes performed a traditional Chinese dance from the Tang Dynasty a thousand years ago.
Hola y bienvenido, Hello and welcome, Olá e bem-vindos, Bonjour et bienvenue, was the greeting of the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) in Spanish, Hindi, Arabic, English, Portuguese and French. The ESN’s Latin Band “Pico de Gallo” then performed the song “El Lado Oscuro” by Jarabe de palo in Spanish and Portuguese.
Traditionally, the AStA board presented its tasks and motivated the freshmen to exchange ideas and get involved. “You will quickly realize that studying is more than sitting in lectures and studying for exams. In community, successes can be celebrated better, and challenges and the difficulties of studying seem only half as big when you are not facing them alone. This solidarity among us students is the greatest asset we have.”
Research “Made in Braunschweig”
In front of the stadium, first-year students were able to learn about TU Braunschweig’s main research areas at the stands there. A first insight into research topics on mobility had already been given on stage in the stadium. The Automotive Research Centre Niedersachsen (NFF) presented with Pauline Fellenberg and Dr. Adrian Sonka the latest research in the field of autonomous driving under the motto “Automated Driving – Made in Braunschweig”, with which TU Braunschweig is playing on a par with the rest of Germany. On the video screens, the two speakers showed excerpts from the Hermann-Blenk-Straße real laboratory at the research airport, which is already being used for testing autonomous driving and will be the test track for the autonomous shuttle “RAION” next year.
The event was moderated by TU trainee Dilara Aktaş, who led through the event in English. At the end, the first-year students and the active participants celebrated the start of the semester with colourful pompoms.
Info fair “Studium ist mehr …”
From the stadium, the first-year students went to the central campus. Here, more than 40 service institutions and student associations from around TU Braunschweig presented themselves at the info fair “Studium ist mehr” (“Studying is more…”) and offered a lot of information and advice.