April 2018, Issue 182

Opening of the Geo-Campus and Alumni Meetup in Yogyakarta

An eleven member strong RWTH delegation recently visited Yogyakarta in Indonesia. At the core of the visit was the opening of the GetIn-CICERO laboratory, which is collaboratively funded by RWTH and the Indonesian Gajah-Mada-University. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research sponsored laboratory equipment in the amount of 500,000 euros. With three strokes of the gong, the lab was opened by the General Director of Science and Research in the Indonesian Ministry of Research, Technology, and Universities, Ali Ghufron Mukti, together with Dr. Svann Langguth, head of the research department of the German Embassy. The previous evening the German ambassador, Michael Freiherr von Ungern-Sternberg, welcomed the Aachen delegation and 70 other guests to a reception to celebrate the lab's opening.

Registration Lousberglauf 2018

The next Lousberglauf is scheduled to take place Wednesday, July 4; the race will start at 7pm. As in previous years, the Alumni Team is offering all of our graduates who are enthusiastic runners the opportunity to participate with the usual service. Interested alumni can already register via email until May 25, 2018. Please include your best personal time for the Lousberg route.

Alumni Talk on Fire Protection

"Fire Safety – Merely a Job for the Fire Department?"
Using examples of recent fire disasters, such as the Grenfel Tower fire in London or the Prague hotel fire, RWTH alumnus and former head of the Aachen Fire Department Dr. Dieter Nüssler will show which fire safety measures can be seen as essential for effective fire safety – other than calling the fire department, such as things to be done by individuals inside the home for instance. The talk is scheduled to take place on June 4, 7:30pm, in the Ford Hall at SuperC, Templergraben 57.

RWTH Alumna Angelika Ivens Honored

The French ambassador to Berlin, I.E. Anne-Marie Descôtes, has presented the French Honorary Consul and Director of the Institut Francais, Dr. Angekila Ivens, withthe medal of Knight of the Order of Merit. The order was founded in 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. On behalf of the President of the French Republic, French citizens as well as foreign nationals can be received into the order for distinguished military or civil achievements.

ERC Advanced Grant for Joost-Pieter Katoen

RWTH computer scientist Professor Joost-Pieter Katoen is to receive an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council. The ERC Advanced Grant is considered the most prestigious European research award. Katoen is an expert in identifying software errors before they actually occur. He is one of the most recognized scientists in the field of model checking – his book “Principles of Model Checking,” co-authored with the Dresden professor Christel Baier, is the standard work in the field. Now he has been awarded a so-called Advanced Grant from the European Research Council, ERC for short, the most important research award in Europe. “I am excited,” says Katoen.

RWTH Alumni Job Portal Online

Companies have the opportunity to post job openings for management positions or employees with experience on our “Stellenportal RWTH Alumni.” This platform is also specifically oriented towards alumni, as RWTH graduates, particularly those with experience, are greatly sought after in science, business, and industry. You can find interesting offers here. If you would like to publish a job posting, please send an email to alumni@rwth-aachen.de.

International Academy Offers: Reduced Participation Fees for Members of the RWTH Alumni Network

As a member of the RWTH Alumni Network you receive a discount for continuing education courses at RWTH International Academy. When booking a course of study, you receive a 10 percent discount, and for certificate courses and seminars a 15 percent discount. You can book your course with the discount by using your RWTH email address on the RWTH Weiterbildungsplattform. This discount cannot be combined with other offers from RWTH International Academy.

WZLforum Continuing Education Offerings

The website of the WZLforum at RWTH Aachen University provides an overview of their continuind and further education offerings.

German Professors Analyze UBER Accident

Professors from RWTH Aachen University, the Technical University of Munich, Ulm University, Braunschweig University of Technology, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and TU Darmstadt weigh in on the autonomous vehicle accident in the United States. The circumstances of the accident are particularly hard to comprehend in light of the current level of technology. The automated vehicle owned by UBER was equipped with lidar, radar and camera sensors. Even though camera sensors may have limited perception capability in the dark, it needs to be said that the pedestrian was already clearly visible in the camera's image for more than a second before the collision. Lidar and radar sensors are even considered active sensors , which means that they actively send laser pulses in the infrared range, or radar waves, and thereby – on the basis of reflections – measure distances to objects, their relative speed, and their size. These sensor principles then are obviously guaranteed to function in just the same way in the dark. An emergency braking system, which has already been installed in many production vehicles to date, functioning with the help of these sensors would have at least warned the driver and slowed down the vehicle – and as a result reduced the extent of the collision or possibly even have prevented it.

From Microgel to Particle

Researchers from RWTH and Forschungszentrum Jülich have succeeded, for the first time, in determining structural processes in an adaptive hydrogel. With the help of X-ray scattering experiments and computer simulations, they were able to show the changes in size and structure of the hydrogel in reaction to external stimuli. The results could lead to new applications in technology and medicine.

Annual Exposition of the Faculty of Architecture

In 2018, the Annual Exposition of the RWTH Faculty of Architecture will take place between May 3 and 5. The exhibitions showcases the work of the Faculty’s Bachelor’s and Master’s graduates and highlights selected research results. There will be “Open Studios,” design studios, as well as the special exhibitions “Best of Masters” and “Matter and Working Process.” At the opening day of the exhibition, there will be a round table discussion with experts. Furthermore, at the Alumni Day, former graduates will give short presentations to share their professional experiences. The Annual Exposition will be officially opened on May 3, 6pm, by Vice-Rector Doris Klee, Dean Alexander Markschies, and the president of the NRW Chamber of Architects, Ernst Uhlig.