The Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) has been working for several years to ensure that great business ideas from students do not simply disappear into a drawer. Students who would like to set up their own business can rely on the university’s Startup Campus team and a network that has grown considerably in the meantime. The university’s central information event is the Start-up Day. This year, it took place on 18 November as a virtual event.

In several lectures more than 180 participants got to know the contact people of the university, the Hans Lindner Foundation, the Digitalisation Start-up Centre Lower Bavaria and the Digital Start-up Centre Rottal-Inn Freyung Grafenau. All of them offer their support and competence on the way to independence. Time for exchange and networking among students was also planned for the Founders’ Day. Five start-ups presented their ideas and some of them were still looking for fellow entrepreneurs. At the end of the event there was still knowledge about brand management and the opportunity to ask questions in small groups.

Students who would like advice or would like to contact other start-ups can always contact the Startup Campus team. Prof Dr Thomas Geiß, Alfons Weinzierls and Alexander Böckl are available for initial contact via e-mail at startupcampus@th-deg.de.

On Tuesday evening, 17 November 2020 at 7 pm, eleven international alumni and 16 international students of the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) met on the videoconferencing platform Zoom on the initiative of the DIT Alumni department to launch the new International Mentoring Programme. The aim of this new format is to provide international students with an equally international alumnus who can offer assistance in overcoming intercultural hurdles and help pave the way to a successful career.

“Student life as such already brings with it numerous challenges that need to be mastered,” explains Ulrike Sauckel, head of the International and Alumni Affairs department. “A high degree of self-motivation and organisation, especially in Corona times, is demanding for every student. For international students, a new culture and a foreign language are added to this. As a university that spells internationalisation in capital letters, we see it as our duty to create the best possible conditions for a successful graduation, especially for our international students”. The total of 27 participants in the programme represent a perfect cross-section of all faculties, all graduating classes and all continents: “Our mentors come from Ecuador or India as well as from the Czech Republic or Holland. A total of 13 nations are represented. We are particularly pleased that mentors and mentees from the still young European Campus Rottal-Inn are also taking part. And that we were able to win mentors who have not yet become active at and for the university, but who are incredibly enthusiastic about this programme,” adds Ulrike Sauckel.

The 11 tandems, i.e. teams each consisting of one mentor and one to a maximum of three mentees, are organised solely virtual via WhatsApp. “All participants use it privately anyway, and no additional app or special hardware is needed,” explains Stefanie Lex from the DIT Alumni Team. “The purely virtual solution also ensures a larger regional area. Our mentors are spread all over Germany, travel is not necessary and this also protects the environment and the wallet”. Over the next six months, the mentees will now be able to exchange ideas with their mentors and hopefully one day they will in turn be available as mentors for DIT students. In April 2021, the international Mentoring Programme will enter the next round, and new mentors who have not yet had time this year have already confirmed their participation.

Like many other events, one is currently looking in vain for job fairs in the usual format. But for students and companies, these events are important dates for networking in the search for jobs or young professionals. The Career Service of the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) wanted to make more out of the situation and was looking for ways to provide adequate digital substitutes. With the app “Talentefinder” and the “Tinder Principle” of finding matches, the university succeeded.

In the period from 26 October to 11 November, students and companies were able to network digitally, which was very easy. The first step is to create a profile via the browser-based Talentefinder app. Both students and companies do this. The most important facts are given so that the career status and opportunities can be identified. And then it’s “swipe” to browse through the profiles. If students and companies like each other, a “match” is created and they can contact each other directly via the chat function. Almost 600 students and 30 companies took part in DIT’s virtual recruiting events. Two weeks was the time period to find matches. 11 November was the big day for personal conversations via video call.

On average, the companies each found ten matches during this period and held seven to eight personal interviews. The main aim was to create a relaxed atmosphere, as Claudia Probst, Head of Career Service, reports: “After it was already clear in advance that there was a mutual interest, the talks could be approached in a very relaxed way. We received a lot of positive feedback”. The digital recruiting event should not remain a flash in the pan for this very reason. In spring 2021, students and companies can expect another event.

Michael Wolf (BA Business Information Systems): “I had more success with the event in one day than in the last few weeks. I’ve now had job interviews without having to apply in written form.”

Arnold Sudermann (MA Technology Management): “An awesome event, really uncomplicated to get directly to companies / staff. The atmosphere is relaxed and you have in mind that the company is also interested in you because a match has been arranged.”

Stefanie Ahollinger ( BA Business Administration): “I thought the event was great. It enabled me to hold interesting discussions and to organise the event again.”

Kaspersky’s mission incorporates education on all levels, including collaborations with universities. As part of this mission, we have been working with the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) for the past eighteen months. On Tuesday, November 10 we aired our first virtual talk with Kaspersky ICS CERT experts on Zoom with demos, presentations and workshops based on the latest ICS and IoT research and analysis. We answered questions, chatted with the students and used the polling options and generally conducted an interactive session on all levels.

Our 50 attendees were Computer Science students from the Deggendorf Institute of Technology, Germany and from the Hagenberg University, Austria, as well as some existing and potential customers of Kaspersky in the region. The participants learned about evolving cyberthreats for industrial environments and found out why we need to keep one step ahead of the threat actors. Maria Garnaeva spoke about known attacks on ICS in the modern world: about past, present and future threats, tools, tactics and techniques used by attackers. Stephan Gerling presented A Hacker’s Journey through Life: stories about vulnerabilities that he found while doing “drive-by hacking”. One story described how he ended up in maritime security and hacking yachts. Then there is the time a broken electronic door lock led to Stephan giving talks at the state criminal investigation office and explaining to the chief prosecutor about vulnerabilities in electronic locks and how to conduct forensic investigations. Finally, our researcher Roland Sako gave a workshop on interactive hands-on (I)IoT. He began with how the internet of things fits into industrial control systems (ICS), focusing on the added value, as well as the risks. He demonstrated how to analyze a device from scratch, aiming to introduce the audience to some real-life success and failure along the way. We encouraged our participants to engage with us and offer their ideas and suggestions. At the end of the workshop, we distributed some of the resources we had used for the attendees to repeat the steps on their own or to keep digging further. Maria Garnaeva provided a bonus by showing the participants how to use Yara to identify and classify malware samples and explained some of the Yara essentials. Professor Andreas Grzemba, Vice President Research & Knowledge Transfer at DIT, commented on the Virtual Talk, “Working with Kaspersky ICS CERT experts always produces valuable content, so we are happy to partner with them to provide our students with additional information and skills. Such sessions bring real-life experience that is invaluable for our students.” Christel Gampig-Avila, Education Programs Manager at Kaspersky ICS CERT, added, “Kaspersky’s commitment to collaboration with the academic community is a very important aspect of our business, research and operations. We were glad to bring our experts online to share their knowledge and experience and we are pleased that the virtual talk worked out great.” Kaspersky and DIT look forward to giving another Kaspersky ICS CERT Virtual Talk in March 2021. Details will be available in 2021.

A new founding idea is currently gaining momentum at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT). It is about digitalisation in tool and mould making. The companies in this sector are usually very well equipped in terms of technology. However, full utilisation of their resources is not always possible. Three students at DIT now hope that their idea will optimise the process chain from incoming orders to quality management in such a way that capacities are fully utilised and costs and time can be saved at the same time.

Tool and mould making is essential for any series production. However, the production of tools and moulds, i.e. unique specimens, can still be optimised. The start-up “ti4f” has developed a strategy in cooperation with the Application Laboratory Industry 4.0 of DIT in order to digitalise the process in tool and mould making throughout. Especially the processes of the highly complex one-off production can then be analysed and shortages can be detected. With the help of a self-learning knowledge database working in the background, strategies for process optimisation can be generated. Constantin Vogel, Thomas Brunner and Radoslaw Korek are the founders of the “ti4f” start-up. Their product is designed to such an extent that they can integrate it step by step into the consulting process. They are already in contact with the first test customers. This step serves to evaluate their know-how and enables them to gain new experiences. The next steps planned are the development of the “ti4f” brand, the founding of the company and the search for further beta customers.

Constantin, Thomas and Radoslaw came up with the founding idea while studying for a Master’s degree in Technology Management. In the lectures and practical courses in the Industry 4.0 application laboratory, they had debated a lot about the future of industry. They also discussed the problems of single-part production under the direction of Prof Dr Gansauge. “ti4f” is supported by the DIT Startup Campus and an EXIST start-up grant from the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy. The major goal is to have an MVP for all digital applications by the end of the scholarship period in September 2021.

When a loved one has to go to hospital and seconds decide over life and death, the last thing the ambulance needs is a no-reception zone. It has to be fast and the connection to the hospital has to be established on the way there. Ideally, devices in the ambulance can transmit first results to the hospital before the patient arrives. In the district of Rottal-Inn, however, this is not possible due to the often insufficient coverage area in mobile radio.

The European Campus Rottal-Inn (ECRI) of the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) would like to address this problem with a planned project on telemedical care in rural areas. For this purpose, the responsible people around Prof Dr Thomas Spittler and campus director Prof Dr Horst Kunhardt received the member of the Bundestag Max Straubinger at the campus in Pfarrkirchen on Thursday, 12 November.

During the talks, the central role of the mobile network in the field of telemedicine and eHealth was discussed. The nationwide coverage and network coverage in the district of Rottal-Inn would be the basis for the planned project and would pave the way for new methods that simplify, speed up and often make it possible to provide care for patients before it is too late for them. The university wants to work and research on the improvement and guarantee of the best possible patient care together with the Rottal-Inn clinics, the Red Cross rescue service and the district Rottal-Inn.

Both, Prof Spittler and MdB Straubinger emphasised in the discussions that research in particular plays a central role. From a scientific point of view, studies and research projects can be used to address the fears of concerns of the population and also to provide a well-founded account of the opportunities offered by the county-wide network coverage. During his visit to the campus, MdB Straubinger emphasised that this is particularly important for the economy and prosperity, in the case of the planned project for medical care in rural areas. He would advertise the project to the funding agency, the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, and assured the district of Rottal-Inn and ECRI of his full support.

Since 2009, it has been possible to study in Germany without the Abitur. Young people can qualify for an academic career with a master craftsman’s certificate or professional experience. At the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT), around 40 students per year find their way to the university in this way. In order to facilitate the start of their studies. The J.C. Römer Foundation from Grafenau, together with DIT, offers a scholarship especially for exactly these first-year students of engineering sciences. The J.C. Römer scholarship was awarded for the fifth time in November.

In 2020, the scholarship will go to DIT student Stephan Schröder. After training as a construction mechanic, he gained several years of experience in this profession. In 2018, he continued his training as a master craftsman in metalworking and quickly set his sights on a degree course. Since October he has been studying industrial engineering in Deggendorf. With his profile he was able to convince the selection committee in the sense of Joachim Christian Römer. The selection interviews were conducted virtually this year. With a monthly grant of € 200 for the first four semesters, he can now pursue his everyday studies even more intensively. Since 2015, a total of ten students have benefited from the J.C. Römer Foundation scholarship. In awarding the scholarship, the foundation was supported by the career service of DIT.

Transnational project “DanuP-2-Gas” contributes to the Green Deal

In the “DanuP-2-Gas” project, researchers at the Technology Centre Energy (TZE) in Ruhstorf are developing the entire Danube area from Regensburg to the Black Sea with the aim of expanding the potential of the renewable energies available there, promoting transnational networking, producing and storing renewable natural gas, thus making Europe less dependent on gas imports from neighbouring countries. All this with the help of renewable energies.

The TZE of the University of Applied Sciences (HAW) Landshut is taking on the role of lead partner in the project, which is funded with more than 2.5 million euros. On the German side, it is being supported by the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT), which is contributing its expertise and research results. A further nine countries along the Danube are also on board. The “DanuP-2-Gas” project runs from 202 to the end of 2022 and involves 14 partners. It is led by Prof Dr Raimund Brotsack, Professor at the European Campus Rottal-Inn (ECRI) in Pfarrkirchen.

Building on the basis of the Danube Energy Platform from the DIT’s “Energy Barge” project, “DanuP-2-Gas” networks the players in the entire Danube region. With this basis, the biomass available along the Danube can be promoted and distributed across the ten project countries. The project is dedicated to the process of making this biomass usable, with the help of which it is possible to produce gas from renewable energy sources through charring, subsequent gasification and methanation, which can then be fed into the existing distribution network. In this way, the electricity network is connected to the gas network and the resulting gas from renewable energy sources can be transported via these networks to areas where there is demand. This connection of the two networks or sectors is, along with the production and storage of the renewable gas, the core of the project and contributes significantly to making the energy supply in the Danube region more sustainable and thus actively promoting the energy turnaround. In “DanuP-2-Gas”, the project partners are now conducting a feasibility study in which biomass resources as well as infrastructural, legal and economic framework conditions are evaluated. DIT is preparing this information as an interactive geo-information platform with a Transnational Renewable Energy Atlas, so that future investors can use it to develop follow-up projects for actual technical implementation. Through the project, the Danube region has the potential to become a think tank for the energy turnaround and an ecosystem of further green innovation, emphasises Tobias Gotthardt, Chairman of the European Committee of Bavaria.

Cooperation DIT with HAW Landshut

In the field of energy storage technologies, especially in the area of long-term storage of renewable energies, DIT works closely with HAW Landshut. Prof Dr Raimund Brotsack (ECRI) has been partially seconded to HAW Landshut for an initial period of 4 years, half of his working time. In the “Power to Gas” working group there, a laboratory and technical centre for research and development work has been established, in which currently 3 research assistants and several students are researching and developing their final theses (doctorates, master’s, bachelor’s).

Pascal Grill, a graduate from the Deggendorf Institute of Technology, will receive the Bavarian Culture Prize from Bayernwerk AG (Bayernwerk) for his master’s thesis in mechanical engineering on Thursday, 12 November at 7 pm. The writer Michaela Karl, the artist Regina Hellwig-Schmid and Carolina Camilla Kreusch, the actor and director Arnd Rühlmann and the opera singer Christa Mayer will also be honoured on the same evening. For the first time, the award ceremony will be held in a digital format. From a studio in Ismaning, it will be transmitted via livestream and additionally on local television stations. The presenter is Nina Sonnenberg. The Special Prize of the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and Art is awarded to conductor, pianist and Nuremberg General Music Director Joana Mallwitz. In addition to Pascal Grill, 32 other graduates of Bavarian colleges and universities will receive the prize in the science category.

Numerical Flow Simulation

In his master’s thesis in mechanical engineering, Pascal Grill investigated the fluid flow in the drive area of a gear pump. In doing so, the 25-year-old used a so-called “numerical flow simulation” (Computational Fluid Dynamics CFD). The aim of the work was to find out under which conditions a lower pressure loss and better hygiene can be achieved.

Speakers from the universities on the “culture couch”

This year the award ceremony of the Bavarian Culture Prize is open to the general public for the first time. “Due to the current pandemic, the event cannot take place in the previous framework. We have therefore decided to use a digital format”, explains Reimund Gotzel, Chairman of the Board of Bayernwerk AG (Bayernwerk). In the 90-minute culture programme (from 7 - 8.30 pm), the winners of the year 2020 will receive the Bavarian Culture Prize. As representatives of the scientists, the spokespeople of their universities and educational institutes will take a seat on the “culture couch”. The prizes in the art category and the special prize are endowed with € 5,000 each, and € 2,000 each in the science category. This time, more than the usual 300-400 invited guests can be present in front of the screens: Interested parties can join in live at www.bayernwerk-live.de/kulturpreis-bayern. Presenter Nina Sonnenberg, as singer Fiva, is also part of the cultural performances accompanying the evening. She will perform alongside the a-cappella quintet Viva Voce, the musician and percussionist Vivi Vassileva and Carollina Bastos and Ariel Merkuri from the Bavarian State Ballet. The local TV stations TV Mainfranken, TV Oberfranken, Oberpfalz TV, TVA Regensburg and Niederbayern TV will broadcast the award ceremony live on their programmes.

The Bavarian Culture Prize is awarded by the Bayernwerk together with the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and Art. In the science section, the 33 best university and college graduates in Bavaria are also honoured: “In these difficult times, we particularly notice how valuable, indispensable and worth supporting culture and science in all their facets are. The Bavarian Culture Prize is a thank you to the people who make such a rich gift to our society with their work in art, culture and science,” explains Reimund Gotzel.

An award with history

For more than 60 years, Bayernwerk has been committed to cultural and scientific commitment and honours it with the Bavarian Culture Prize. The prize was awarded for the first time in 1959 - initially only in Eastern Bavaria. Since 2005, Bayernwerk has been awarding the prize throughout Bavaria together with the State Ministry of Science and Art. All prize winners receive the bronze statue “Gedankenblitz”, created by the Schwandorf sculptor Peter Mayer, and prize money. While an expert jury selects the five art prize winners, the Bavarian state colleges and universities nominate their best graduates and doctoral candidates. The Bavarian State Ministry of Science and Art also awards a special prize to an artist.

The Los Angeles Crime & Horror Film Festival took place on Wednesday, 4 November and Thursday, 5 November. There Maximilian Stahl, media technology graduate from the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT), was awarded for the short film “Accept”.

The script of the film was written and directed by Manuel Klavers. But the jury especially liked the image design of “Accept”, which was created by Maximilian Stahl. He had been involved in the film with the concept, camera work, lighting design, colour grading and visual effects, i.e. the entire image design. The jury honoured the outstanding work of the DIT alumnus with the award for “Best Cinematography” on the first day of the festival.

The short film “Accept” submitted by the people from Deggendorf is assigned to the genres horror and thriller and is about a young woman who sees uncanny characters. Her father also had this gift and was broken by it. In the film she learns to accept herself and this peculiarity.

The Los Angeles Crime & Horror Film Festival takes place annually in Los Angeles, with film screenings in Hollywood. Due to the prevailing pandemic, this year’s festival was held virtually. A total of 13 films from various genres were show. The Los Angeles Crime & Horror Film Festival has made it its mission to show and celebrate the best of independent crime and horror films and the many sub-genres of crime fiction, true crime and psychological horror in film and new media.

Encouraged by the current situation, the focus is currently on the healthcare system and how to provide rapid medical care. To this end, the online event "Digital Health Care" of the European Campus Rottal-Inn (ECRI) in cooperation with the European Region Danube-Moldova (EDM) will take place on 12 November from 8.50 to 13.30. Anyone who is interested can register now.

The times are up for a storm and new, innovative solutions in the health care sector are in demand. In rural areas in particular, it is becoming increasingly difficult to provide medical care that is tailored to the needs of people living close to their homes. Where is the research currently at and what solutions for digital health care are already being implemented by industry? Bavarian, Austrian and Czech experts from the fields of medicine, business and science will provide a look behind the scenes to answer these questions. The online conference "Digital Health Care" will focus in particular on digitalisation in cardiology, Covid-19 as an innovation driver for research and business, and the future of cross-border health care in Bavaria, Austria and the Czech Republic.

The online event is free of charge. It will be held bilingually, in German and Czech, with simultaneous translation. Those interested can register for the conference via the homepage of the Danube-Moldova European Region (https://bit.ly/3oRZftA).

The online event "Digital Health Care" is organised by ECRI together with EDM. EDM is a trilateral working group with seven partner regions in Bavaria, Austria and the Czech Republic. EDM is dedicated to promoting cooperation and the further development of the EDM area. The focus is on Industry 4.0, Health, Tourism and Language.

On 27 November at 1 pm, the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) offers access to the next TOEIC test (Test of English for International Communication). For almost 40 years this has been in demand as proof of job-related English. The test serves both employees and educational institutions worldwide as a standard for reliable proof of English language skills.

The TOEIC Listening & Reading Online covers both listening and reading comprehension. The two-hour, multiple choice test is taken on the computer. The special feature of this test is that it simultaneously tests language levels from A1 to C1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Each candidate is placed exactly in their respective language level and receives a result - there is no failing. However, there is a compulsory trial date. This is on Friday, 20 November, also at 1 pm. The number of participants for the examinations is limited. Registration is possible until 13 November at sprachenzentrum@th-deg.de. The examination fee is 130 euros or 150 euros if a certificate is desired. Further information is available on the THD website at: https://th-deg.de/de/studierende/sprachkurse-awp-faecher#accordion-toeic.

The Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) is system accredited. Over a period of several months, an agency appointed for this purpose put the university through all the relevant tests. The result: the quality is right. Studies and teaching meet the highest standards.

Currently, only 22 percent of all recognised universities in Germany are system accredited. Science minister Bernd Sibler congratulated DIT on its success. He stressed: “The Deggendorf Institute of Technology with its nine technology transfer centres at ten locations and the European Campus Rottal-Inn in Pfarrkirchen is an innovation driver for the whole of Lower Bavaria. It is a constant in the Bavarian university landscape. Here young people are given high-quality training in order to help shape our progress and our future as the competent specialists of tomorrow. The successful system accreditation confirms this. Everyone involved can be very proud of this!” During system accreditations, the university’s internal quality management system is examined for its suitability. This means that the higher education institution must prove to selected experts that structures exist which ensure the quality of the study programmes. The standards are formed by legal requirements, decided upon by the Länder and the higher education institution’s own quality objectives, which must be taken into account. In 2018, DIT has submitted the application for the implementation of a system accreditation to the agency ASIIN. The higher education institution worked towards two major on-site appointments of the experts from then on. All committees, faculties, departments up to students were required. On 29 September 2020, the university received the official and positive decision of the experts. According to DIT president Prof Dr Peter Sperber, the effort for the system accreditation was worthwhile. In the future, costs and time could be saved. If the higher education institution were not system accredited, it would still have to have each study programme individually assessed by an agency. For the next six years, the university is now allowed to review the development of the study programmes with internal procedures. This is an advantage, for example, when introducing new study programmes, as Sperber continues: “System accreditation will allow the university to react even faster and more flexibly to the requirements of business and society in the future and to offer new study programmes of high quality that fit perfectly. The successful system accreditation is a major milestone. A step towards more personal responsibility, but also towards more autonomy.

On October 21, Prof. Dr. Dr. Ozar Mintser from the National Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education (NMAPE) in Kiev, Ukraine, visited the main campus of the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT), and the European Campus Rottal-Inn (ECRI) in Pfarrkirchen. On his working visit he discussed the prospects of the long-term cooperation of DIT-ECRI with NMAPE.

During the visit Prof. Mintser met with President of DIT, Prof. Sperber, Vice-President for Health Sciences, Prof. Kunhardt, and Prof. Chaltikyan, with whom he discussed the prospects of the long-term cooperation between the two institutions. Prof. Mintser then visited the campus in Pfarrkirchen where he met with ECRI Dean, Prof. Georg Christian Steckenbauer, Prof. Chaltikyan, Prof. Spittler (Program Coordinator, Bachelor of Health Informatics at DIT-ECRI), as well as teaching and research staff of Digital Health, Medical and Health Informatics. During his stay at ECRI Prof. Mintser presented on NMAPE, as well as on advances in Medical Informatics education and research at his institution. The participants then discussed the practical aspects of the cooperation that will include the following main directions: bilateral exchange of students and staff (academic mobility), joint research project and activities, and double-degree study programmes. The parties also discussed a possibility of establishing a new joint satellite campus for Digital Health and Medical Tourism in Western Ukraine.

NMAPE and DIT-ECRI had signed a Memorandum of Understanding and a Cooperation Agreement earlier this year, to advance collaboration in education, research, and development in the domains of Digital Health, Medical and Health Informatics, as well as Medical, Health and Wellness Tourism. Prof. Ozar Mintser (Head of Department of Medical Informatics at NMAPE) and Prof. Georgi Chaltikyan (Program Coordinator, Master of Medical Informatics at DIT-ECRI) first established contact and began designing a collaboration plan in March 2020. They prepared and finalized a set of high-level documents, such as the Memorandum of Understanding, and then organized the working visit of Prof. Mintser to DIT-ECRI.

Established in 1918, NMAPE is one of the leading institutions in Ukraine in medical education and training and biomedical research, serving more than 25,000 physicians and medical graduates each year through postgraduate degree programmes, and certificate programmes in Continuous Medical Education (CME).

Current short films by students of the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) will be shown at internationally renowned film festivals in Hof, Munich and Fort Lauderdale (Florida, USA) in autumn. All festivals offer their programmes online. Thus, they are accessible to the audience in Bavaria.

Filmmakers like Wim Wenders, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Werner Herzog, Caroline Link or Doris Dörrie have presented their films at the International Hof Film Festival in the past. At the 54th edition of this event from 20 to 25 October, media technology students from DIT will now also be allowed to take part. “Accept”, the bachelor thesis of Manuel Klavers, Maximilian Stahl and Paul Bickhoff has been invited to the short film programme of Germany’s oldest and most renowned film festival. But that’s not all, as Jens Schanze, professor for film and video design at DIT proudly explains: “The team around author and directory Manuel Klavers will also be participating in the 35th Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (6 - 22 November, https://fliff.com/2020filmguide). “Accept” has also made it to Florida, where film entrepreneurs like Martin Scorsese, John Schlesinger, Spike Lee and Ben Kingsley have already been guests”.

The mystery drama “Accept” by the students from Deggendorf tells the story of a girl who hides her true self after the death of her father in order to be able to lead a normal life with her family. When she is pursued by threatening figures, she has to face her fears and learn to accept herself. The film was shot with elaborate equipment in the historical setting of the Oberpfälzer Freilandmuseum.

The new film was also invited to Hof by Prof Schanze. The 30-minute documentary film “Stolz auf dich” portrays a 17-year-old schoolgirl from Deggendorf who wants to make her dream of becoming a kickboxing champion come true. At both European Championships in Macedonia, she will be wearing the jersey of the German national team for her first fight. The film is also part of the programme of the 63rd International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animation film.

The short film “2100” by director Lea Blöchinger, which was made during the master’s seminar “Short film” at DIT, was invited to the competition for the Climate Clip Award 2020 at the International Festival of Film Schools. The film is a dystopia of human existence in the year 2100 against the background of global warming. Master student Regina Portje and her fellow students Tim Miller, Moritz Grötsch, Alexander Steil and Lukas Haselberger also took part in the production. Every autumn, a selection of the best films produced at film schools around the world is presented in Munich.

Dr Matthias Huber has been appointed new professor at the European Campus Rottal-Inn (ECRI) in Pfarrkirchen for the winter semester 2020/2021. He will take over the teaching area “Computer Science and Modelling/Energy Systems and Intelligent Buildings”. And he has even more plans. He would like to create a Living Lab for intelligent energy systems in the soon to be newly constructed buildings in Pfarrkirchen, where researchers from science and practice can come together.

Research at the interface between technology and economics with a focus on mathematical modelling, simulation and optimisation is Matthias Huber’s specialty. It all began for him with a double degree in mechanical engineering/energy technology at the Technical University of Munich and economics at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich. After a short detour as management consultant with the Boston Consulting Group, he also completed his doctorate in the field of energy system optimisation at the TU Munich. He explains his research activities as follows: “We use mathematical models to represent reality. This is possible for both (energy) technical and economic systems. The mathematical models enable simulation and optimisation procedures”. In addition, new methods of machine learning, i.e. artificial intelligence, play an increasingly important role. This approach is relevant, for example, in the field of renewable energies, both to plan the installed capacities first and to optimise operation. After a phase at the Ifo Institute in Munich, Matthias Huber moved to Siemens AG, where he worked in central research for energy systems.

With the goal of a Living Lab in Pfarrkirchen, Matthias Huber is taking up his area of expertise 100 percent. If he has his way, an intelligent energy system, including a local energy market, is to be created in which both the campus as a smart building and local operators of photovoltaic or combined heat and power plants could participate. The design of such market places is an exciting field of research, he says. He also finds the interface of energy issues with other sectors such as buildings, innovative transport concepts and the importance of energy in agriculture, including new ideas such as vertical farming, interesting.

He is very much looking forward to his time at the European Campus. As a professor, he sees his success in inspiring and educating young people to such an extent that they can successfully go through their professional lives themselves. The native Bavarian is also looking forward to the international environment. Even during his doctorate, he was already travelling internationally in Singapore, Austin and Stanford.

Today, the father of three children prefers to spend his free time outdoors in nature. Hiking, cycling and skiing are among his hobbies. In the evenings he likes to play a round of Schafkopf or let the day come to an end in the beer garden.

With its new incubator programme "Kickstart", the Startup Campus of the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) promotes unique projects and further expands the start-up culture at DIT.

The new programme "Kickstart" refers to the pre-founding phase and prepares students, employees and alumni of DIT and EXIST start-up grant in six months. Thanks to the programme funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the "Kickstart" projects can count on support of up to € 7,500 for the construction of a prototype. In addition, participants will be given access to the creative working environment in the new DIT Startup Lab and coaching by the experts of the Startup Campus Team.

With the first "Kickstart" project "fx-drones" by Daniel Fuchs, a 360° video drone is promoted, which is especially designed for indoor recordings. At less than 250g, the drone is so light and manoeuvrable that it is able to fly through small openings, windows or shelves and also over sensitive places near people without any problems. For example, it can fly past the athletes at sporting events and even between the feet of the dancers at dance events. With this concept, Daniel Fuchs is one of the first people in Germany to receive funding from the programme. 

With the "scob" team, a second project has already been included in the "Kickstart" incubator programme. This is a career platform based on Artificial Intelligence, which helps companies and potential trainees to find each other and achieve the "perfect match" on the job market, so to speak. 

The newly created incubator programme "Kickstart" is aimed at all founders of tomorrow and once again underlines the pioneering role of the DIT Startup Campus in the start-up scene. Further information on the programme can be found at: https://th-deg.de/en/students/career/startup-campus.

On November 13th the European Campus Rottal-Inn (ECRI), faculty of Deggendorf Insitute of Technology (DIT), is hosting its international symposium “DigiHealthDay-2020” with internationally renowned speakers.

The “DigiHealthDay-2020” features speakers from Germany, UK, US, Finland, Czech Republic, Russia, Ukraine, and other countries. With nine keynote and impulse talks, and several scientific session, the day’s programme is packed with knowledge and information on the most relevant topics in Digital Health. The international symposium is an excellent opportunity for all Digital Health enthusiasts to learn more about the global Digital Health Landscape.

Given the continuing and worsening situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, the international symposium will take place in a virtual format, with live online presentations and discussion rooms. Attendence is free but requires registration. All registered participants will get full access to both live streams and video recordings. Register at https://www.th-deg.de/digihealthday until November 1st.

The “DigiHealthDay-2020” is hosted by ECRI in cooperation with our partners and sponsors: International Society for Telemedicine & eHealth (ISfTeH), International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA), European Federation for Medical Informatics (EFMI), DGTelemed, Bayerischer Telemedallianz (BTA), the City of Pfarrkirchen, m.Doc, and Digital Health News portal.

On Tuesday, 27 October 2020 at 5pm, the International Office of the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) - for the first time - will be organising a virtual Erzähl- and KULTURcafé, which will combine the traditional Erzählcafé from Deggendorf with the KULTURcafé of the European Campus Rottal-Inn (ECRI) in Pfarrkirchen.

Under the motto "My country and Germany / Presenting my country", international students report on their home countries. In three rounds of talks, the participants learn interesting, curious and exciting things about these countries and can test their knowledge.

Those interested in culture are cordially invited to the virtual Erzähl- and Kulturcafé. In addition to insights into the respective cultures, the lectures provide a wonderful basis for intercultural dialogue. Knowledge of English is required.

Interested parties can register until Friday, 23 October via e-mail to erzaehlcafe@th-deg.de. Registration is also possible for the next edition of the Erzähl- and KULTURcafé on Tuesday, 15 December under the motto "International Christmas".

How does learning go digital and with the help of artificial intelligence (AI)? Dr Christina Bauer, new professor at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT), knows the answer. As a specialist for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Teaching, she will develop and evaluate digital learning environments that react intelligently to users.

In recent months, digital teaching has suddenly moved into the spotlight thanks to Corona. This is an opportunity for society to continue dealing with it now, if Christina Bauer has her way. The AI and also digital teaching could support here! For example, one could provide the broad masses with simple information on socially important topics and individualise it. With regard to teaching, courses with the help of artificial intelligence can be much better tailored to the needs of learners. Either to supplement classroom teaching or to offer courses completely digitally. DIT will take this step in the long run. To this end, Christina Bauer will test, research and teach the use of artificial intelligence in digital teaching. Intelligent learning environments will be designed and investigated, e.g. in the form of intelligent tutorial systems or assessment systems. She has already set herself the goal of firmly anchoring digital teaching at DIT even after Corona: “And this as an important supplement to presence teaching, so-called blended learning.

Christina Bauer gained her experience primarily at the University of Regensburg. During her doctorate and later in projects as well as in teaching and as coordinator of the newly introduced Master’s programme Digital Humanities. She herself studied information science. In Deggendorf, she will work as a lecturer primarily at the Faculty of Applied Computer Science. In teaching, it is important to her to work in a structured way. She also likes to encourage and support students with her own ideas. She hopes to find like-minded people among the scientists when it comes to sharing knowledge. In her spare time, the young professor is involved in Scientists for Future. Scientists actively contribute the current state of their research field in a comprehensible form to the social debate on sustainability and securing the future.

The Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) and the Donau-Isar Clinic Deggendorf are cooperating to strengthen the academic training of health professions. On 6 October, Dr Inge Wolff, Director of the DONAUISAR Clinic, DIT president Prof Dr Sperber and DIT Vice president Prof Dr Horst Kunhardt signed a framework agreement describing the future cooperation. Above all, the interdisciplinary nature of the various health care professions will be the focus of attention. However, joint research projects will also be continues and new projects initiated.

The DONAUISAR Clinic is already closely linked to the university within the framework of the dual training in the fields of nursing and physiotherapy. In future, the focus of the cooperation will be on the new Bachelor’s degree course in Nursing & Care and the two courses of study Management in Health, Social and Rescue Services and Health Informatics. But also sports sciences. Furthermore, the new Bachelor’s programme Physician Assistant / Medical Assistant, which is planned to start next year, is already part of the framework agreement. The clinic will take on the function of a teaching institution of DIT. Practical relevance plays an essential role in this cooperative student education. With this cooperation, an important milestone is set in order to actively counteract the shortage of qualified nursing staff and to upgrade the content of these healthcare professions through a meaningful academisation, which is also standard in many other European countries.

The start-up “Easy2Parts” from the ranks of the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) is on course for success. After 18 months as a young entrepreneur, the founding team convinced the BayStartUp investor network. Several investors are providing funding because they believe in the idea of “Easy2Parts”. The team of the university’s start-up campus has supported the start-up from the very beginning and is eagerly following the next steps.

A supply chain platform that intelligently links buyers and suppliers and automates parts procurement in industrial production. That is the idea behind “Easy2Parts”. The founders Robert Hilmer, Sebastian Freund and Michael Neuhauser came together through the university. Robert Hilmer studied business management while working part-time, while Sebastian Freund first studied industrial engineering and then went on to study general management in an MBA programme. Michael Neuhauser is a graduate of the Applied Computer Science programme. The team of the DIT Start-Up Campus, especially Prof Dr Thomas Geiss, offered a contact point and personal support. Together they developed the business model for “Easy2Parts” and prepared an idea paper for the application for their first financing package, the EXIST start-up grant. With the start-up grant, a steep upward trend began in March 2019. Five other employees are now part of the “Easy2Parts” team, they have found their office space in the ITC1 start-up centre in Deggendorf and they have successfully completed the Business Plan Competition “Ideenreich 2020”. Seed financing, i.e. start-up capital from companies that see the future potential of Easy2Parts, will enable Robert, Sebastian and Michael to get off to a completely different start. They can also count on the support from DIT. The founding team was and is supported by two professors of DIT as mentors: Prof Dr-Ing Ludwig Gansauge, who has been researching the networking of manufacturing companies for more than 20 years and also has extensive knowledge and networks in mechanical engineering. And Prof Dr Herbert Fischer, who supports the founding team with regard to software development, ERP systems and data protection, among other things.

On 6 October the Research Centre for Modern Mobility (MoMo) opened in Plattling. It is the tenth Technology and Research Campus (TC) of the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT). Hans Schmalhofer, First Mayor of the town of Plattling, DIT President Prof Dr Peter Sperber and Science Minister Bernd Sibler welcomed the number of guests, which was limited to 40 due to the pandemic, and highlighted the great development potential for the town of Plattling associated with the MoMo. The TC will be working with an interdisciplinary approach, which includes and combines the fields of energy storage, power electronics, autonomous mobility and robotics as well as robot-based computer tomography.

Even though the establishment of the Technology Transfer Centre for Plattling represents a considerable investment, it is a right and important step for the development of the town, said Mayor Schmalhofer and added, not without pride: “Plattling will become a research location for a university – with a key technology of the future! Indeed, the constellation of a thematically very well coordinated research community together with the scientific competences at DIT is a unique selling point in the field of modern mobility. “This”, according to the operational director of the MoMo, graduate engineer Katrin Juds, “should be a good basis for further research alliances which can additionally strengthen the region economically.” Minister of State Sibler also praised DIT and its role as an important East Bavarian piece in the Bavarian High Tech Agenda. Sibler stressed: “Thinking progress from the region – that is the formula behind the new research centre ‘Modern Mobility’. With its long tradition as a railway town and transport hub, Plattling is an excellent location for working on the mobility of tomorrow. Our universities of applied sciences and technical universities are strong drivers of innovation. It is from here that the future is shaped – for the region, for Lower Bavaria and for Bavaria”.

The close networking with the Deggendorf Campus ensures a broad spectrum of research and development capacities, as with all TCs of DIT. This includes contract research, funded projects, bachelor and master theses or seminars and workshops. At the scientific level, the MoMo is closely linked to its mothership in Deggendorf, for example, in the areas of electromobility, fleet management, virtualisation of resources and services and intelligent energy information network (smart grid). “Promising options for regional structural support in all areas of mobility are associated with the MoMo”, confirmed DIT President Sperber. Otto Kreutzer, head of the Power Electronics Research Group, also sees an ideal composition to enable area-wide climate-neutral mobility one day, hopefully not too far away. “An innovation driver such as the MoMo will help to push the technological status of regional companies forward,” says Kreutzer.

Intelligent mobile robotics will also play an important role at TC Plattling. In this context, division manager Prof Dr-Ing Berthold Bäuml would like to “conduct research at a top international level.” This will be done in close cooperation with the Institute of Robotics of the German Aerospace Centre and the Technical University of Munich. “Through close cooperation with the local companies, we will transfer the research results into concrete applications,” says the professor. The current topics range from the autonomous vertically-launching VTOL drone for the early detection of forest fires and bark beetles, the intelligent robotic assistant in production to the humanoid service robot with arms and hands as a personal assistant for older people.

Computer tomography is a powerful imaging technique for the examination of a wide variety of materials, components and products. In the field of e-mobility, companies are breaking new ground in many respects. Prof Dr-Ing Jochen Hiller, research group leader of robot-based computed tomography, sees a great need for the use of the most modern measuring and testing methods to comply with safety and quality standards. “Due to the extraordinary future viability of 3D imaging in combination with robotics, we see the MoMo as a nucleus for a further campus. But also as an opportunity for company spin-offs,” says Hiller. He added that there is definitely a need for more companies in Germany dealing with imaging processes and intelligent robotics.

The ecumenical blessing of the building was performed by Dean Josef K Geismar and Pastor Karolin Gerleigner. Afterwards, architect Robert Brunner symbolically presented the key to the laboratory hall to the First Mayor of the town of Plattling. He finally places it in the hands of the DIT president as the actual user of the building. The MoMo was thus opened and went straight into working mode. With a guided tour of the research rooms and laboratories for the guests.

Learn more about the MoMo: https://www.th-deg.de/en/tc-plattling.

Info Box Technology Development at MoMo

Chemistry and technology of electrochemical energy storage (modern energy storage systems for mobile applications, grid stabilisation through storage solutions, improved battery storage systems, innovative energy storage systems, hybrid solutions for Deutsche Bahn) – Prof Dr techn Michael Sternad

Power electronics (high-performance charging stations in combination with storage solutions, DC/DC conversion in fuel cell systems, smart grid, power electronics in the environment of rail vehicles, etc) – Prof Dr Ing Otto Kreutzer

Solutions for autonomous driving (sensors, algorithms, networking in the vehicle, metrological function validation, … all topics around autonomous systems and autonomous driving) – Prof Thomas Limbrunner

Info Box Intelligent Autonomous Robotics and Computer-Aided Measurement Technology at MoMo

Robot-based computed tomography (3D digitalisation of large objects up to complete vehicles with the help of a robot-based digitalisation cell based on X-ray computed tomography) – Prof Dr Ing Jochen Hiller

Autonomous Intelligent Robots – Joint Research lab with DLR Institute of Robotics (Learning robots that independently perform complex tasks: from humanoid assistance robots for home, production or agriculture to autonomous exploration drones) – Prof Dr Ing Berthold Bäuml

The award-winning film production “Neighbours” by students of the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) will be shown on 6 October at the Deggendorf Cinema. The occasion is the “Week of Encounters” (Woche der Begegnungen) in Deggendorf. The date will be accompanied by the cabaret artist and actress Luise Kinseher.

The five video portraits of residents of the Deggendorf Anchor Centre show that every refugee has their own story and that generalised prejudices do not do justice to people. The videos were produced in cooperation between the Caritas asylum social counselling service and students of DIT in the “short film” course of the master’s course in Media Technology. The screening at the Lichtspielhaus Deggendorf is presented by Luise Kinseher. After the film screening there will be an audience discussion moderated by Luise Kinseher, in which the following people will participate:

• Fatou Lo (Senegal, protagonist)
• Christina Klee (BA, DIT student media technology)
• Moritz Ströer-Karuga (MA, DIT student media technology)
• Andreas Zilker (Caritas asylum counselling)
• Hans Jürgen Weißenborn (Managing Director Caritasverband für den Landkreis Deggendorf e.V.)
• Jens Schanze (Prof. Film & Video Design)

The performance on Tuesday 6 October will start at 6 pm. The entrance is free. Registration via e-mail at asyl@caritas-deggendorf.de is required.

On 21 October, the joint Business Information Technology Symposium of the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) and the OTH Regensburg will take place as an online event. The event with the focus on “Process Analytics” will be organised by the professors Dr Stephan Scheuerer (DIT) and Dr-Ing Frank Herrmann (OTH).

In accordance with the motto “from practice and science for practice”, speakers from renowned companies will give relevant specialist lectures. The topics will be “Production planning in the factory of the future” (The Boston Consulting Group GmbH), “Data-driven digitalisation of customer processes” (Conrad SE), “Optimisation of the allocation of tool magazines” (Siemens AG) and “Minimisation of set-up times through the use of simulation and optimisation (Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen GmbH). Participation in the event is free of charge, but formal registration is required. Further information is available at www.oth-regensburg.de/digitalisierung.

With the decision of the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) of 17 September, the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) with its European Campus Rottal-Inn (ECRI) was accepted as an “Affiliate Member of UNWTO” in the special organisation of the United Nations.

For DIT, admission to the UNWTO is a milestone which has a particularly positive effect on ECRI with its focus on Health Tourism. As a result, DIT is not only visible in the international environment of the UN, but as an affiliated member can access resources such as the e-library, statistics or materials of the UNWTO and use them for its teaching and research.

Membership in the UNWTO provides worldwide networking opportunities, which also benefit international students. This enables them to establish contact in the international tourism sector and to other members of the organisation already during their studies. Especially with regard to the UNWTO programmes on sustainable tourism development, students from the programme countries are offered a wide range of career opportunities after graduation.

As an affiliated member of the organisation, ECRI and DIT actively contribute to UNWTO’s objectives. Affiliated members are companies, educational and research institutions, tourism destinations and NGOs who enter into the dialogue via the UNWTO platform, exchange information and jointly pursue further steps towards the implementation of the goals pursued by UNWTO in the field of sustainable tourism development and jointly develop innovative products.

UNWTO is a specialised agency of the United Nations with headquarters in Madrid. Its mission is “to promote and develop tourism as a contribution to economic development, international understanding, peace, prosperity and respect for freedom, human rights for all without distinction of race, sex, language or religion”. In particular, UNWTO supports the interests of the developing countries and pursues in its work programme the improvement of the competitiveness of the tourism offers in the member states as well as safeguarding of sustainability and ethics in tourism.

Every year, many young people from all over the world come to the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT). They fulfil their dream of spending a semester abroad. DIT stands for international exchange, intercultural campus atmosphere and a lively welcoming culture. It is one of the most international universities of applied sciences in Bavaria. While some Bavarian universities have decided to cancel the entire student exchange programme for the winter semester 2020/2021 due to the Corona pandemic, DIT has remained open for this. On Monday, 28 September, the team of the International Office now welcomed 30 international exchange students.

DIT is networked with more than 190 partner universities worldwide. In principle, the university has made it possible for students to come to Deggendorf for an exchange semester for the winter semester 2020/2021. A quarter of the 120 young people who usually come to Deggendorf were welcomed by the International Office this year. Numerous precautions were taken in advance to protect all students and staff. A comprehensive hygiene concept was developed. Students from risk areas had to provide a negative corona test and a medical certificate confirming that they did not show any symptoms of an infection with SARS-CoV-2. In addition, the International Office has worked intensively in recent weeks on a virtual implementation of the orientation weeks. This traditional two-week introductory programme makes it easier for DIT guests to get started, familiarise themselves with their new “home” and helps them to make initial contacts. The hybrid of on-site events and virtual formats now offered students the opportunity for socialising while ensuring the highest security. Since personal contacts must be reduced to a minimum, a large proportion of the courses for guest students will also be offered virtually in the beginning of the winter semester 2020/2021. In order to ensure that there is nevertheless a direct exchange between German and international students, numerous opportunities for getting to know each other virtually are offered in addition to teaching.

The Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) is founding another Technology Campus (TC) in the district of Passau. The “Bavarian Centre for Digital Security” will be established in Vilshofen. It is intended to promote basic research and application-oriented research in the field of data security. In particular, for industrial plants and automobiles.

At a press conference of the city of Vilshofen on 17 September, Minister of State Bernd Sibler and DIT Vice President Prof Waldemar Berg, together with Mayor Florian Gams, announced the news. The approval of the city council followed a week later with a clear “Yes”. Construction work on the new building will begin in 2021 and the campus is expected to be operational as early as autumn 2022. From the university, Prof Dr Martin Schramm as head of the TC and Prof Dr Peter Ullrich will be coming to Vilshofen. Two further professors are to be appointed directly for the location after the opening of the TC Vilshofen. Up to 30 new jobs will be created. Positions for four engineers, up to four foremen, administrative staff and student assistants. Doctoral students are also to carry out research on site every once in a while. With its twelfth Technology Campus, the university is continuing a unique concept. Since 2009, DIT has successfully founded special research facilities. So far in the districts of Cham, Regen, Freyung-Grafenau, Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, Weissenburg-Gunzenhausen and Passau. Experts there develop application-specific special solutions in close cooperation with high-tech companies. At the centre of this institutional work is the symbiosis of scientific research and its economic application. This close cooperation dynamises the regional economy and sets novel technological accents far removed from urban areas. Companies benefit from access to the laboratory and research capacities of DIT, and valuable industrial contacts are created for research interns and prospective graduates.

Almost every day we hear about new breakthroughs in research and development on artificial intelligence (AI). The exciting question is and remains, however, what about their implementation in companies? A four-day block event was held for the first time in September 2020 at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT). The students first learned about the basics of AI innovation management and then tested in case studies the identification of AI potential and the introduction of AI in companies. This course is probably unique, not only in Germany. It was led by Prof Dr Patrick Glauner.

Various studies conclude that currently about 80 percent of AI developments in companies do not yet create financial value or do not lead to marketable product or services. “There are many reasons for this,” explains Glauner. “One of the reasons is that classical AI teaching often only deals with purely technical aspects and ignores business management aspects”. The AI bachelor’s programme at DIT therefore offers a globally unique course on “AI Innovation Management” in addition to numerous technical courses. “By this we close this gap. We teach students what the typical challenges in companies are when introducing AI and how these challenges can be solved,” reports Glauner.

Course participant Ursula Pähler was impressed: “The course allowed me to draw parallels and differences to classical innovation management in other areas. This made me aware of the existing challenges, especially when introducing AI”. Ralf Minge, who is studying part-time, now feels much better equipped for the value-added implementation of AI in companies: “This course very impressively closes the gap between academic research on AI and its effective application in companies. I can now start directly with the value-adding implementation of AI”.

Since last year, DIT has been offering the Bachelor’s programme “Artificial Intelligence”. In October 2020, around 90 more young people will begin their studies. If you have any questions on topics related to innovation and AI, Prof Glauner can also be contacted directly at patrick.glauner@th-deg.de at any time.

As one of five specific pilot regions, the densely wooded, touristically attractive Traunsee-Almtal region in Upper Austria is a partner of the “INTERREG Project AB291”, in which the European Campus Rottal-Inn (ECRI) in Pfarrkirchen is the lead partner.

The first project workshop took place on Tuesday, 15 September at the invitation of Mayor Wolfgang Bammer and the Traunsee-Almtal Tourist Office in the municipal office of Grünau im Almtal. In addition to the five-member project team, which will oversee the project until summer 2020, the workshop focused in particular on the invited experts from the fields of forests, health and tourism. With their many years of competence and expertise, they are making a significant contribution to the joint development of ideas and approaches on how forest and natural areas can be used for health tourism in the specific context of the municipality of Grünau and in the pilot region Traunsee-Almtal. The premise is always to create added value for local providers and stakeholders as well as visitors and guests without damaging natural resources.

In an initial three groups and a subsequent joint discussion round, the 17 workshop participants gathered important findings and assessments on future target groups, nature-related service options or necessary structures and partnerships, which are fundamental for the sustainable use of forests in the future. Prof Dr Christian Steckenbauer, Dean of ECRI and experienced tourism expert, was the host.

The results of the workshop will be used to derive specific offers and products for Grünau and the Traunsee-Almtal pilot region, but together with the findinds from the other four pilot regions, they will also be made fundamentally transferable and applicable to corresponding destinations. Prof Steckenbauer also sees this as an important step for the future: “In view of social change and changing travel motives, the development of new offers in the area of forest & health is of enormous importance – even more so as a result of the Corona pandemic”.

In an interdisciplinary, cross-border project consortium consisting of a total of 14 well-known partners, this ambitious project is approaching the subject of “forests, health and tourism” from various angles and is developing sustainable approaches in five selected pilot regions (in addition to the Traunsee-Almtal, also the Tennengau, Bad Birnbach, Neureichenau, Braunau-Simbach) on how local forest and associated natural areas can be used for health tourism.

Last Tuesday, the Department of Digitalisation and Innovative Teaching at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) organised a DigiCamp especially for teachers of all school types. The topic was: “Teaching in the digital age: Blended Learning for teachers”. 70 guests took tools and techniques for the new school year with them and had the opportunity to exchange views on success factors of digital teaching. Dues to the great demand, the virtual event will be repeated on 13 October from 5 pm.

Dr Karina Fisch, host and expert for digital teaching, is looking forward to exchange with the teachers: “The virtual DigiCamp is intended to help teachers to gather new ideas for teaching and to get to know various didactic tools in order to successfully master the balancing act between face-to-face teaching and virtual learning in teaching”. Especially now, during the Corona pandemic, teachers must be able to switch quickly between face-to-face teaching and digital teaching and link content in order to be able to react quickly in the event of a class being quarantined.

In addition to Dr Karina Fisch, the academic staff of the Department of Digitalisation and Innovative Teaching, Caroline Weber and Theresa Bauer, will present various tools and theis use in a learning scenario for digital teaching. Nursing educator and DIT professor, Prof Dr Doris Eberhardt, will give insights into her wealth of experience from the last Flexi semester and derive best practice examples from it. The DigiCamp will conclude with a question and answer session and an exchange of experiences between all participants.

The target group of the DigiCamp are teachers of all school types who would like to meet the opportunities and challenges of digital teaching as well as the interested public. Information on the detailed programme and registration can be obtained at sabrina.ebner@th-deg.de.

Software for IT security may soon come from Deggendorf. The Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) is currently supervising the start-up company XENTEC. Financed by a scholarship, the two-member founding team wants to build up an IT security company. Initial product tests with pilot customers are already underway.

Nicolai Roider and Sebastian Schreiner want to create maximum IT security in all areas of the software industry and their own company. Their first product is to be a software with which other software manufacturers can protect their product. The mission is to set a new standard in data encryption and data protection.

They are supported by the DIT Start-up Campus, the Hans Lindner Foundation and by an EXIST start-up grant from the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy. The two founders have already achieved quite a bit in their first half year as scholarship holders. The first Xentec product is patent pending. Initial tests have shown a positive response from pilot customers. Their feedback is currently flowing into the further development of the software. Anyone looking for Xentex on the Internet will have to be patient a little longer. The development work currently requires the full attention of the two founders.

The team of the DIT Start-up Campus is always open for innovative ideas. If you would like to become a founder, you can contact us via e-mail startupcampus@th-deg.de.

Interested in programming or business administration, technical mechanics or basics for engineers? At the European Campus Rottal-Inn the early study programme, which has been established for several years, will start at the beginning of the new winter semester. Talented and motivated students from the 10th grade onwards can enrol there for lectures in selected subjects and thus get a taste for the university atmosphere while still at school.

Since the campus is international, all lectures are held in English. Those who have the courage to do so can take an exam at the end of the semester. If the exam is passed, the ECTS credits (credit points earned during the course of study) can be credited towards a later degree programme. And if you notice that the effort involved is too great, or that the subject is not the right one, you can cancel your registration at any time without any problems. Courses are also offered at flexible times and locations – an alternative to classroom lectures, especially during Corona times.

Registration is possible until 28 September. The early study programme is organised and supervised by the STEM team at Deggendorf Institute of Technology. Further information on the early study programme, the application procedure and the complete range of courses can be found on the Internet through this link or directly from Andrea Ebertseder (andrea.ebertseder@th-deg.de or phone: +49 991 3615 8863).

The Department of Digitalisation and Innovative Teaching at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) and the head of the event, Prof Dr Patrick Glauner, invite you to the German-speaking virtual DigiCamp “DigiFitnessCheck”. Glauner is looking forward to the exchange with company representatives from the region: “Digitalisation is the order of the day. But most companies do not know how to get fit digitally and what needs to be taken into account. How do you proceed correctly and with what plan? This is exactly the question we will answer at DigiCamp”.

Often a successful implementation of digitalisation fails because of an individual strategy, because digitalisation is much more than the usual online trade and its ERP processes. It is necessary to identify optimisation potentials along the value chain and in the product portfolio, which bring functional or cost advantages. Glauner explains: “Pragmatic actionism is just as nonsensical as an overly complex digitalisation vision”.

In addition to the head of the event and AI expert, Prof Dr Patrick Glauner, consultant and company coach, Markus Kammermeier from Change42 GmbH, will provide insights into how companies can be among the winners of digital transformation.

The target group of the DigiCamp are all companies that want to develop an adapted and individual digitalisation strategy for themselves in order to successfully face the digital future as well as the interested public.

Prof Dr Thorsten Gerdes heads the Keylab Glass Technology at the University of Bayreuth and is Scientific Director at the Technology User Centre (TAZ) in Spiegelau, which is part of the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT). The professor has now been nominated for the final round of the German Future Prize of the Federal President in cooperation with the industrial partners Dyneon/3M and Maxit at the Deutsches Museum in Munich.

On the occasion of the announcement of the three nominated projects on 9 September, Bavaria’s Science Minister Bernd Sibler emphasised the value of research: “Without our researchers and developers, without their spirit of innovation and vision of the future, we cannot find answers to the pressing questions of our time. I am very grateful that they are developing ideas that can make our lives better in the future – and that worldwide. Visions for a better future also come from Bavaria: futurology research in all areas is carried out at our Bavarian universities. Future fields of technology play a special role here. The Minister was very pleased that one of the top three projects also comes from Bavaria. Energy efficiency and sustainability are forward-looking topics that must be dedicated to the coming generations with all their might.

The Federal President’s Science Prize is one of the most important science prizes in Germany. This year it will be awarded on 25 November in Berlin by Frank-Walter Steinmeier. By the way, live on ZDF. Three topics will then have the chance to win the € 250,000 prize money in addition to the scientific reputation: It’s about new developments in future information technology, automation in medicine and, of course, more climate-neutral construction.

The team around the speaker Dipl-Ing (FH) Friedbert Scharfe (Maxit), Dr rer nat Klaus Hintzer (Dyneon/3M) and Prof Dr-Ing Thorsten Gerdes for the system “ecosphere” – an innovative, environmentally friendly system of sprayable insulation with micro hollow glass beads, which was developed in a project between the partners and the Keylab Glass Technology of the University of Bayreuth, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

This is where DIT and TAZ Spiegelau come in. Within the framework of the recently launched “Micro-Bubble” project – also a BMBF-funded project – research is already being conducted on the next generation of building insulation. The basis for his continues to the hollow micro-bubbles. The aim of the researchers in Eastern Bavaria and Upper Franconia is to achieve a further improvement in the production process for this lightweight material.

The Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) has been intensively promoting the use of digital teaching for years before the corona pandemic. This commitment has now been rewarded with a grant of € 182,000 for DIT projects from the Virtual University of Bavaria (vhb). 

The digital courses offered via the SMART vhb platform gained in importance due to the cancellation of classroom teaching this summer semester. DIT already offers 28 vhb courses online, which were used by other universities of applied sciences, especially during the corona semester, and were applied in teaching. The notification of the vhb's support of € 182,000, which corresponds to 20% of the total funding of the latest SMART vhb funding round, will further expand DIT's digital teaching. Over the coming months, a total of ten courses will be developed and, from the 2021/2022 winter semester onwards, will be made available via the SMART vhb platform. The online courses range from the introduction to programming with Python, Java programming, programming concepts, computer science concepts, hardware design, foundations of informatics, AI applications and logic in artificial intelligence to engineering mechanics, dynamics and risk management. The development of these new SMART vhb projects is organised by Prof Dr Dr Heribert Popp, vhb representative of the unversity and project manager Dr-Ing Monica Ciolacu.

At DIT, the vhb representative, Prof Popp, has been substituting 50% of teaching in all his modules with digital teaching for 13 years now. In his digital course, he tested artificial intelligence (AI) methods by which digital teaching materials adapt to the level of knowledge of the students at the beginning of the course. Popp also uses an AI-based early warning system in his vhb courses, which sends a warning e-mail to students at risk. As a result, the failure rate could be almost halved.

The SMART vhb platform manages online learning units that can be flexibly integrated into the students' own teaching. These digital learning units start with the learning goals and are composed of different materials such as videos, text elements, self-tests or simulations.

Founding team of the Startup Campus of the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) receives an EXIST founding grant of € 117,000 for the idea of the agricultural robot SEPP.

The idea is simple and ingenious: a robot that takes care of the domestic vegetable garden. The useful helper will make it easier for garden owners who do not have the time to regularly water or weed their garden. This is the vision of Andreas Stockinger and his two founding colleagues Niklas Rohne and Martin Seidl. With this idea, the team approached the DIT's Startup Campus and, with its support, received an EXIST start-up grant.

Supported by the scholarship in the amount of € 117,000, the prospective founders now have twelve months to turn the vision of the agricultural robot SEPP into a marketable product. During the development of the robot, the construction of the first prototypes up to the planning of a serial production, the founding team can count on the support of DIT and its Startup Campus, no matter if it is the solution of technical problems or the production of single metal components. If everything goes according to plan, home gardeners can hope for a significant reduction in workload because of SEPP for the 2022 gardening season.

The founders will be supported by their mentor Prof Dr Wolfgang Dorner and the DIT Startup Campus. The team of founders will move into the Startup Lab of the Startup Campus as their workplace during the funding period. The DIT's Startup Campus supports students, employees and alumni of the university in all phases of a business start-up.

The EXIST founding scholarship is funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy and the European Social Fund. In addition to students, the scholarship also supports graduates and scientists who want to implement their founding idea with a business plan.

There was a lot to discover, explore and build again this year during the holiday programme of the STEM project at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT). There was a great rush for the three events. In addition to the regular dates, two more dates were offered.

The holiday programme started with the "Planetary researchers". Here, 20 girls between the ages of eight and ten used the opportunity to use Lego WeDo to build the small Mars probe "Milo". First of all, they took a close look at the solar system and puzzled over what a robot like this must be able to do in order to be sent on a Mars mission. Terms like solar panels, cameras, gripper arms and transmitters came into play here. After construction, the little Mars robot was set in motion by means of graphic programming. To enable the robot to detect obstacles and send signals to Earth, sensors were installed and programmed accordingly. The participating girls worked with great dedication, resulting in very creative robot designs. 

The second holiday programme was under the motto "Build yourself an artifical hand". The approximately 20 students, ages 12 to 14 years, were given the taks of designing and building an artificial hand made of Lego Spike Prime parts. A large number of components, sensors and motors were available for this. The creative and fully functioning robot hands and gripper arms were tested in action by means of graphic programming. 

During the all-day programme "Get to know the exciting world of computer science", the pupils from grade 8 onwards had the possibility to program a text-based Lego-Mindstorm robot. In the second part of the programme, an app was developed which can be used to control the robot. In between, there were exciting discussions about the use of robots. In addition, the students used the opportunity to exchange their own experiences in the field of virtual teaching and learning through the Internet with students.

The DIT holiday programme always takes place during the summer holidays and most other school holidays and is aimed at students with an interest in STEM topics. The programme is organised and carried out by the STEM project of the university. This summer the organisers Tanja Zellner and Anna-Katharina Kaiser were actively supported by Irina Sigl, media technology student. 

On September 8th, the intensive language courses at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) will start again. External interested people are also welcome to improve their language skills, as there are still places available for one-week courses!

Whether Spanish, French, Italian, Chinese, Business English or Russian, DIT offers beginner and practice courses for numerous languages. They will probably consist of virutal sessions and self-study phases, depending on the situation. The language courses are offered over a period of three weeks, with one course lasting one week and comprising a total of 30 teaching units. The courses take place on weekdays, from Monday to Friday. The course fee for pupils, apprentices and students (also from other universities) is € 39, for all other participants € 120. On the last day of the language course is a final examination, with the passing of which the participants receive a certificate of the language level achieved.

Interested people can find the exact course offer and all other important information about the intensive language courses at https://www.th-deg.de/en/students/language-electives#intensive-courses
Registration is possible via e-mail to the DIT language centre: sprachenzentrum@th-deg.de

The European Campus Rottal-Inn (ECRI) invited its partners from Bad Birnbach to the campus as part of the joint INTERREG project "Network for Health Tourism in Forests".

For a joint update on the Bad Birnbach pilot region and the coordination of further steps, the lead partner ECRI warmly welcomed the Bad Birnbach delegation consisting of Director Viktor Gröll from the spa administration, as well as the newly elected mayor Dagmar Feicht and her Managing Director Kurt Tweraser from the municipality to the campus on Friday, 31 July.

In addition to discussing and coordinating the current project, host Dean Prof Dr Steckenbauer and his team also took the opportunity to show the guests from Bad Birnbach the new campus building Sustainability and Innovation Lab Centre (SILC) and especially the techniqual equipment of the new tourism laboratory.

ECRI's expertise and the training of its students in the field of "health sciences", "tourism" and "sustainable construction" quickly led to the identification of many other points of contact for joint projects and cooperation with the thermal spa town of Bad Birnbach - synergies for both sides which they would like to make greater use of in future.

As one of the five specific pilot regions, the municipality of Bad Birnbach is a partner in the "INTERREG Project AB291 - Network for Health Tourism in Forests", in which ECRI has taken on the role of lead partner in Pfarrkirchen. Other pilot regions in the project area between Bavaria and Atria are Neureichenau, Braunau - Simbach, Traunsee - Almtal and Tennengau.

In an interdisciplinary, cross-border project consortium consisting of a total of 14 well-known partners, this ambitious project approaches the subject are of "forests, health and tourism" from various perspectives and jointly develops sustainable approaches in the five pilot regions on how local forests and associated natural areas can be used for health tourism. 

If you want to study at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) from the winter semester onwards, you should make your choice now. The application period ends on 20 August, 2020. Until then, everything is possible.

Due to the corona pandemic and the late graduation from high school, the application period for studying at DIT and its English-speaking European Campus Rottal-Inn (ECRI) in Pfarrkirchen has been extended this year. But in just under three weeks, time will run out. Only a few days ago, Science Minister Bernd Sibler announced the modalities for the winter semester. Of course, this is always subject to the current infection situation. However, the goal is to start the semester as analogue as possible; after the summer semester has been completely digital. At DIT, as at many other universities, priority is given to first year students. "It is especially important for first-year students to get used to their university and campus. Presence is simply the most important part", says DIT's president Prof Dr Peter Sperber. He is very much looking forward to welcoming new students to his university. First semester day is 1 October, 2020.

Until then, however, it is time for all those who are undecided: Check the course offerings and apply. DIT offers an enormously broad portfolio ranging from successful classics, such as Business Administration, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, to new courses of study, such as E-Mobility, Artificial Intelligence or Nursing. At ECRI, an English only Campus, the focus lies on Tourism Management, Digital Health, Engineering and Healthy and Sustainable Construction. All embedded in a strong network of regional and supra-regional research and diverse cooperation with numerous partners from the industry. These are the best conditions for a successful career. Here you go: https://www.th-deg.de/en/apply . 

Nothing we wear on our bodies is more contaminated with viruses and bacteria than our mobile phones. "CuCase", a start-up from the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) launched a smartphone case that addresses this very problem. The special thing about it is that the copper alloy used is also effective against the SARS-CoV-2 corona virus.

Antibacterial mobile phone sleeves are already available. No surprise! We touch our smartphones up to 2,500 times per day, on wich an average of 100 different types of bacteria are found - not counting viruses. A market with growth potential. "Our phone case consists of a special copper alloy," explains Dennis Gerdts, inventor of the product and responsible for research and development at CuCase. "Copper," says the 24-year-old, "is one of the most effective materials in the fight against pathogenic germs. It eliminates more than 99% of bacteria." And it eliminates other microbes like the corona virus. Previous products do not have this important feature. Besides, their antibacterial effect diminishes over time. Due to the so-called halo effect of copper, which leads to up to 70% less microbes (viruses, bacteria and germs) settling in the immediate vicinity, the touch screen is also less contaminated when using a CuCase.

The Deggendorf-based company CuCase is still the only one in the world to pursue this approach - almost. Because the competition never sleeps. "At Vanderbuilt University in the USA are three students who are as far advanced as we are," reveals Gerdts. That's why we have to hurry. On 15 July, the distribution is finally supposed to get under way. For the market entry, most Apple iPhones will be covered first. However, other models are to follow soon. You buy the cases via the website of the Deggendorf start-up (www.cucase.de) and a few weeks later also via Amazon. Compared to conventional cases, the prices are in the middle segment. There is a special offer for the market launch. Also interesting: with every purchase of a CuCase you support Ärzte ohne Grenzen (Doctors without borders) in the fight against corona.

Besides Gerdts, Anton Dobler (25) and Marco Jülke (28) are also shareholders and managing directors of CuCase. Dobler, a prospective Master's graduate at DIT in Technology Management, is the Marketing and Sales Manager and sees himself as an interface between the economic and technical areas. Jülke, a graduate in Economics, is responsible for finances, administration, production and logistics. All three can look back on numerous practical experiences in renowned industrial companies and on well-known internet platforms.

The Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) is intensifying its foundation work. The thematic focus on start-up and start-up culture is to be expanded and the range of courses on offer, which up to now has mainly addressed students, is to be expanded. The team of DIT's Startup Campus has had almost € 900,000 at its disposal since April. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research supports the university's plan to promote entrepreneurial talent.

The Startup Campus team wants to create more start-ups and thus up to 1000 more high-tech jobs in the Deggendorf area in the next 10 years. Alfon Weinzierl says: "The work of the Startup Campus has so far been a cross-sectional function for many players in addition to their actual jobs and has been performed on top. With the successful project award we now also receive the necessary means and resources to take the DIT's start-up culture to the next level". According to Weinzierl, in comparison to the current situation, the Startup Campus will not only supervise the start-up and entrepreneurship teaching and student teams, but will also become a university-wide institution that is a contact point and home for founders at a central location and radiates into the rural region via the Technology Campuses. In future, the team will also be available to employees of the university. True to the motto "Wake up the founder in you!", everyone is invited to contact the Startup Campus team and develop their founding idea.

Many individual measures will now be implemented step by step. As a first necessary step, the team of DIT Startup Campus sees the development and renting of suitable premises close to the university to create a Startup Lab. Furthermore, it is planned to initiate a university incubator programme for the pre-foundation phase for university members, with which the university can then also financially support projects.

Since 2002, the university has successively built up its profile as a start-up university. Over the years, numerous successful business start-ups, activities and qualification offers have resulted, so that in 2017, the team of Startup Campus was finally formed from the Institute for Business start-ups of DIT as a central contact point. In the recently published WURI ranking, the university has attracted positive attention, particularly because of its start-up culture. The university can further strengthen its activities through the StartupLab@FH funding measure "Entrepreneurial thinking and scientific entrepreneurial spirit - freedom for research and start-ups at universities of applied sciences" of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

 

 

 

 

On Tuesday, 28 July, representatives of the European Campus Rottal-Inn (ECRI) met with the managing director of the Euregio office in Freyung, Kaspar Sammer, and the European Commission’s expert for territorial cooperation, Dirk Peters, to plan further steps of the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC).

During the campus tour at the ECRI, the guests were able to see for themselves the first university in Germany to be approved as an EGTC. The next steps were then discussed with President Prof. Dr. Peter Sperber, Head of Campus Prof. Dr. Horst Kunhardt, Dean Prof. Dr. Georg Christian Steckenbauer and University Coordinator Georg Riedl.

The main topics were the planned kick-off event in autumn together with the founding members of the EGTC, the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria and the Salzburg-based Alma Mater Europea, and the establishment and development of the EGTC in general. The main focus was to fill the existing structure with life in the future and to advance the goal of ECRI as a pioneer in bringing nations together. This underlines again ECRI's own claim to peacefully unite people of different nationalities under one roof, emphasised Dean Prof. Steckenbauer.  

With the EGTC, ECRI is not only more visible within the EU, but can also cooperate with other institutions across borders more easily than before. For this reason, the discussion focused on universities in other EU countries as future partners of the EGTC and the intention to establish and expand this partnership in the coming years. In this context, events on politics, economics and culture are also planned at ECRI in Pfarrkirchen, which will transport the "European spirit" to the region and convey European values to students.  

According to Euregio Managing Director Kaspar Sammer, the fact that the international campus is widely perceived positively by the population deserves special attention. This shows that the concept of territorial cooperation through the EGTC at ECRI is the proper step into the future.  

The EGTC is an instrument of the EU, which serves to promote cross-border, transnational or interregional cooperation within the EU. The EGTC acts as a legal entity and usually has members from at least two EU Member States, who define the objectives and tasks of the EGTC in a cooperation agreement.

The most recent participants of the Silicon Valley Program of the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) began their exciting nine-month journey in mid-July. They want to bring a business idea to the market and learn how to do it with help from the Silicon Valley Program. The role model is the Silicon Valley start-up scene in California, where the journey will continue for a week at the end of the certificate programme.

The eight groups laid the foundation for marketing their projects during the introductory week. Each project group got to know their mentor from Santa Clara University in Silicon Valley, California, via video conference. The American elite university has been a partner in the certificate programme since the beginning. Over the next nine months, the project groups will contact their mentors once a month via video conference and present the progress of their work. Prof Peter Schmieder, founder of the programme, and Alexander Dorn will support them in this process. In addition, the participants will be provided with working documents online via a learning platform.

The airm of the programme is to make the teams or their business ideas eligible for investment. The participants will be supervised until the final pitches, which will take place in March 2021 at Santa Clara University if the corona situation allows it. Often, howver, is is only then that the participants really get started. If investors are found when their business plans are presented, the dream of their own company could quickly come true, like it has for many previous participants. 

The documentary film "Neighbours - 5 Encounters with Residents of Ankerzentrum Deggendorf" ("Nachbarn - 5 Begegnungen mit Bewohnern des Ankerzentrums Deggendorf" in German) by Deggendorf Institute of Technology's (DIT) Media Production master students has been awarded at the Bavarian Children & Youth Film Festival. All eight winning films were announced on Saturday. "Neighbours" received the special award "Democracy" endowed with € 500. Patroness of the festival founded in 1989 is Carolina Trautner. the Bavarian Minister for Family, Labour and Social Affairs.

Since January 2015, there has been an initial reception facility in Deggendorf for asylum seekers. In 2018, it was converted to what is called an anchorage centre. The filmmakers of the master's programme wanted to know who the people are who live there. In cooperation with the Caritasverband for the Landkreis Deggendorf e.V. they have had conversations with the residents about their lives. This resulted in a video project under the direction of Prof Jens Schanze. The 33-minute film from 2019 consists of five short portraits. Due to the award of the Lower Bavarian Youth Film Prize 2019, the documentary qualified for the Bavarian Children & Youth Film Festival. 
The jury there said: "The award for democracy goes to a film which caused a long discussion among the jury; perhaps it was created to do exactly that. It's a film that needs to be dealt with in dialogue, which needs the discussion and is the initiator of thought and because it does this, we find it worthy of an award and an important contribution to democracy." The award ceremony was held last week in a small round on the campus in Deggendorf. During the encounter week (Woche der Begegnung) in October 2020, "Neighbours" can be seen again at the Deggendorf cinema. 

What exactly is Artificial Intelligence, also known as AI? In which way does AI influence our future, in Lower Bavaria, in the Bavarian Forest, or maybe even in Deggendorf. Prof Patrick Glauner from the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) can tell us more about it. 

Scientists found out, primal fears are connected to AI: surveillance, enslavement, loss of uniqueness/exceptionalism, as well as the end of free will. "Exaggerated", that's what Prof Glauner calls it, when you're talking about the end of free will, just because people follow the algorithms through internet or media ads. People will not be replaced by robots in the near future. But somehow, artificial intelligence seems to have escaped from blockbuster movies, like the genie from the bottle. The movies that gave us goosbumpbs: The Matrix, Minority Report or the Fritz Lang classic Metropolis from 1927 - one of the most important pieces in film art history.

"We've been able to use AI for pattern recognition in radiological diagnostics. A great enrichment for our healthcare in oncology," said Glauner, referring to a prime example of beneficial AI developments. In addition to a whole range of other applications already available today, artificial intelligence could certainly one day include all the useful connections between the unmanageable scientific disciplines and make them visible and usable again. The polymath from antiquity no longer exists. What does a virologist even know about AI, what does a computer scientist know about viruses? Certainly not enough. And those who don't know anything must believe everything. The data is here. More than enough, big data in fact. And big data is the food for meaningful AI.

Patrick Glauner has been a professor for artificial intelligence since the age of 30. Previously, he worked at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva and at Krones AG, among others. He has been working on artificial intelligence for ten years, most recently in particular on AI innovation management. In spring 2020 he published a book on this subject in cooperation with the Springer-Verlag: "Innovative Technologies for Market Leadership: Investing in the Future". 

The European Campus Rottal-Inn (ECRI) of the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) is making history with the approval of the "European Campus of Studies and Research" as a European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) as the only EGTC in Bavaria in the university sector.

The approval of the EGTC by the Government of the Upper Palatinate makes it easier for the university and its founding members, the Upper Austrian University of Applied Sciences (FH OÖ) and the Alma Mater Europea in Salzburg, to cooperate across European borders. More precisely, the EGTC makes it easier to submit European project applications in the higher education sector and thus to obtain funding, as Bavarian State Minister for Education and Culture, Bernd Sibler, points out.

For Professor Horst Kunhardt, head of the ECRI, the approval of the EGTC means that exchanges of students and professors with other universities will be strengthened, courses of study can be developed together with other universities and the exchange of knowledge will be promoted. This will make it easier in future to launch initiatives and research projects together. In particular, cooperation with other universities is an essential part of ECRI and is now gathering momentum.

As MEP Manfred Weber, who supported the project of campus leader Prof. Kunhardt and university coordinator Georg Riedl from the outset, emphasises, the EGTC will in future be of greater importance when it comes to cross-border projects and European funding. As a result, ECRI will be much more visible within the EU and will be increasingly perceived as a brand.

The EGTC is an instrument of the EU, which serves to promote cross-border, transnational or interregional cooperation within the EU. The EGTC acts as a legal entity and usually has members from at least two EU member states, who define the objectives and tasks of the EGTC in a cooperation agreement.

With the still valid hygiene measures in place, but a lot of motivation, the first lecture at the Technology Campus in Hutthurm started on Monday, June 8, 2020.

As a university of applied sciences, DIT's research work is always rooted in real-life cases. Since 2009, DIT has successively established 11 Technology Campuses in the neighbouring districts around Deggendorf where staff and students develop innovative solutions or products. All projects have the financial backing of businesses who aim to immediately integrate research results into their company structures or production lines to improve their products or manufacturing efficiency.

Nine students from different universities were able to attend the lecture of the scientific campus director Prof. Dr. Mathias Hartmann. With sufficient safety distance and hygiene measures in place, nothing stood in the way of the long-awaited attendance event.

The Technology Campus (TC) Hutthurm focuses on innovative solutions in plastics technologies and establishes efficiency through process development, lightweight construction and materials research.

The whole team at the TC is happy that the event could take place despite the current situation.

Deggendorf Institute of Technology’ impact is impressive at the newly introduced WURI (Worlds Universities with Real Impact) ranking, especially in the categories “Entrepreneurial Spirit” (Rank 8, worldwide) and “Student Mobility and Openness” (Rank 26, worldwide). DIT has achieved rank 43 in overall placings and is therefore within the top 50 most innovative universities worldwide, only beaten by the world’s most well-known universities such as Princeton, Berkeley, University of Tokyo, Stanford, Harvard or the MIT.

The WURI ranking is a new system, which evaluates universities’ innovation and sustainable values. Four criteria are in use for the evaluation.

Firstly, practical industrial success is valued, not the amount of scientific publications. Secondly, start-ups initiated by the universities, not entries of graduates into the working market, are important. Thirdly, social responsibility, ethical standards and integrity have a higher place in the ranking than the sole focus on pure knowledge and material success. Finally, mobility of students and the intellectual and academic cooperation across borders is taken into consideration.

DIT could score in all criteria. DIT president Prof. Peter Sperber stated, “Of course, this ranking doesn’t replace the traditional ratings, which rely especially on research performance and the classic methods of knowledge transfer.” But it’s a very important addition. Especially in worldwide times of crises and global discussions about equality and discrimination. “Entrepreneurship and open-mindedness are very important criteria for young people. We’re on the right track,” Sperber adds.

Until the end of the school year, schools can still register with the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) for the first virtual workshop of the STEM team. Under the motto “Everybody should have programmed once”, the STEM promotion started last October with the associated workshop offer, which is now being offered in an optimised version via video conference. From their own homes, pupils from the eighth grade onwards can programme an application for smartphones themselves. They are guided by students from the university.

Students from the secondary schools in Landau and Grafenau were the first to test the workshop at the Girls’Day Academy. Using the AppInventor platform from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), they developed and designed their own Android-enabled app and tested it directly on their own cell phones. Organiser Tanja Zellner is convinced of the virtual format: “The Girls’Day Academy is a great programme for female students who want to really try their hand at technology and science. Our 90-minute virtual workshop concept was a perfect fit for this.”
But not only participants of the Girls’Day Academy can programme with the MIT AppInventor for the first time, the workshop is offered to all school classes from the eighth grade upwards in the region. Interested teachers can now contact the STEM promotion team by email at mint@th-deg.de. According to Tanja Zellner, all that is needed is an appointment and the appropriate equipment, and off you go.
To enable the workshop to take place virtually, the STEM team was supported by tourism management student, Celine Münz. Together they made the programme fit for use on Microsoft teams. As a tutor, she is now looking forward to implementing the proven workshop concept in the virtual version: “We tutors are looking forward to many groups of students who want to take advantage of the offer before the end of the school year. The MIT AppInventor makes it possible to programme your own apps in a playful way, without requiring previous knowledge and the basics of a programming language”. In the meantime, the Association of STEM regions of the Körber foundation has also expressed its support for the workshop as a best practice example.

The Journal of Destination Marketing & Management (JDMM) awarded a paper submitted in collaboration with Professor Dr. Herntrei of the European Campus Rottal-Inn (ECRI) as Highly Commended Paper in its 2019 edition. The same paper has already won the price for “Best Scientific International Publication” at the Dies Academicus of the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT).

The JDMM received well over 500 submissions for its latest issue and after a close assessment of the papers, the jury awarded the paper “Cooperative resorts: An analysis of creative integration strategies in community destinations” as Highly Commended Paper in its 2019 edition. The awarded paper is a collaboration of ECRI’s Dr. Marcus Herntrei with Dr. Michael Volgger of Curtin University (Australia), Dr. Harald Pechlaner of Catholic University of Eichstaett-Ingolstadt (Germany) and manager in the tourism sector, Sabine Pichler, MSc. (Italy).

The paper not only introduces, but also empirically analyses cooperative resorts and their form of alliance. In addition, it analyses leadership on the destination level and argues that cooperative resorts indeed can promote leadership. It considers an increase in power imbalances and critically analyses negative impacts.

The JDMM is a quality publication in the domain of destination marketing and management that seeks to develop a robust theoretical understanding of destination marketing and management. Each year the JDMM selects and awards one paper with the Best Paper Award and two papers with the Highly Commended Paper Award. In celebration of the winners, the three winning papers are available on free-access basis until the end of 2020 on the JDMM’s website.

The new ZEIT study guide 2020/2021 with results of the CHE university ranking has been available since the beginning of May. Once again, students have also evaluated study courses at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT). The latest results can be found in the subjects Business Administration, Economics, Business Informatics, Industrial Engineering and Management and Organisational and Economic Psychology.

Especially the results for Organisational and Economic Psychology should be interesting. This year, they were included in the CHE university ranking for the first time. At DIT, students rated the library equipment and the support for studying abroad in this subject as very good. But DIT's ranking is also very impressive in all other categories and courses of study. In the current issue of the Zeit Studienführer and on Zeit online, earlier results in the subjects civil engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, mechanical engineering, mechatronics, nursing science, technical physics and environmental engineering can also be found. The ZEIT Studienführer is a popular accompanying medium for choosing a course of study. From choosing the right subject, through the application phase to the start of your studies, you will find a lot of information for a successful start into the future.

In the run-up to the International Scientific Symposium DigiHealthDay-2020 hosted by the European Campus Rottal-Inn (ECRI), the organizers offer a range of attractive pre-meeting workshops. Due to the current lockdown the on site workshops were converted into virtual ones and are now open for registration.

The next upcoming workshop is about “Data Integration and Interoperability” and will take place from May 11 to 13. The three-day workshop will be hosted by ECRI graduate Jonathan Okereke, Assistant Head of the Medical Data Integration Center, MeDIC, and Platform Architect (SOA) at University Medical Center Cologne, and the ECRI research associates Fernando Portilla and Samir Irshaid.

There is also a one-day workshop called “Introduction to Amazon Web Services” taking place on May 18. This workshop will be hosted by Florian Hettenbach, Technical Trainer of Amazon Web Services.

The workshops are free of charge and registration is mandatory. For more information on the different pre-meeting events and to register for the virtual workshops please visit the homepage www.th-deg.de/digihealthday.

The DigiHealthDay-2020 is scheduled to take place on November 13. The organizers are following the current situation with COVID-19, and in case of any changes, all registered participants will promptly be notified.

Everyone with an interest in Digital Health such as researchers, healthcare professionals, businesses and start-ups, authorities or students is invited to participate in ECRI’s DigiHealthDay-2020 and the pre-meeting workshops. For further information about the event, please visit the homepage www.th-deg.de/digihealthday.

The lack of equipment is currently hitting medical personnel in the region hard. Here, the Technology Campus and the laboratories of the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) provided a remedy within a week by producing holders for face shields from the 3D printer. On 1 April, DIT received an inquiry from the Bavarian Red Cross Cham for the production of face shields. As a result, DIT developed two designs for holders (in consultation with the Deggendorf Clinic) and subjected them to a feasibility study on the same day. Subsequently, an appeal was made via Facebook to companies in the region. Companies that have a 3D printer contacted DIT and have been supporting production ever since.

Production of the brackets began on 2 April and five days later the prototypes of the two designs produced were handed over to the chief physician of the Donau Isar Klinikum, Dr. Axel Menzebach and his team, and tested by them. A few hours later, the first 200 units were delivered to the clinic. Currently, seven external partners are working on the production with 3D printers and produce 200 holders for face shields every day. To be able to meet the constantly high demand, DIT is expanding the project to include injection moulding at its labs. In no time at all, a protective film, for example from projectors, can be attached to the brackets produced by DIT and its partners and the face shield is ready. The holder is reusable and durable.

 

Due to the expanded ban of major events caused by COVID-19, our open air festival headlined by "Pizzera and Jaus" and "Moop Mama" can unfortunately not take place in June as planned. But there's good news for all ticket holders, as replacement dates for both "Stadt Land Fluss" Campus Open Air gigs have already been fixed.

At the end of 2020, the Austrians "Pizzera and Jaus" will play in Deggendorf town hall on Monday November 23, 2020. The brass band "Moop Mama" will make up their performance at the 2021 campus festival which will take place as usual on the long weekend around Corpus Christi. "Moop Mama" will play on Saturday June 5, 2021.

Tickets that have already been purchased remain valid for the replacement dates. Enquiries about tickets can be directed to Power Concerts at ck@power-concerts.de. No ticket exchanges can currently be accepted. Tickets can still be purchased.

On April 15, the application period for the winter semester 2020/21 at the European Campus Rottal-Inn (ECRI) begins. From this date on prospective students can apply online for one of the coveted study places.

With a total of seven courses of study in the fields of tourism management, medical informatics and engineering, the international campus offers an extensive range of courses for internationally oriented students.

High school graduates can apply for the Bachelor's degree programme International Tourism Management / Health & Medical Tourism, which received an award by the European Spa Association (ESPA) for its innovative study programme. Furthermore, they can choose between the two Bachelor's degree programmes Health Informatics and Industrial Engineering. The upcoming winter semester introduces the Bachelor’s degree programme Energy Systems Engineering (ESE), a new future-oriented course of studies.

The study programme ESE trains future engineers for energy systems engineering. Students will be trained for addressing the current challenges of the energy sector and its transformation from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy, involved in a range of areas such as power generation, conversion, transport, usage and storage. Since the future of energy supply networks lies in digitization and artificial intelligence, students will focus on computer science as well as chemistry, physics and electrical engineering. In addition, the study program contains subjects such as renewable energies, sustainability, and energy network technology or energy storage in combination with several practical projects. This particular combination prepares students perfectly for their career entry after graduation. Trained engineers for energy system technology will drive the energy turnaround towards renewable energies, be it in the public sector, in energy supply companies, in industry or in planning offices.

ECRI also offers Master’s degree programmes in Healthy and Sustainable Buildings, International Tourism Development and Medical Informatics.

With English as the language of instruction, ECRI is the only exclusively English-speaking campus in Bavaria. This makes studying at ECRI in Pfarrkirchen particularly attractive for internationally oriented prospective students, to whom all doors are open after graduation.

On November 13, European Campus Rottal-Inn (ECRI) hosts its first International Scientific Symposium DigiHealthDay-2020 under the motto “Global Digital Health – Today, Tomorrow and Beyond”. The inaugural event will examine digital technologies and how they are transforming healthcare around the world. The DigiHealthDay-2020 will address multiple topics related to healthcare information and communication technologies such as telemedicine and remote healthcare, artificial intelligence in medicine and healthcare, digital health innovation and entrepreneurship, privacy, security, trust and patient engagement and many other topics. The special focus of this event lies on digital health education in the light of the current developments in this sector. The first DigiHealthDay of ECRI organised by Prof. Dr. Georgi Chaltikyan, Program Director Master of Medical Informatics (MMI), will feature plenary keynote lectures, interactive panel discussions, scientific sessions and networking possibilities, making it an ideal medium of scientific communication and cooperation among international academics and students. Everyone with an interest in Digital Health such as researchers, healthcare professionals, businesses and start-ups, authorities or students is invited to participate in ECRI’s DigiHealthDay-2020. For further information about the event, please visit the homepage www.th-deg.de/digihealthday.

04.02.2020 | DIT PR - On January 21 Medical and Health Informatics students of European Campus Rottal-Inn (ECRI) participated in an exclusive field trip to the Research Campus Garching. There they visited Leibniz-Rechenzentrum (LRZ) of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, one of the largest and most prominent supercomputing centres, and UnternehmerTUM of the Technical University of Munich, a centre for Innovation and Business Creation. The field trip was organized within the framework of Master Medical Informatics. LRZ is the IT service provider for all Munich universities as well as a growing number of research organisations throughout Bavaria. In addition to this regional focus, it also plays an important role as one of the members of the Gauss Centre for Supercomputing (GCS), delivering top-tier high performance computing (HPC) services on the national and European level. The guided tour in LRZ commenced with a visit to the Virtual Reality and Visualization centre (V2C). The demo of V2C inside its Powerwall and 5-Sided Projection was a unique experience for the students. Followed, was the visit to the 'SuperMUC-NG’ in the "Twin-cube" - supercomputer building. Its 26.9 Petaflops, 719 Terabytes memory, 50 Petabytes external data storage and 100 Gbit/s internet connectivity, makes it the 8th best in the world, providing first-class information technology for researchers in the fields of physics, chemistry, life sciences, geography, climate research, and engineering. The tour also detailed the hardware specifics, backup, archiving and also the highly efficient cooling system. The next session of the visit included a presentation on the history of LRZ, services offered by LRZ, future requirements for IT services and possible cooperation opportunities. The visit at LRZ concluded with a Q&A. Next, the group visited UnternehmerTUM, a place that offers founders and start-ups a complete service, from the initial idea all the way to initial public offering (IPO). The visit to this creativity centre began with an extensive look at Maker Space. This 1500-square-metre high-tech workshop is equipped with state-of-the-art machines, tools and software and gives access to its members as well as the public to realize innovative ideas in the form of prototypes and small batch production. The unique place offered by UnternehmerTUM is available to the national and international innovation and entrepreneurial scene. A demo of 3D printers and laser and water jet cutters that make it possible to fabricate new shapes and to process every type of material was an enthralling experience for the students. Followed was the visit to BioKitchen, another initiative of UnterneherTUM, which provides a place where one can work on biological or chemical ideas and turn it into a product. There the highlights were the current polymerase chain reaction in genetical material duplication and a soon to be released DNA printer. Later the same evening the students could also participate in the Tech-Challenge Demo Day, an innovation pitch event were tech-fans with backgrounds in Informatics, Management or Electronics showcased their unique products. The first-hand experience of many prototypes created a profound sense of inspiration in most students.

DIT awards German Academic Exchange Service Award

Iris Kongo from Albania was particularly pleased on Monday, June 24 during a ceremony at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT).  University President Prof. Dr. Peter Sperber and the head of the International Office, Lisa Werner, awarded the student with an award from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). This award recognizes outstanding achievements of foreign students at German universities.

Iris Kongo studies Tourism Management at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology. She grew up in Tirana, the capital of Albania and even at an early age, she was positive that she would like to study in Germany at some point. The love for the German language and her fascination for tourism helped Ms. Kongo decide to study Tourism Management in Deggendorf.

In her commendation, Lisa Werner praised the young woman as incredibly committed, as she has worked in various student associations as well as a student assistant. She never neglects her studies and has excellent grades to show for it while she maintains versatile contacts inside and outside the university. Iris Kongo is an exemplary ambassador of her native country of Albania and an outstanding representative of the growing international student body at the Deggendorf University.

Picture: University President Prof. Dr. Peter Sperber and the head of the International Office, Lisa Werner (l.), Awarded Iris Kongo the Prize of the German Academic Exchange Service 2019.

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German-Egyptian Conference with guest speaker from European Campus Rottal-Inn

02.07.2019 | DIT PR - From 16-17 June the 1st COSIMENA Meta-Conference on "Digital Development and Challenges in the MENA Region" took place in Cairo, Egypt. Anna Schmaus-Klughammer (LLB, hons), lecturer at the European Campus Rottal-Inn (ECRI), was invited to speak at the Health Cluster Session.

COSIMENA brings together scientists from Germany and Egypt. In her lecture "Digitization in Higher Education to improve Healthcare", Schmaus-Klughammer therefore also introduced the Deggendorf University of Technology (THD) and ECRI.

During the conference, Schmaus-Klughammer also met with Prof. Mahmoud El Tayeb of Nile Valley University (in the process of being founded) in Egypt to discuss a scientific project on "Improving health care in Egypt with the help of eHealth and telemedicine". The talks were preceded in 2018 by a visit of Prof. El Tayeb to the THD and a return visit to Egypt. During his stay at DIT, Prof. El Tayeb met with President Prof. Peter Sperber and ECRI Vice President and Campus Director Prof. Horst Kunhardt as well as Dr. Elise von Randow, Director of the Institute for Career, International Affairs and Language. Isabell Mering, Head of DAAD Offices in Cairo, was very pleased about this development.

Within the framework of COSIMENA, the DAAD Cairo Office organizes various interdisciplinary events on current topics in science and innovation. These include workshops, conferences, discussions, German Science Day, the COSIMENA Science Night and summer schools. The aim of the various activities is to bring together experts from science, trade, politics and society. The focus is particularly on the promotion and support of young scientists who benefit from the networking opportunities.

 

Picture: Anna Schmaus-Klughammer (left) at the COSIMENA Conference with Isabell Mering (right), Head of the DAAD Office in Cairo

Ländertage shows our students study and internship opportunities around the globe

Students aiming to go global for a study or internship semester must plan far in advance, leaving for an adventure in the winter semester 2019/2020 or the summer semester 2020 involves active preparation now! Our Ländertage informed over 200 interested students about the opportunities involved.

Ländertage started on 17th October with the USA and Canada. College Contact agency advised students about funding their semester abroad, before students described their fascinating experiences during study and internship semesters in Chicago, San Diego and Vancouver.

This was followed by country days (Ländertage) for Asia and the Pacific region with Gostralia! agency. Students who had already completed a semester or internship abroad in this part of the world reported about their experiences, showed impressive photos and hopefully aroused participants desire for adventure to the southern hemisphere.

The last event in the week was the most popular, as the topic was Europe and the ERASMUS programme, which is worldwide the largest student exchange programme worldwide. Students presented their time in Finland, Spain, the UK, Austria and the Island of Aruba, which is a popular part of the ERASMUS programme as it's Dutch territory, despite being an island in the Caribbean.

Students with international experience all agreed: a semester abroad is highly recommended. It is an unforgettable experience!


Photo (DIT): Student Lukas Fuller presents his experience in Canada at the University of Victoria.

 

“The system of support for academic teachers in process of shaping soft skills of their students”

The Erasmus+ KA2 project “The system of support for academic teachers in process of shaping soft skills of their students” is a strategic partnership, which involves 4 universities: University College of Enterprise and Administration (Poland), Instituto Politecnico De Setubal (Portugal), Mednarodna Fakulteta Za Druzbene In Poslovne Studije Zavod (Slovenia) and Deggendorf Institute Of Technology (Germany).

What is the aim of the strategic partnership in this project?
A strategic partnership aims to develop innovative, cross-country teaching and studying methods, as well as build effective networks for the university.

What are the goals and results of the project?
The project tries to combine standard teaching programs with new, attractive teaching methods aimed at supporting young people in the process of gaining soft skills. As soft skills are highly required competences by employers, the project intends to incorporate the teaching of these skills to programs of regular subjects taught by academic teachers in order to prepare young people for their future workplace properly.

Which role does DIT play in this project?
The task of our university is to deal with the topic of intercultural entrepreneurship and how we can incorporate intercultural aspects into regular classes. This includes the theme of multiculturalism: Why is it so important, which role does it play in the modern labour market and what does multicultural communication in the workplace mean. Furthermore, it deals with the topics of intercultural approaches to young employees and cultural differences in the workplace.

Contact:

Prof. Dr. Johann Nagengast
Tel.: +49 (0)991 3615-140
E-Mail: johann.nagengast@th-deg.de

 

04 October 2018 | DIT Public Relations

On 1 October, the new winter semester 2018/19 officially started at universities of applied sciences in Bavaria. The number of students at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology has risen to a new maximum of around 7,000. There have never been this many freshers and international students in Deggendorf.

For the 2370 freshers, the semester began with the First Semester Day, organized by the Student Association. There were numerous information stands on campus and the official first semester welcome was broadcast in several lecture halls and via live stream. As part of the welcoming speech, the students heard DIT President Prof. Dr. Peter Sperber, the Minister of Culture Bernd Sibler, the Lord Mayor Dr. Christian Moser and representatives of important departments for the students in the future. In order for the freshers to find their way, first-semester mentors are available in every course of study.

For the first time, the Bachelor's programme Technical Design and the Master's programme Mechatronic and Cyberphysical Systems are offered. The part-time Bachelor's degree course in Business Informatics is now focused on Data Science. A new or revised program of seminars, workshops and lectures is also available from Career Service. Registrations are now possible here.

DIT welcomes more than 100 new exchange students

On Thursday, 1 March, the so-called Orientation Week, where new international students are prepared for studying at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT), started. Despite the high number of flights cancelled due to the cold weather, most of the 140 registered students managed to be here for the welcoming day.

The students were officially greeted by the head of economic promotion of Deggendorf Andreas Höhn and Dr. Elise von Randow, head of the Institute for Career, International and Languages at DIT. The trafitional Bavarian music ensemble of the Music Academy Plattling created Bavarian ambience as a backdrop for a motley crew of exchange students. Most exchange students are from Mexico and South Korea in this semester; however, there are also Taiwanese, Brazilian, Vietnamese, Czech, Portugese, Italian, French and Jordanian students at DIT for the summer semester 2018. A total of 99 nationalities studies at DIT and the university has 186 partner universities worldwide.

Among the Orientation Week participants is a group of Syrian refugees, who will spend a semester at DIT in preparation for regular studies in Germany. They will attend language courses and regular lectures. DIT's International Office created a programme for the following two weeks that is to help the new students assimilate in Deggendorf.

A team of student workers accompanies the international students and assists them in authority visits to ensure a smooth lecture start in mid March. German intensive courses and intercultural trainings focusing on Bavaria take place during Orientation Week, so that the best possible integration is ensured.

Furthermore, those students who would like to do an internship in Germany after their exchange semester, are prepared for the application process by the Career Service. The student association AKI planned leisure activities, such as a welcoming party, a traditional Bavarian evening as well as a trip to Neuschwanstein Castle. 

Already on the first day, the International Office had positive feedback and the exchange students were glad about the heartfelt welcome and are looking forward to their time here in Deggendorf.

From Lower Bavaria to Ontario, Canada – Students benefit from Academic Cooperation

Around ten months after signing a cooperation contract, the connection between the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) and Lakehead University showed fruition. DIT student Michael Schneider spent his winter semester tuition-free at Lakehead University in Ontario, Canada.

In summer 2017, DIT reported about an initiated close cooperation with the Canadian university. The agreement enables one DIT student per semester to studying tuition-fee-free at Lakehead. The fees would be at approximately €5500. Michael Schneider studies Industrial Engineering in a cooperative study programme. For his practical study phases, he is at Landau-based Einhell AG. In the winter semester 2017/2018, he was presented the opportunity to spend his semester abroad in Thunder Bay at Lakehead University. He chose this university from DIT’s more than 180 partner universities. “The university is perfect for engineering. The courses offered complement those at DIT, which made the exchange a lot easier. Additionally, the amazing location near the Great Lakes was a bonus. I’d definitely spend another semester there.”

Einhell AG was very supportive during the decision making and application process.

The tuition-free placements are already gone until summer semester 2019. In the coming winter semester, a student of Mechanical Engineering and in the summer semester 2019, a Business Informatics student will go to Lakehead University. In June, President Prof. Dr. Sperber is scheduled to fly to Ontario for further talks that will promote the partnership even more.

 

Photo (DIT)

Become an International Visiting Lecturer at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology or its European Campus in Pfarrkirchen

Would you like to take up a short time assignment and meet research agendas? Benefit both personally and academically: You have the chance to connect with other scholars, to build academic connections and to undertake teaching and research in a different location. It also provides you with an opportunity to learn about new cultures and further develop your intercultural competence.

 Even though we would enjoy having the guest lecturer teaching in Germany, we understand that there are certain boundaries when it comes to teaching abroad. It may be a problem to be regularly absent at your home university. Therefore, as an alternative, we can also offer virtual classes.

The Deggendorf Institute of Technology puts a strong focus on internationalisation. The geographical location of both our campuses in Deggendorf and Pfarrkirchen is in beautiful Bavaria, a state which offers a variety of attractive leisure time activities in the middle of traditional cafés, restaurants and markets.

Guest lectures are possible among all our faculties on both campuses.

• Faculty of Applied Economics (School of Management)
• Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Media Technology and Computer Science
• Faculty of Natural Sciences and Industrial Engineering
• Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics
• Faculty of Civil and Construction Engineering
• Faculty of Applied Healthcare Sciences

A teaching schedule would be welcome before arrival. The length of the teaching stay needs to have a minimum of five teaching hours and maximum of one month. Visiting lectureships must be arranged with the course director before the beginning of the semester, which must be no later than eight weeks before the planned guest lecture. Before the visiting professor is invited, the financing must be arranged with the International Office as well as the contractual matters settled with the Human Resource Department.

International guest lecturers not coming from one of our ERASMUS+ partner universities may qualify for a contribution towards travel costs and accommodation. These payments will be reimbursed against original receipts. Applications for Visiting Lecturers will comprise an academic CV and an abstract for the proposed lecture topic(s) (100-150 words).

 

Did we attract your interest?

If you require further information or would like to submit a CV and abstract, please contact us directly using antonia.gruber@th-deg.de.
For any further questions or other inquiries, you can also email international-office@th-deg.de at any time.

 

20 December 2017

 

 

 

 

 

Introducing international students to the country and the culture – DIT's Host Family Programme

DIT's Host Family Programme connects exchange students and local families every semester. As of now, 150 international students are looking for a host family for the winter semester 17/18.

 

In participating in the Host Family Programme, local families help students who are a long way from home to assimilate into their new environment and to quickly understand cultural differences. The programme is free and can be adjusted individually and flexibly by the hosts. "As a host family/person, you can meet up with one or more students once or several times. Often, students are invited for lunch or dinner and a short trip is planned together", as Ariadna Schmidt, staff member at DIT's International Office knows. Apart from their native language, the students speak English and many of them can communicate in German as well. Due to the increasing interest in the programme, families, individuals or associations from Deggendorf are needed. The goal is the connect every student to a host. Coordinator between the two parties is Marion Löfflmann, who will answer all questions via marion.loefflmann@th-deg.de

 

You can find more information in our HFP flyer here.

 

26 September 2017

 

 

Students from all over the world make their first experiences abroad in Germany

The Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) with its international study courses at the European Campus in Pfarrkirchen and in Deggendorf as well as with its many partner universities abroad, attracts students from more than 60 countries to Deggendorf every year. DIT’s International Office welcomed the more than 150 international students to Deggendorf on Monday, 18 September 2017.

The students spend one or two semesters at DIT as part of the international university partnerships. The first item on their travel itinerary is the Orientation Weeks, where the new arrivals get to know the town and each other. Furthermore, they have intercultural trainings held by Maria Gretzinger, a traditional Bavarian evening and day trips to the Oktoberfest.

Formalities, such as opening a bank account and registering with the foreigners’ office are also organised during the Orientation Weeks and the students are assisted by the International Office, the international tutors and the AKI e.V. student association. This year’s Orientation Weeks were kicked off by Dr. Elise von Randow, who is the director of the Institute for Career, International Affairs and Languages (KIS) at DIT.

Cathi Rodriguez from Colombia, who came to DIT two years ago after she became aware of DIT’s English courses can share her experiences.

“I came to Deggendorf because of the General Engineering course and stayed as a regular student in the Resources and Environmental Management course. I felt at home in Deggendorf right from the start and the Orientation Weeks were fantastic to start my studies off right.”

 

18 September 2017

 

International Office awarded Deggendorfer Hochschulpreis

On the occasion of the Dies Academicus, the graduation celebration at DIT, the International Office was awarded the Deggendorf Hochschulpreis 2016 by the mayor for its internationalization efforts.

 

Milestones of the success are, among others: the percentage of students from abroad is at 12% and 65 nationalities are studying at DIT and the European Campus. The number of partner universities worldwide has increased to 170. The International Office works closely together with the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst; DAAD) and the Bavarian Ministry for Education, Culture, Science and Art. It applies for scholarships and subsidies, is involved in various projects and continually expands its services for students. About a third of DIT graduates boast an internship or semester abroad.

The university's International Office has developed various integration programmes, such as the Erzählcafé, which is a regular event held in the town's museum to encourage intercultural dialogue through international students' telling personal stories, customs, and traditions from their home countries. The International Office is proud to successfully cooperate with the town's local community to help students from all over the world feel at home in Deggendorf. Multi-national students create an international atmosphere on campus, where English is lingua franca. Progress made in the internationalization process of natural sciences and technological subjects (STEM) were awarded the prestigious MINTernational Prize by the Daimler-Fonds in Berlin in October 2016.

18 September 2017

 

DIT’s part of the “Week of Encounters and Togetherness”  

The Deggendorf Institute of Technology took part in the varied programme of Deggendorf’s “Week of Encounters and Togetherness”. Between 14 and 22 October DIT’s International Office organised three events to present the university’s international aspect.  

 

A theatre with international students set of the event series on Tuesday, 17 October.

Together with students from India, Syria and Venezuela, Dr. Virginia Wallner, language instructor at DIT, showed how much internationality, openness and dialogue is in theatre. “The Flight across the Ocean” by Bertold Brecht matched the Week of Encounters and Togetherness’s and raised the question “Aren’t we all looking for a better world?”. On Wednesday, visitors had the opportunity to learn dances and meet people from different countries. Apart from Bollywood (India), salsa (Mexico) and flamenco (Spain), students also taught zori (Syria) and Qochari (Armenia).

According to International Office staff member Ariadna Schmidt, “everyone was particularly excited about the Festival of Lights (Diwali). About 20 students from India contributed to a successful evening by openly sharing their culture with visitors.”  The Diwali was the highlight of the events. Diwali is the traditional Hindu Festival of Lights and Indian students turned the Glashaus into a sea of lights. With traditional clothes, dances, India’s national anthem, culinary specialties and a flash mob, students brought the fascination and magic of India to Deggendorf.

The next event by the International Office takes place 28 November at the Handwerksmuseum. You can find out more here:

Erzählcafé

23 October 2017

 

 

 

 

 

European Campus Excursion

Students of the Industrial Engineering/ Maintenance and Operation bachelor programme at the European Campus Rottal-Inn took part in an excursion to Mühlbauer GmbH & Co. KG‘s headquarters in Roding on 22 November 2016.

 

 

 Christian Wachtmeister (contract teacher with the European Campus and Head of Corporate Development Automation at Mühlbauer) gave exciting insights into the processes of the internationally operating company to students from all around the world.

Mühlbauer GmbH & Co KG is a worldwide leading company in the production of machines for ID-card manufacturing. It is technology partner for the smart card, ePassport, RFID and solar back-end industry.

Several production processes were demonstrated: the Mühlbauer precision-part manufacturing, the logistics centre and demonstration rooms. There, the manufacturing of production plants for semiconductors, as well as the manufacturing of machines for ID-card production was demonstrated. After a short break at the canteen, the students received personalized passports and cards, in order to demonstrate technology for the collection of data.

Among the company’s clients are: governments from all over the world, printing departments of financial institutes (bank cards), insurance companies (health insurance cards) and companies from the field of semiconductors.

After having caught a glimpse into such an international company, the students were deeply impressed and excited.

 

 

_{(Caption: Christian Wachtmeister - second person from left}

_{On the right - Prof. Dr. Raimund Brotsack}

_{Next to students of the bachelor programme Industrial Engineering/ Maintenance and Operation)}

Students of the Industrial Engineering/ Maintenance and Operation bachelor programme at the European Campus Rottal-Inn took part in an excursion to the Straubing-based company MicroPyros on 9 December 2016.

 

Prof. Raimund Brotsack gave the students from various regions around the world exciting insights into the technology and the processes of the start-up company.

 

 

As part of a “power to gas” concept, MicroPyros developed a micro-biological methanation technology. The goal is to convert excess electricity from fluctuating renewable energy sources, such as wind or photovoltaic plants, to storable natural gas. Excess electricity, occurring at certain times, is electrolytically converted to hydrogen. The hydrogen, together with carbon, is then converted into methane, which is the main component of natural gas. It can therefore be fed into the natural gas grid without any problems.

The necessary carbon dioxide comes from the Straubing sewage gas plant. MicroPyros runs a large-scale methanation plant on site in Straubing.

Part of the factory tour was the company’s laboratory with the corresponding quality management as well as the large-scale methanation plant.

The company plans to build a large-scale power to gas research plant. If the power to gas technology is successful, it enables the storing of large quantities of excess electricity throughout the year and distributing it via the natural gas grid. Power to gas technology, therefore, is an essential pillar for the change of energy systems. The work is subsidized by the Bavarian Economic Ministry.

After insights into such a start-up company in the field of renewable energy, the students were deeply impressed.

Warning, due to black ice, all exams (31.01.2017) and lectures at DIT and the European Campus are called off.

 

Scholarships at a value of €300,000 awarded

For the seventh time, the highly coveted Deutschlandstipendium were awarded to DIT scholarship holders. Against the backdrop of the “First Contact” job fair that took place 28 March 2017, the chosen scholarship holders met their patrons at the Deggendorf Stadthallen.

 

 

This year, DIT awarded a total of 80 scholarships and once again beat last year’s record.  

“Regional and national companies as well as foundations and associations finance our scholarship holders. Because of the high number of scholarships, we are able to give scholarships to students of all courses. In return, the companies get in contact with outstanding marks and commitment,” said head of the DIT Career Service Martina Heim, who is responsible for the Deutschlandstipendium. For the Deutschlandstipendium, the patrons agree to support students with €150 per month and Germany adds another €150 to that. “With over 500 applicants, the choice wasn’t easy. All 80 scholarship holders have outstanding academic records and do voluntary work in over 100 social clubs and positions. In more than 50% of the cases, the scholarship holders are first in their families to take up studying (so called educational climbers). Around 10% study in cooperation with a company and another 10% are international students,” Heim added. Claudia Exner, who was one of the scholarship holders for Qioptiq said that she found it very appealing that not only grades are taken into account for the Deutschlandstipendium. Companies get the chance to network with DIT and address individual stundents.

Christina Zelzer, staff manager at Regen-based Qioptiq said: “Qioptiq has been financing Detschlandstipendium for many years and we are proud of our scholarship holders. It is a great opportunity for companies to meet the best of the best and attract their attention to the company.”  

This year’s supporters are:

Alumni Net e. V., Bayerische Asphalt-Mischwerke GmbH & Co.KG, b-plus GmbH, Continental AG, DE software & control GmbH, Dichtungstechnik Wallstabe & Schneider, , Dr. Johannes Heidenhain GmbH, , Flottweg SE, Ferchau Engineering GmbH, Förderverein Technische Hochschule Deggendorf in Verbindung mit der Stadt Deggendorf, HAAS Fertigbau, IGK Ingenieursgesellschaft Klein mbH, J.C. Römerstiftung, Kermi GmbH, Knorr-Bremse Systeme für Nutzungsfahrzeuge GmbH, Laschinger Seafood GmbH, MAN Diesel & Turbo SE, MASCHINENFABRIK REINHAUSEN GMBH, Mann + Hummel GmbH, Micro Epsilon, msg ag, Parat Beteiligungs GmbH, Qioptiq Photonics GmbH & Co.KG, Siemens AG, Smurfit Kappa GmbH, STRABAG AG, SUMIDA Components & Modules GmbH, Vector Informatik GmbH, Verein der Freunde und Förderer des Technologiecampus Cham, Webasto-Edscha Cabrio GmbH, Zeidler-Forschungs-Stiftung, ZF Friedrichshafen AG, ZITEC Gruppe GmbH, Zwiesel Kristallglas AG

For the European Campus Rottal-Inn:

Egenberger GmbH & Co. KG, Förderverein European Campus Rottal-Inn, Dipl.-Ing. Josef Gottanka GmbH & Co. Bau-KG, Oswald Stiftung, RMI Immobilien GmbH, SH GmbH & Co. Projektentwicklungs KG, Sparkasse Rottal-Inn/Sparkassen Stiftung Rottal Inn, VR Bank Rottal-Inn eG, Wimmer GmbH & Co. Investitions KG

Main funders:

Alumni Net e. V. (4 Stipendien)
Flottweg SE (3 Stipendien)
Förderverein European Campus (4 Stipendien)
J.C.Römerstiftung (3 Stipendien)
Sparkasse Rottal-Inn (3 Stipendien)
VR Bank Rottal-Inn eG (3 Stipendien)
Vector Informatik GmbH (5 Stipendien)

 

 

 

The KULTURcafé in Pfarrkirchen enjoyed a successful start

“What do you know about Nigeria?” Benedict Chika Ibolekwu asked the audience at the beginning of his talk. Fitting to the occasion, the Industrial Engineering student wore a multicoloured shirt from his home country. Using the motto “My Country and Germany” the European Campus launched Pfarrkirchen's first KULTURcafé in the "Glasbau" in April.

 

Apart from students, some locals who are curious to know more about the wide world, where Benedict und his fellow student Saei Barghamadi (Iran) und Nhan Bui (Vietnam) come from, attended the event.

At three tables each of the three young men talked about thier native countries and their experiences in Germany. Every 30 minutes visitors move from table to table so they had the possibility to listen to either of the speeches in a comfortable atmosphere. English skills were absolutely necessary because not everyone’s German was good enough to follow the whole conversation or to give a talk..

The KULTURcafé is firmly planned for the future, and an upcoming event will take place on 31^st May in the Glasbau in Pfarrkirchen. From 6 – 8 pm students from other countries will introduce themselves and talk about their cultures.

Whoever wants to join can register for a fee of 3€ to Katharina Stöger (EC room 2.20, +49 (0) 991 3615 -261).

 

 

 

 

DIT receives prestigious award for international MINT (STEM) strategy

The MINT team of the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT) is at Germany’s absolute pinnacle. As one of three finalists, DIT was awarded the Best Performance MINTernational prize in Berlin in October 2016. DIT President Prof. Dr. Peter Sperber and Dr. Elise von Randow, director of the Institute for International and Academic Affairs accepted the 30.000 euros prize money awarded to the DIT for its outstanding accomplishments in internationalizing natural sciences and technological courses (STEM).

The Daimler and Benz Foundation, the Daimler-Fonds and the Stifterverband have awarded DIT with the best Best Performance Prize MINTernational. Three universities which were able to show the most significant progress in the internationalization of MINT subjects (in English MINT is known as STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) received the award.
It is a great honor for the DIT to have convinced the jury together with two major German universities, namely TUM (Technische Universitaet Muenchen) and the Saarland University, Saarbruecken.

In the competition relevant indicators were taken into account, strategy as well as the universities environments were also evaluated. The universities were invited to document the development of the
internationalization of their STEM subjects until 31st October 2014 by using key figures of the year 2012. By the end of 2015, the participating institutions were asked to submit their updated key figures
along with a progress report.

The jury praised the enormous efforts and progress in the field of internationalization at DIT: 
"The profile development of the university in recent years is characterized by marked internationality. The progress report documents a clear growth in all key figures, especially the number of international students. The growing participation in international mobility programmes such as the ERASMUS programme is also exemplary."

The photo shows from left to right:
Dr. Volker Meyer-Guckel, Stifterverband; Prof. Dr. Peter Sperber, President, Technische Hochschule Deggendorf; Dr. Elise von Randow, Director, Institute for International & Academic Affairs, Technische Hochschule Deggendorf; Dr. Anna-Maria Karl, Daimler AG; Prof. Dr. Rainer Dietrich, Daimler und Benz Stiftung