The Week at TU Braunschweig │23.10.2020 Our Newsletter for all Employees

Topics: Asteroid body + quantum computer + Erasmus + future + online education + gliding + error culture

Editor: Viktoria Heyer

► Fewer Bachelor first semesters, fewer total students

Whereas last winter semester more than 19,600 students were enrolled at TU Braunschweig, this winter semester the number is expected to be down to only 18,500. In particular, the number of first-year students in Bachelor’s programmes has fallen sharply due to the lack of a final year of secondary schooling at Lower Saxony’s Gymnasiums and the nationwide trend of lower demand in engineering programmes.

► “Quantum Valley Lower Saxony”

This vision is ambitious: TU Braunschweig wants to develop a quantum computer by 2025 together with PTB and the university of hanover. But what does this actually have to do with metrology, the science of measurement?

► Evaporation formed two-lobe asteroid

An international research team has studied the shape of Arrokoth – an asteroid body. In the magazine “Nature Astronomy”, they show that the body received its present flattened shape in its first 100 million years since its formation.

► Teacher training international

“Go out – Come in” is the name of the new project which aims to make teacher education more international. The aim is to create structures that link study visits abroad with internships at schools and the internationalisation programmes offered in Braunschweig.

► No virtual fear of contact

Stefanie Tschierlei is the new professor for physical chemistry. In an interview, she reports on her research into the conversion of solar energy and the challenges of a hybrid semester.

► Inspiring by conviction

Where do you actually get motivated students from? For Professor Gabriele Graube and Professor Robert Hänsch it’ s absolutely clear: through children who are enthusiastic about science. Together, they head the School-University Working Group and are committed to knowledge transfer at the school-university interface.

► Erasmus & Corona

Researcher Muhamet Alija reports on what a research stay in France during the time of Corona entails.

► Research funding with France

The French Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) and the German Research Foundation (DFG) continue their annual joint calls for proposals for Franco-German projects in the natural sciences, life sciences and engineering.

► Working worlds of the future

How does mobile working affect the work-life balance, what is important for a successful service mindset and are professional hierarchies becoming flatter? We talked to Professor Simone Kauffeld and Professor Susanne Robra-Bissantz about topics related to the working worlds of the future.

► Digital poetry lectureship

Two more videos online: The award winner Sasha M. Salzmann in conversation with the playwright Sivan Ben Yishai and the writer and curator Emma Braslavsky.

► Digital offers for online teaching

Designing and implementing last-minute consultation hours, interactive learning modules or exploratory learning – the monthly programme Teaching and Media Education of the project house is online.

► Digital Children’s University

Watch and participate! This is the motto of the next Children’s University – in a new digital format. In six videos we explain what first-class research at the TU Braunschweig actually is. The films deal with the two Clusters of Excellence and our four main areas of research and explain, for example, how we will live tomorrow or why we actually want to fly electrically in 30 years. The first Children’s University takes place on 31 October.

► Extended opening hours of the University Library

The University Library is extending opening hours in a test phase from 19 October to 15 November: Mon to Fri: 07:00 to 22:00; Sat: 10:00 to 20:00 (31.10. Reformation Day, closed) and Sun: 10:00 to 17:00.

► Aerodynamic research and flight

Professor Rolf Radespiel proved to have a good feeling for thermals during his 630-kilometre gliding flight, with which he became national champion in the racing class. As a cross-country pilot, the head of the Institute of Fluid Mechanics proved that he can also apply aerodynamics very successfully in practice.

► Our darling of the week

…comes from the Professional an Personnel Development and is the brochure with the guidelines for the error culture for the central administration of the TU Braunschweig. It reveals how we deal with mistakes, work in a solution-oriented manner and secure findings throughout the organisation. The brochure can be found on the Department 13 website and can also be downloaded.