DIM30 - the focus is on people
Welcome to the new dimensions!
We have further developed our university magazine - with a new print layout, but also with an expanded online offering, including videos, podcasts and picture galleries. We hope you enjoy browsing through it.
The focus of DIM30 is on people. We have accompanied teachers and students, let's tell their stories. Respect and appreciation mean not putting people into categories. The selection of topics in this magazine does not follow any proportionality, it wants to be open and free, wants to be curious and make people curious. They revolve around different aspects of identity - around family and age, around home and faith. We want to give the WE a face.
Because it works better together
The interaction between man and machine is playing an ever greater role in our daily lives. As a university of applied sciences, FH Aachen is committed to application-oriented, practical work in teaching and research - with its finger on the pulse of the times, always with an eye on current technological developments. The rapid spread of artificial intelligence (AI) and discussions about globalisation, digitalisation and sustainability lead to the question of how the university will define its responsibility in researching and using modern technologies in the future.
At the centre of all activities are the people who study, teach, research and work here. This applies to the question of how a face-to-face university can sensibly supplement its teaching and range of studies offered with online and AI elements. But it is also about developing the range of studies offered thematically in the direction of sustainability and integrating modern technologies into everyday work in order to support employees.
Putting people at the centre means, above all, giving everyone involved the chance to be part of the university community - because things work better together. A university is a space where knowledge is acquired, increased and shared; but it is above all a place where people come together, live, study and work together. The FH Aachen is and will remain a presence university. This is not only about joint courses in lecture halls and seminar rooms, but also about exercises, consultation hours and joint activities in faculties and institutes. Good student support is important, and it works best in direct contact. Digital elements, as they have just been developed in the time of the corona pandemic, offer the chance to complement the face-to-face courses. This also applies to the use of AI platforms such as ChatGPT in teaching. Artificial intelligence will accompany students in their future working lives. It is the task of a university to prepare them to use the opportunities of this new technology responsibly and wisely.
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Who is the boss here?
For Mareike Jansen, the matter is clear: "As parents, we want to do justice to all sides. We do our job with passion and commitment; we try to balance the FH's schedule with appointments at school, at the paediatrician's and at the sports club. We want to create the much-cited balance between job and family - unfortunately, we often don't succeed." And family is even more than childcare - caring for elderly, sick relatives is just as much a part of the issue.
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Interface between man and technology
Andrea Upmann worked in the automotive industry for 14 years. "I was always working at the interface between people and technology," she says. The end product car should not only be easy and safe to use, but also meet the needs, wishes, characteristics and capabilities of the clientele in the best possible way. Andrea Upmann has been working as Professor of Vehicle Interiors in the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering since 2021. In an interview with Thomas Ritz, Vice Rector for Research, Innovation and Transfer at FH Aachen, she explains how putting people first actually works, and why diverse teams achieve better results.
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Second home Jülich
Bridgehead Park, the Citadel and the Witches' Tower: if you study on the Jülich campus of FH Aachen, you can explore many places in the city of Jülich. But which of them are particularly interesting? Vivekanantha Kumar tries to answer this question. The FH graduate takes us on a trip through Jülich and shows us his favourite places.
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Between fear and hope
In the end, everything almost failed because of two pairs of white socks. "We had to go into the university building to pick up a certificate of our examination achievements," Mursal and Susan Ahmady tell us. "The building was controlled by the Taliban and all the women had to be dressed completely in black." The two young women wore black from head to toe, only for a brief moment did their white socks peek out from under their black skirts. It remained a stern admonition, and with the documents, the sisters were able to obtain the scholarship that eventually took them from Kabul to Aachen, thanks to the support of the FH Aachen's Department of International Affairs.
A great moment for the FH Aachen
Stars, planets and galaxies have fascinated us humans for thousands of years. Space fires the imagination and motivates us again and again to achieve top performance, not least in research and development. At the 33rd Space Colloquium of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at FH Aachen, students met two people who have worked to make the dream of space missions come true: FH graduate Volker Schmid, who works as Lead Mission Manager at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and led the "Cosmic Kiss" mission, among others, was a guest, as was astronaut Matthias Maurer, who carried out this space mission.
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Against all odds
Ramtin Tayerani has a dream: he wants to become an astronaut, "to see the Earth from the outside for once", as he says himself. Whether that will work is uncertain. But the 23-year-old has already achieved a lot with his determination and courage - why not this? To get closer to his dream, he is studying aerospace engineering at FH Aachen. The path to his studies was anything but easy: Ramtin Tayerani comes from Iran. He had to flee his home country at the age of fifteen. He is supported in his studies by the First Generation Aachen association, which has set itself the goal of creating a network for students who are unfamiliar with the German academic system. Sponsorships and workshops are at the core of the model. "That helped me a lot," says Ramtin Tayerani, "I first had to learn how to study in a planned way and study properly."
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A place that remains
Overgrown paths, deserted streets, bricked-up windows and doors. A few years ago, the village of Morschenich-Alt was still home to around 500 people, but today many of them have moved to a new village and only a few houses are still inhabited. The village, which lies near the Hambach opencast lignite mine in the district of Düren, was to fall victim to mining. The halt to the clearing of the nearby Hambach Forest as a result of mass protests saved Morschenich-Alt from demolition and presented the municipality of Merzenich, the resettlers and the mining companies with new challenges with the 2021 landmark decision. What will happen to this - according to the LVR Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments - "typical Rhenish street village"?
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The Blossoming
When Linus-Floris Hören walks through Ferberpark, no one doubts that he is a man. But this was not always the case - at least on the outside. Because Linus-Floris was born in a woman's body. The FH student, who is studying Applied Mathematics and Computer Science and at the same time training to become a technical software developer (MATSE training), tells of his path to himself.
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The computer is at the wheel
As if by magic, the Kia Niro drives through the bend. The car turns into the acceleration lane, steps on the gas and threads its way into the moving traffic on the motorway. Joschua Schulte-Tigges sits at the wheel, but keeps his hands and feet still. The FH employee and his two passengers - research engineers from the European Hyundai Research and Development Centre - watch intently how the vehicle handles the complex situation. The special thing about it: the Niro is a research vehicle that drives autonomously.
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There the heart rises
"We go all-in with our idea!" When Rebecca Gros and Andi Dreger talk about their heartfelt project, the term all-in does not stand for gambler's mentality, but for enthusiasm and determination. Just as a poker player puts all his chips in the middle of the table because he is convinced of his hand, the two FH alumni put everything on the Social Day card. They have set up their own business with their idea and want to build a network in which companies from the region get involved in society.
Aim high
Dennis Schwarz is in his second semester of computer science at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology. His career aspiration is to get a job in IT security and IT forensics. But his career path seemed to be quite different. His grandfather was a roofer, his father a tiler and bricklayer. He finally found his way to FH Aachen through the talent scouting programme.
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The old sweetheart
When Peter Jaeger turns on the old lathe in the workshop on Eupener Straße, his eyes light up. The "Weiler" dates back to the 1960s, and the old treasure still does its job without a hitch. Whether it's parts for experimental set-ups or practical trainings, Peter Jaeger is happy to help. "I like to solve problems," says the workshop employee, and his wealth of knowledge is invaluable to his colleagues in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology.
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