short & sweet

Universities and Research Drive Innovation

According to the 2023 edition of the German Startup Monitor published by PwC PricewaterhouseCoopers AG, universities and research institutions are elementary for many startups, with every second startup reporting that it has already received support in this context. The main focus is on providing connections, business expertise, and support from certain individuals, such as professors. Universities and research institutions play a key role in the startup ecosystem, particularly when it comes to competitiveness in innovative technologies. Developments in artificial intelligence are especially noteworthy here. According to PwC, RWTH, Technical University of Munich (TUM), and WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management are the top startup universities. Coming in at 5.7 percent, the highest number of university-spun startups originated from RWTH, followed by TUM at 4.5 percent, and WHU at 2.7 percent.

RWTH Student Filipa Silva Melo Received the 2023 DAAD Prize

Melo received the 2023 DAAD Prize from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for her excellent academic achievements and intercultural commitment. The award comes with 1,000 euros in prize money. Melo, who is Portuguese, is in her fifth semester of a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and has an impressive average grade of 1.8. She volunteers in the BeBuddy program and gladly supports new international students. For example, she took part in the “Europa macht Schule” program and, as an ambassador, presented her home country of Portugal to students at the Käthe Kollwitz School in Aachen. Melo also manages events with the association INCAS e.V. (INtercultural Centre of Aachen Students) and is involved in student committee service, serving in the Occupancy Committee of the Student Dormitory Administration.

Flipped Classroom Concept Recognized

For her extended flipped classroom concept, which aims to allow students to reflect on diversity perspectives more deeply in the context of the cross-faculty lecture Engineering and Society, Professor Carmen Leicht-Scholten from RWTH’s Research Group Gender and Diversity in Engineering received the 2023 Digi Fellowship.
The joint initiative of RWTH Aachen University, the NRW Ministry of Culture and Science, and Stifterverband supports innovative approaches in digital university teaching. Since 2020, universities in NRW have committed to holding an annual university-wide competition to award “Fellowships for Innovation in Digital Teaching and Learning.” Each university receives 50,000 euros to support a project.

Never Forget Königshügel Sports Hall Campaign Raises 6,161 Euros for Right to Play

On September 7, the Student Sports Affairs Office and the RWTH University Sports Center (HSZ) presented the charity Right to Play with a generous donation check of 6,161 euros. This impressive amount was raised via the Never Forget Königshügel Sports Hall campain. This involved selling memorial plaques from the parquet floor of the demolished sports hall. The international charity Right to Play teaches children vital life skills through games and sports. The money from the donations is not earmarked for a specific project but will be used by the charity wherever it is most needed.

Professor Lars Schaade Is the New Head of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI)

Professor Lars Schaade has been the interim head of the RKI in Berlin since April. In October, he was officially appointed as the new head of the institute by the German government. Schaade was already deputy to Professor Lothar Wieler, who resigned as head of the RKI in the spring. After studying and earning his doctorate at the University of Göttingen, Schaade completed his habilitation (post-doctoral lecturing qualification) at RWTH’s Faculty of Medicine in 2003.

RWTH Alumnus Professor Joybrato Mukherjee Appointed Rector of the University of Cologne From October

In May, Mukherjee was elected Rector of the University of Cologne by an overwhelming majority of the members of the University Election Assembly. Mukherjee, who had been president of Justus Liebig University since 2009, took up his new rector post on October 1. He continues to be honorary president of the DAAD – a position he has held since 2020.

RWTH Alumna Janine George Appointed Professor of Materials Informatics

Dr. Janine George from the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) was recently appointed Professor of Materials Informatics at the University of Jena. This is a joint appointment with BAM, where George continues to head the Computational Materials Design Junior Research Group. George’s focus at the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Jena is how artificial intelligence methods, machine learning, and High Throughput Computing can be used to further the development of new materials.

Prior to joining BAM, George conducted research in computational solid-state chemistry, solid state physics, and materials science at RWTH and UCLouvain, Belgium.

Markus Gerhards Appointed New Director of the West Branch of Autobahn GmbH

Alumnus Markus Gerhards took over as head of the West Branch of Autobahn GmbH on October 1. Gerhards had already been Business Unit Manager Operations and Traffic at the West Branch since 2021. He studied civil engineering at RWTH and began his professional life as a civil engineering site manager at Dykerhoff & Widmann AG.

The Autobahn GmbH of the German Government is responsible for highway administration and maintenance in Germany. As one of the largest and most diverse infrastructure operators in Germany, it is responsible for a highway network spanning approximately 13,000 kilometers. In addition to planning, construction, and maintenance, tasks, Gerhards is also involved in operations, financing, and asset management.

Turmstraße Construction Site

The City of Aachen has communicated a new schedule for the opening of the Turmstraße bridge: The City plans to open the bridge to pedestrians and cyclists at the end of the year. However, the opening of the bridge to motor traffic is expected to be delayed until the first quarter of 2024.

New Issue of the RWTH THEMEN Research Magazine Has Been Published

The current issue “Aachener Verfahrenstechnik“ [Chemical Engineering] of the RWTH research magazine is now available online.