The Year 2019 by TU Darmstadt

The year 2019 1

People

Research profile

25,170 Students (of which 7,955 female)

6 Profile Areas:

4,221 first-semester undergraduate students

Cybersecurity

2,827 first-semester Master’s students

Internet and Digitisation From Material to Product

248 male professors (of which 18 assistant professors) 64 female professors (of which 11 assistant professors)

Innovation Thermo-Fluids & Interfaces

2,617 academic employees (of which 687 female)

Future Energy Systems

1,914 non-academic employees (of which 1,156 female)

Matter and Radiation Science

148 trainees (of which 48 female)

21 ERC-Grants since 2012

105 graduate assistants (of which 38 female)

12 DFG Collaborative Research

2,858 student assistants (of which 902 female)

Centres/Transfer Units

6 DFG Research Training Groups 11 LOEWE Clusters of Excellence

Campus

5 locations: City Centre, Lichtwiese, Botanical Gardens, University Stadium, August-Euler Airfield (with wind tunnel)

250 hectares of property 165 buildings (incl. 13 rented) 309,000 square metres of usable space (incl. 16,900 rented)

Budget

EUR 254.9 million basic funds from the State of Hesse (excl. LOEWE) EUR 24.3 million from Bund-Länder-Hochschulpakt (Phase II) EUR 8.8 million other funds EUR 165.2 million third-party funds (incl. LOEWE) Upgrowth of third-party funds

Sources of third-party funds

(in mio EUR)

in %

165.2

The German Federation of Industrial Research Associations – AiF

LOEWE

32.1

2.9 7.2

4.1 27.4

Industry

19.2 7.1 EU

Figures rounded

2019 Federal Government

other funds

TU Darmstadt The Year 2019

Overview

2019

German Research Foundation DFG

A summary Photo: Katrin Binner

Transition and affirmation Change and continuity – these two words provide a good description of how the Technical University of Darmstadt has developed in 2019. TU Darmstadt remained on course for success, thus demonstrating its continuity. Especially prestigious were several awards from the European Research Council for computer science and new funding projects from the German Research Foundation (DFG), including a collaborative research centre and a graduate school – both of which are anchored in the material sciences. Existing research groups funded by the DFG were given extensions, new projects as part of the Hessian LOEWE programme for the funding of excellent research were given the green light and 14 research projects were launched with the aid of EU funding. At the same time, the year also brought about changes with respect to personnel. TU Darmstadt welcomed the new Minister of State for Higher Education, Research and the Arts Angela Dorn and her State Secretary Ayse Asar for their inaugural visit in March 2019. In September 2019, the former President of TU Darmstadt Professor Hans Jürgen Prömel was given a ceremonial farewell after twelve years in office. Under his leadership, TU Darmstadt has actively shaped and defined its autonomy and self-responsibility and has strengthened its reputation both at home and abroad.

Change at the top: President Hans Jürgen Prömel and his successor Tanja Brühl

Affairs), alongside the new Vice Presidents Professor Barbara Albert (Research and Early Careers), Professor Heribert Warzecha (Academic Affairs and Diversity), Professor Jens Schneider (Transfer and International Affairs) and Professor Herbert De Gersem (Scientific Infrastructure and Digitization).

“European University”

Professor Tanja Brühl took office as the new President of TU Darmstadt on 1 October, following her election by the University Assembly in March 2019. At the end of the year, the former Vice Presidents Professor Mira Mezini, Professor Andrea Rapp, Professor Ralph Bruder and Professor Matthias Rehahn stepped down from the Executive Board at the end of their terms of office – all of them can take credit for pushing forward strategically important projects with the highest degree of professionalism.

One success that was officially announced in the summer of 2019 holds great significance for the future of TU Darmstadt and will have a far-reaching impact: The university was successful with its entry in the EU funding competition “European University”, together with six other European technical universities. This prestigious honour comes with total funding of five million euros. The competition is the result of an initiative by French President Macron. The aim of the UNITE! (University Network for Innovation, Technology and Engineering) alliance coordinated by TU Darmstadt is to create a trans-European virtual campus.

The university’s new management team took up their duties at the turn of the year: The President will continue to rely on the support of Vice President Dr. Manfred Efinger (Administration and Financial

The alliance will establish cross-university study courses and transnational knowledge transfer as its natural standards. The partner universities will establish links with start-up networks and companies 3

Photo: Patrick Bal

Overview

in their local regions and strengthen and coordinate their joint research on pressing social themes such as the energy transition, artificial intelligence and Industry 4.0. This will benefit the graduates from the UNITE! universities above all: They will acquire interdisciplinary and intercultural expertise, which graduates need now more than ever so that they are optimally prepared to meet the future requirements of the job market and global challenges.

„We are taking the European idea a step further. Students and teaching staff are sharing knowledge and information across borders and developing a European Education Area together.“ Professor Dr. Tanja Brühl, TU President and UNITE! President

Alongside TU Darmstadt, UNITE! includes the Aalto University (Finland), KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden), Grenoble Institute of Technology (France), Politecnico Di Torino (Italy), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (Spain) and Universidade de Lisboa (Portugal). Together, the seven partners have 167,000 students and 36,700 graduates annually. They already cooperate closely in more than 80 EU projects and have exchanged more than 2,000 students in the last five years. They have all been members of the CLUSTER Network (Consortium Linking Universities of Science and Technology for Education and Research) which encompasses twelve leading European technical universities since 1990.

Photo: Katrin Binner

Rhine-Main Universities Outstanding education and research thrive off networking and cooperation. On a regional level, TU Darmstadt, the Goethe University Frankfurt and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz joined together to create the Rhine-Main Universities (RMU) strategic alliance in 2015 to exploit their combined strengths – the independent profiles of each university complement each other very well. TU Darmstadt has been able to enhance the attractiveness of its teaching and research through targeted synergies – such as in the areas of biomedical engineering and peace and conflict research. The alliance now combines 103,000 students, has links to 22 non-university research institutes and acts as the coordinator for 21 collaborative research centres funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). In 2019, three new joint projects at the RMU were approved both by the German Research Foundation and as part of the Hessian LOEWE programme for scientific excellence: a DFG collaborative research centre for the regulation of DNA repair and genome stability, as well as LOEWE projects on biochemical drug development and on the significance of architecture for social, cultural and scientific concepts of order. The dynamic development of the RMU was demonstrated in September 2019 at the 1st RMU Day: More than 250 members of the three universities reported on their achievements to date and discussed the next steps for networking and cooperating in the areas of research, studies, teaching and administration. The world of politics also expressed its support for this special alliance because it spans two different German states: The Hessian Minister of State for Higher Education, Research and the Arts Angela Dorn and her counterpart from Rhineland-Palatinate Professor Konrad Wolf held discussions on the podium with the heads of the universities.

Research strength TU Darmstadt is one of the leading research universities, both compared to other German universities and also from an international perspective. The university received a total of three new grants from the European Research Council (ERC) in 2019 – with all of them be-

Basic research for the future

ing awarded to the Department of Computer Science, which focuses, in particular, on important issues related to protection and security: Professor Stefan Roth received an ERC Consolidator Grant of two million euros, Professor Thomas S chneider received an ERC Starting Grant of 1.5 million euros and Professor Mira Mezini, who had previously received an ERC Advanced Grant, was honoured in 2019 with a Proof-of-Concept Grant. 5

TU Darmstadt is contributing its internationally recognised expertise in IT security to the National Research Center for Applied Cybersecurity, which started work in 2019 under the name Athene. This research centre has been significantly shaped by TU Darmstadt and is also supported by two Fraunhofer institutes and the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences. The Federal Minister of Education and Research Anja Karliczek and the Hessian Minister of State for Higher Education, Research and the Arts Angela Dorn participated in the official opening ceremony. The federal and state governments plan to increase the funding for Athene from 12.5 million euros in 2019 to 37 million euros in 2026. The outstanding position that computer sciences at TU Darmstadt holds (ranked in 1st place in Germany in the Funding Atlas from the German Research Foundation) was also highlighted in the Hessian State Parliament – to which TU Darmstadt provides a progress report every year due to its autonomous status. In addition, the members of parliament were also very interested in the research being carried out in the areas of artificial intelligence and digitalisation – including the launch of the new LOEWE centre called the “The Resilient Digital City”.

New career paths

Overview

In the competition to secure the best minds, TU Darmstadt finds it important to develop its own approach and strengthen diversity on many levels. Therefore, it is also very important for TU Darmstadt to perform really well in the Tenure Track Programme (the federal and state programme to promote young researchers): TU Darmstadt achieved the best possible result with its concept in 2019 – the funding applications for all 20 professorships were approved. The federal government will provide funding of 2.4 million euros. This will allow TU Darmstadt to increase the opportunities available on the career path towards a tenured professorship.

TU Darmstadt appointed 13 women and 11 men to p rofessorships in 2019.

A programme at TU Darmstadt that specifically focuses on female guest professors has also been well received: Three women with career and research experience in industry have taken the opportunity to research and teach for a fixed term at TU Darmstadt without having to give up their positions at their companies.

Remain curious One thing is clear when we look back on 2019: TU Darmstadt possesses an enormous amount of potential. It is well worth systematically examining its profile in more depth – and continuing to closely follow the development of the university. You are thus invited to take a journey of discovery as you read through this publication: You may find the new degree course in Cognitive Science and Data and Discourse Studies just as interesting as the university’s once again very good rankings. In the field of research, the focus is placed on nanoelectronics in which ultra- thin material layers with extremely large memory functions are being developed. The “Cooperation and transfer” section highlights projects with both a high social and economic relevance: For example, long-term field studies are being carried out by the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology in cooperation with external partners that are important for the German energy transition, such as investigating how to efficiently transmit electricity generated by renewable sources over a distance of many hundreds of kilometres using underground cables and with low losses. Prestigious honours and awards should of course also not be forgotten in this annual report, such as the Reinhart Koselleck Project awarded to the material scientist Professor Jürgen Rödel by the German Research Foundation with funding of 1.25 million euros, or the appointment of the electotechnician Professor Jutta Hanson to the Senate of the Helmholtz Association. And it is also important not to ignore life on campus: TU Darmstadt was awarded, for example, the title of “sportiest university in Germany” for the third time in a row in 2019 in a competition including seven other German universities and several events that all took place at the same time.

Executive Board

Dr. Manfred Efinger Vice President, Administration and Financial Affairs

Prof. Dr. Heribert Warzecha Vice President, Academic Affairs and Diversity

Prof. Dr. Barbara Albert Vice President, Research and Early Careers

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Herbert De Gersem Vice President, Scientific Infrastructure and Digitization

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jens Schneider Vice President, Transfer and International Affairs

Photos: Katrin Binner (1) / Fotostudio Hirch (2â&#x20AC;&#x201C;6)

Prof. Dr. Tanja BrĂźhl President

TU Darmstadt The year 2019

Academic Affairs

Photo: Jan-Christoph Hartung

Highlights 2019 2 to 4

20 years old

Germany’s HR managers rate TU Darmstadt as a top university. According to a university career ranking published by the magazine “WirtschaftsWoche”, TU Darmstadt received one of the top rankings alongside TU Munich, RWTH Aachen, KIT and LMU Munich. TU Darmstadt was ranked in 2nd place for business information systems, 3rd place for industrial engineering and 4th place for electrical engineering.

The series of events entitled “Saturday Morning Physics” have now been held for 20 years. The Department of Physics inspires pupils from senior schools to study the natural sciences through lectures, videos, experiments and tours. Around 450 pupils take part every year, of which a third of them are young women.

Weighing in at 150 kilogrammes

Photo: Team Hector

Photo: Claus Völker

Students have built a bridge out of paper as part of an interdisciplinary project. master’s students from the areas of civil, environmental and industrial engineering designed and constructed the bridge in the Botanical Gardens. It was six metres long, weighed 150 kilogrammes and was able to carry three people.

24 months Eight students who achieved outstanding grades for their bachelor’s degrees in courses focussing on mathematics, technical or engineering sciences have been accepted on the scholarship list of the Thomas Weiland Foundation: They will receive financial support for their further studies at TU Darmstadt for a period of two years.

1st place The rescue robot team Hector headed by Professor Oskar von Stryk in the Department of Computer Science has been successful twice in international competitions: 1st place in the European “EnRich” competition in the mapping category and the Best in Class Autonomy award in the RoboCup, the oldest and largest global competition for smart robots that are used for a diverse range of applications.

Photo: Jan-Christoph Hartung

Highlights 2019

TU Darmstadt is one of the top 100 universities worldwide whose graduates have the best employment opportunities. The university was ranked in 97th place in the QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2020. When asked to assess those universities who would provide the most qualified and innovative employees of the future, companies ranked TU Darmstadt in 79th place internationally.

Photo: HRK

Master’s students from the Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering Sciences, Electrical Engineering and Information Technology and Law and Economics have produced wind turbines small enough to fit in a display cabinet in the interdisciplinary teaching course “Design for Additive Manufacturing”. They learnt how to use 3D printers for practical applications and evaluated the opportunities and risks from a technical and economic perspective.

Academic Affairs

Bachelor’s students at TU Darmstadt have given a predominantly positive assessment of their engineering science degree courses. According to the ranking conducted by the Center for Higher Education Development, mechanical engineering and materials science students, in particular, were very satisfied with the overall study conditions. This was also the case for electrical engineering and information technology and mechatronics students.

Top 100

4 specialist fields

8 subjects in focus

160 guests The German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) held the nexus annual conference at TU Darmstadt in 2019 on the theme of “Interdisciplinarity in expertise-based teaching”. TU Darmstadt has plenty of experience in this field. The HRK supports German universities in the implementation of European study reform in the project “nexus – forming transitions, promoting student success”.

Photo: Jan-Christoph Hartung

New and grippy

Discussion in the Discourse Lab

Master in Data and Discourse Studies

Who can grip the best?

An increasing amount of data is being accumulated in academia and business. At the same time, there is a need for experts who can understand and process this data and effectively communicate with the intended target groups. TU Darmstadt is educating these experts in the new English-language Master’s degree in Data and Discourse Studies. This interdisciplinary course, based at the Institute of Linguistics and Literary Studies, is following a special approach when compared to international standards: A key focus is being placed on the handling and digital analysis of research data.

Who can develop a sophisticated gripping technology for a robot arm that can be used to pick up and put down not only a fragile, blown chicken’s egg and a complex ten-sided object but also a full cup of coffee? This was the task given to teams of students in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology in the seminar “Practical development methods” that was developed by the Measurement and Sensor Technology Group. The systematic, methodical approach required to independently solve this kind of technical problem should equip the students for their professional lives in the future.

Orientation for refugees

“Discourse analysis deals with the relationship between language, knowledge and society. The main focus is placed on the amalgamation of language analysis with historical, sociological, philosophical and political research areas.” Marcus Müller, Professor for Digital Linguistics

76 refugees prepared themselves for their future studies in the 2019 summer semester in numerous language courses at various levels. TUtor International organised a meet and greet event, an orientation week and extensive tours of the campus, while the Studienkolleg gave the participants information on admission requirements, language tests and the general contents of the courses. The Language Center at TU Darmstadt provided helpful strategies for how prospective students can effectively manage their own independent learning. 11

For future generations Photo: Claus Völker

Surgical robots from a printer For his bachelor thesis in the Measurement and Sensor Technology Group, Felix Herbst developed a six-axis articulated robot and manufactured it using a 3D printer. His design is smaller than an industrial robot and much cheaper to produce. The robot was then combined with a hollow needle with an integrated force sensor which was designed by Sonja Wismath, a bachelor graduate at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology. The resulting demonstration robot was used as a surgical assistant in the biomedical engineering cooperative degree programme and has been further developed by the master’s student Dennis Roth. A successful project by students for students.

Academic Affairs

“From scratch, our students have developed a very impressive robot that is now available to the next generation of biomedical engineering students, as well as students of electrical engineering, mechatronics and computer science, and will significantly improve their practical training.”

Powerful stuff: Articulated robots

stand and explain human intelligence. The focus of the English-language degree is modelling adaptive behaviour using computers. The aim is not only to explain human behaviour but also to make technical systems more intelligent.

Professor Mario Kupnik, Head of the Measurement and Sensor Technology Group

Understanding thought processes New bachelor and master degrees in Cognitive Science are now available. Cognitive science deals with the human mind as an information processing system and acts as a bridge between various disciplines. It combines insights from psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, philosophy and artificial intelligence. Algorithms are used to help under-

“The increasing application of AI will only serve people when we learn what it is exactly that makes us humans and how we can take this into account in technical systems.” Professor Constantin Rothkopf, Director of the Centre for Cognitive Science

Courses offered by TU Darmstadt Bachelor

113

degree programmes

departments

fields of study

Applied Geosciences Applied Mechanics Architecture Building Technology Biology Biomedical Engineering* Biomolecular Engineering Business Administration/Industrial Engineering • specialising in Civil Engineering • specialising in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology • specialising in Mechanical Engineering Business Information Systems Chemistry Civil Engineering and Geodesy Cognitive Science Computational Engineering Computer Science Digital Philology Electrical Engineering and Information Technology Environmental Engineering History with a Focus on Modern History Information Systems Technology Materials Science Mathematics Mechanical and Process Engineering Mechatronics Pedagogy Physics Political Science Psychology Sociology Bachelor of Education (Teaching’s degree) Building Technology Body Care Chemical Engineering Computer Science Electrical Engineering and Information Technology Metal Engineering Joint Bachelor of Arts Business Administration and Economics Computer Science Digital Philology German Studies History Musical Culture* Philosophy Political Science Sociology Sports Science

Lehramt an Gymnasien (Teaching’s degree)

Biology Chemistry Computer Science German History Mathematics Philosophy/Ethics Physics Sports

Master

Applied Geosciences Applied Linguistics Architecture Autonomous Systems Biomolecular Engineering Business Administration/Industrial Engineering • specialising in Civil Engineering • specialising in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology • specialising in Mechanical Engineering Business Information Systems Chemistry Civil Engineering Cognitive Science Computational Engineering Computer Science Distributed Software Systems Educational Sciences – Education in Processes of Global Technologicalisation Electrical Engineering and Information Technology Energy Science and Engineering Environmental Engineering Geodesy and Geoinformation Governance and Public Policy History Information and Communication Engineering Information Systems Technology International Cooperation in Urban Development International Studies/Peace and Conflict Research* Internet and Web-based Systems IT Security Linguistic and Literary Computing Materials Science Mathematics Mechanical and Process Engineering Mechanics Mechatronics Paper Science and Technology – Paper Technology and Biobased Fiber Materials Philosophy Physics Political Theory* Psychology Sociology Sports Management Sustainable Urban Development* Technology and Philosophy Traffic and Transport Tropical Hydrogeology and Environmental Engineering (TropHEE) Visual Computing Master of Education (Teaching’s degree) Catholic Religion Computer Science Ethics German History Mathematics Physics Politics and Economics Protestant Religion Sports Science

*Subject related cooperation of TU Darmstadt Biomedical Engineering: Cooperation with the Faculty of Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt Joint Bachelor of Arts Musical Culture: Cooperation with Akademie für Tonkunst, Darmstadt Master International Studies/Peace and Conflict Research: Cooperation with Goethe University, Frtankfurt Master Political Theory: Cooperation with Goethe University, Frankfurt Master Sustainable Urban Development: Cooperation with Vietnamese-German University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

winter semester 2019/20

25,170 Students

7,048

8,731

Students in first subject-related semester in 2019

Master’s students

Students Departments

Total

Women in %

Foreigners* in %

of which Master’s**

of which Master’s in %

Law and Economics

3,531

1,006

History and Social Sciences

2,954

1,076

Human Sciences

1,358

461

Mathematics

749

234

Physics

1,138

196

Chemistry

981

256

Biology

787

167

Materials and Earth Sciences

1,134

501

Civil and Environmental Engineering

2,068

710

Architecture

1,274

579

Mechanical Engineering

2,614

1,136

Electrical Engineering and Inf. Technology

2,011

634

Computer Science

3,569

1,239

Mechanics

193

Computational Engineering

299

111

Information Systems Engineering

239

Mechatronics

154

100

Energy Science and Engineering

117

100

Total

25,170

8,731

Fields of Study

Source: Data Warehouse / Excludes individuals with leave of absence, includes doctoral students, excludes those on second degree courses. Assignment based on first subject, winter semester 2019/20. / * Foreigners refer here to all individuals with foreign citizenship, even if they obtained their university entrance qualifications in Germany./ ** Master’s = all except Master of Education, preparation for Master’s included

Academic Affairs Facts and figures

Students in first subject-related semester

Undergraduate degree courses*

Master’s degree courses**

Fachbereiche

Total

Women in %

Foreigners *** in %

Total

Women in %

Foreigners *** in %

Law and Economics

564

371

History and Social Sciences

482

300

Human Sciences

194

110

Mathematics

132

Physics

541

Chemistry

158

104

Biology

156

Materials and Earth Sciences

156

Civil and Environmental Engineering

392

240

Architecture

166

187

Mechanical Engineering

211

357

Electrical Engineering and Inf. Technology

349

246

Computer Science

580

390

Mechanics

Computational Engineering

Information Systems Engineering

Mechatronics

Energy Science and Engineering

2,827

Fields of Study

Total

4,221

Source: Data Warehouse / Excludes individuals with leave of absence, doctoral students, and those on second degree courses. Assignment based on first subject. Summer semester 2019 + winter semester 2019/20. / * Bachelor’s at university, Bachelor of Education, Joint Bachelor, Lehramt an Gymnasien- supplementary teacher’s training **Master’s at university, Master of Education, preparation for Master’s ***Foreigners refer here to all individuals with foreign citizenship, even if they obtained their university entrance qualifications in Germany

Photo: Jan-Christoph Hartung

University and State Library 2019 1.34 million visitors 697,000 users of the reading room

501,000 items borrowed 77,000 requests for information Around 5.82

million: the number

of individual pages of the digital collection accessed Around

1 million: the number of times the libraryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s publication service (TUprints) was accessed

Collection: 4.74 million printed works, of which 2.4 million are books and journals

516.000 electronic media (excluding magazines)

53.564 continuously published journals,of which

51,159 are electronic 13,696 manuscripts 3.78 million Euro of expenditure on acquisitions, of which almost 2.85

million Euro

on electronic media

705 books and 727 graphics restored

International students* at TU Darmstadt Total of 3.672 from 118 countries in winter semester 2018/19, including ... China India Turkey Syria Iran Pakistan Tunesia Vietnam Indonesia Egypt Brazil Cameroon Russian Fed. Bulgaria Spain

1,056 228 149 149 146 139 123

2,249

91 80 79 72 71 69 57 57

738

Europe Asia

274

408

America

Africa

Australia

* Foreign students who obtained their university entrance qualifications outside of Germany.

Degree courses in highest demand Top 5 Bachelor’s degree courses

Top 5 Master’s degree courses

Subject

Number of students

Subject

Number of students

Computer Science

2,115

Mechanical and Process Engineering

1,105

Mechanical and Process Engineering

1,277

Computer Science

615

Architecture

547

Academic Affairs Facts and figures

Business Administration/Industrial Engineering – specialising in Mechanical Engineering 1,174

Civil Engineering and Geodesy

817

Physics

715

Top 5 Bachelor’s degree courses for international students*

Business Administration/Industrial Engineering – specialising in Mechanical Engineering 518 Electrical Engineering and Information Technology

451

Top 5 Master’s degree courses for international students*

Subject

Number of students

Subject

Number of students

Computer Science

208

Mechanical and Process Engineering

270

Mechanical and Process Engineering

189

217

Electrical Engineering and Information Technology

139

Electrical Engineering and Information Technology Distributed Software Systems

209

Mechatronik

Materials Science

162

Architecture

118

Business Administration/Industrial Engineering – specialising in Mechanical Engineering 81

Source: Data Warehouse; excludes individuals with leave of absence and those on second degree courses, winter semester 2019/20.

4,179

Doctorates total: 453 | Women: 25 % | Foreigners*: 21 %

graduates in 2019

Departments Law and Economics total: 25 | Women: 32 % | Foreigners: 8 %

14 %

History and Social Sciences total: 12 | Women: 67 % | Foreigners: 8 %

of students studying for Bachelor degrees are foreign nationals.

Human Sciences total: 13 | Women: 54 % | Foreigners: 8 %

3,569

Mathematics total: 17 | Women: 6 % | Foreigners: 6 %

With students, Computer Science is the most popular department at TU Darmstadt.

40 %

Materials and Earth Sciences total: 45 | Women: 42 % | Foreigners: 51 %

of students in the department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology are foreign nationals.

Civil and Environmental Engineering total: 39 | Women: 28 % | Foreigners: 23 % Architecture total: 4 | Women: 50 % | Foreigners: 25 %

25 %

Mechanical Engineering total: 102 | Women: 12 % | Foreigners: 17 %

of students studying for Master’s degrees are foreign nationals.

Electrical Engineering and Inf. Technology total: 53 | Women: 15 % | Foreigners: 34 % Computer Science total: 37 | Women: 19 % | Foreigners: 38 %

Source: Data Warehouse /data: Graduations reported in winter semester 2018/2019 and summer semester 2019 * Foreigners refer here to all individuals with foreign citizenship, even if they obtained their university entrance qualifications in Germany. ** Excluding PhD graduates. The diagram still contains Diploma and Magister qualifications so that the number may be larger than the sum of the Bachelor, Masters and teaching qualifications *** includes Joint Bachelor, except Bachelor of Education **** except Master of Education ***** Lehramt an Gymnasien, Bachelor of Education, Master of Education

Graduations

Departments

Graduates (total)**

Graduates (Bachelor)***

total

Women Foreigners* in % in %

Graduates (Master)****

Women Foreigners* total in % in %

Graduates (teaching degrees)*****

Women Foreigners* total in % in %

Women Foreigners* in % in %

Law and Economics

577

328

249

History and Social Sciences

360

137

152

Human Sciences

212

109

Mathematics

149

Physics

134

Chemistry

220

102

109

Biology

139

Materials and Earth Sciences

156

105

Civil and Environmental Engineering

389

177

212

Architecture

327

135

186

Mechanical Engineering

611

265

341

Electrical Engineering and Inf. Technology

283

121

162

Computer Science

449

186

257

Mechanics

Computational Engineering

Information Systems Engineering

Mechatronics

Energy Science and Engineering

Total

4,179

2,192

152

Fields of Study

1,833

TU Darmstadt The year 2019

Research

Photo: Katrin Binner

Highlights 2019 2 million euros

Top 50

Photo: Katrin Binner

Six professors from the Department of Law and Economics were placed in the top 50 in a ranking by the magazine “WirtschaftsWoche”. It listed the 100 strongest research personalities in the area of business studies.

The computer science Professor Stefan Roth has received a prestigious Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council. His project “RED – Robust, Explainable Deep Networks in Computer Vision” will receive total funding of around two million euros over a period of five years. This grant strengthens TU Darmstadt’s diverse range of activities in the field of artificial intelligence. Roth’s research aims to improve trust in machine learning methods in image analysis, such as in the context of self-driving cars.

12 MILLION EUROS

Photo: Patrick Bal

Whether it is extremely strong permanent magnets for wind turbines and electric motors or materials for magnetic cooling, new functional materials are required to ensure a successful energy transition and a lowemission future. The new “HoMMage” collaborative research centre has been launched at TU Darmstadt and the University of Duisburg-Essen. It will run initially for four years with total funding of 12 million euros from the German Research Foundation.

84 percent Fake news is dangerous because it can be used to manipulate the opinion of the general public. This is the belief of 84 percent of those surveyed in a representative study conducted across Germany by the Institute of Science and Technology for Peace and Security (PEASEC). 68 percent said that fake news damaged democracy. 1,023 people were asked to give their assessment and experience of unsubstantiated or fake news and how it is handled – and to evaluate measures to counter it.

Highlights 2019 3 partners

MILLION EUROS

How do you develop drugs for proteins that up to now have been pharmacologically inaccessible? This is the subject of the LOEWE research cluster “TRABITA – Transient Binding Pockets for Drug Development”, which has the aim of developing effective medicines. The state programme is providing TU Darmstadt with 4.5 million euros of funding up to the end of 2023. Other partners are the Goethe University Frankfurt and the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences. Photo: Katrin Binner

The federal government will provide around 34 million euros of funding for the construction of a “Center for Reliability Analytics” at the Lichtwiese campus. By constructing this research building, TU Darmstadt will create an infrastructure that will enable the reliability of components to be evaluated over their entire life cycles using digital methods.

TOP 1 PERCENT

Research

Photo: Eileén Bosselmann

According to the Web of Science 2019, the physicist Michael Saliba is one of the “world’s most influential researchers” in their particular field (top 15 by citations for field and year). The Assistant Professor at the Department of Materials and Earth Sciences prepares perovskites for use in solar cells, detectors and other applications.

1,5 MILLION EUROS How can services for Internet applications such as data storage, online surveys and e-mail communication be developed that protect privacy? Professor Thomas Schneider from the Department of Computer Science has been awarded an ERC Starting Grant with funding of around 1.5 million euros for his project “Privacy-preserving Services on the Internet”. He is working to ensure that users no longer have to trust just one service provider and can retain control over their data at all times.

Photo: Katrin Binner

Renowned in Europe

“The aim is to understand precisely what happens at a nano level.” Professor Leopoldo Molina-Luna, Department of Materials and Earth Sciences Assistant Professor Leopoldo Molina-Luna

Tiny components with huge potential

Frosty conditions

A research group headed by TU physicist Leopoldo Molina-Luna is observing tiny electronic components in action. Their electron microscope can not only be used to image individual atoms but also to manipulate them. For this purpose, Molina-Luna’s cooperation partner DENSsolutions has shrunk a testing laboratory down to the size of a small chip measuring just a few millimetres. It can be inserted into the microscope and allows the team to produce, heat and electronically manipulate the samples. Molina-Luna, Assistant Professor in the Department of Materials and Earth Sciences and the recipient of a Starting Grant from the European Research Council, believes that there is great potential in nanoelectronics – for example, components that are made using extremely thin layers of different materials also have huge memory or storage functions.

Professor Thomas Burg can freeze living cells and organisms under a light microscope almost instantaneously. The head of “Integrated Micro-Nano Systems” in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology has one aim: to develop a better link between light and electron microscopy and decisively push forward the continuous investigation of dynamic cellular processes. The researcher, who is the recipient of a Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council, uses components from microsystem technology – an electrically heated microchannel and a silicon chip that is cooled with liquid nitrogen – for his approach.

In cooperation Photo: Sandra Junker

Synthetic biology TU Darmstadt is bundling together its research expertise in a new Centre of Synthetic Biology with a strong focus on engineering sciences. The centre will, for example, create genetic circuits and develop ion conducting nanopores to open up new fields of application in biosensor technology. There is a broad range of applications for this kind of technology ranging from optimised proteins and new regulatory mechanisms that could make plants more robust through to electrical energy generated by microorganisms.

Nuclear physics project extended A research programme into nuclear structure physics and nuclear astrophysics headed by TU Darmstadt has received funding for a further four years: The DFG approved the extension of the collaborative research centre that has been running since 2016. More than 100 researchers at the Institute for Nuclear Physics at TU Darmstadt, the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research and the University of Mainz are investigating the physics of atomic nuclei and the nucleosynthesis of elements in the universe in 13 subprojects. Research in the Centre of Synthetic Biology

Life Science Engineering Researchers from the Departments of Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Electrical Engineering and Information Technology and Civil and Environmental Engineering are working together in the new English-language Life Science Engineering graduate school.

Research

New LOEWE centre

“The Resilient Digital City” – this is the mission of the research centre that TU Darmstadt was able to establish as part of the Hessian LOEWE research funding programme. It will receive 17.4 million euros of funding up to 2023. 23 professors from different disciplines are carrying out research in this joint project – headed by TU Darmstadt and in cooperation with the Universities of Kassel and Marburg, the City of Darmstadt and the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance.

“The LOEWE centre will develop solutions that ensure the emergency operation of information and communication technology in crisis situations as well as the use of this technology for emergency operations, provide quick assistance and offer the support needed to enable an efficient return to normality.” Professor Matthias Hollick, Department of Computer Science

Photo: Sandra Junker

Medical findings Better clinical diagnostics Coffin-Siris syndrome is a little known developmental disorder in humans that is often left undiagnosed. Ulrike Nuber, TU Professor for Stem Cell and Developmental Biology, has demonstrated which structural changes this disorder can cause in the brain using a mouse model and has proven – in cooperation with medical colleagues – that these changes actually occur to varying degrees in patients affected by the disorder.

Artificial bones Hip and knee joints made out of titanium, vertebrae made out of plastic and other bone implants help to free many patients from pain. However, some patients suffer complications, such as when the artificial bones fail to integrate properly. Anne Martin, a research assistant in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has developed a model together with a team headed by Dr. Bianca Bertulat in the Department of Biology that simulates the first few days after insertion of the bone implant. A special test chamber has been developed for this purpose that should make some animal experiments unnecessary in the future. Professor Ulrike Nuber (right) and Michaela Becker-Röck

“As a result of the findings from the mouse model, doctors now know precisely what to look for on MRI scans.”

Taking measurements directly on-site Anybody who needs laboratory results to diagnose an illness or test the pollution in waste water usually has to send the samples to the laboratory and wait for the results. The research groups headed by Wolfgang Ensinger, Professor of Material Sciences, and Helmut Schlaak, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, have developed and patented a prototype for a “Lab-on-a-Chip-System” as part of the LOEWE research cluster iNAPO that can already give the results in the doctor’s surgery or at the sampling site. Substances are detected using sensors made out of synthetic nanopores.

Professor Ulrike Nuber, Department of Biology

Pioneering and useful Photo: Katrin Binner

Memories from the computer Researchers in the Digital Design Group in the Department of Architecture have been investigating new forms of cultural memory for the last 25 years. A main focus of their work is the digital reconstruction of destroyed synagogues. This action against anti-Semitism was initiated in 1994 when three synagogues in Frankfurt that had been destroyed in the Nazi era were visualised in a student seminar; a further 26 synagogues have now been reconstructed. The project developed into the travelling exhibition “Synagogues in Germany – A Virtual Reconstruction”, which has since toured through Israel, America, Canada and Germany.

Update for climate protection A team headed by Professor Bernd Epple from the Institute for Energy Systems and Technology in the Department of Mechanical Engineering has developed a process to capture carbon dioxide using surplus electricity generated during waste incineration. Instead of feeding the energy into the public grid without generating a profit, the operators can use the electricity themselves to transform the CO2 produced during the incineration process into methane. The methane can then be processed into the diesel substitute OME or used as a raw material in the chemicals industry. The method was tested on an industrial scale at a testing facility on the Lichtwiese campus.

Research

Welding without heat

There is an increasing demand for lightweight, smart components in modern production technology. As part of a DFG priority programme, TU Darmstadt is coordinating multiple teams who are investigating which new methods can be used to permanently join together materials, which technologies are suitable for this purpose and how they can be used in industrial applications. A team headed by the mechanical engineer Christiane Gerlitzky has, for example, successfully carried out research into cold press flow welding – a cold forging process. It can be used to permanently join together two metals such as steel and aluminium without having to apply heat.

Virtually safeguarding destroyed buildings

Photo: Katrin Binner

Using all the senses

“The main aim of brain simulations is to gain a more in-depth understanding of the processes taking place in our most important organ.” Professor Felix Wolf, Department of Computer Science Professor Felix Wolf (left) and Dr. Sebastian Rink

Computer science meets astrophysics

Eyes front

Computer Science Professor Felix Wolf and his assistant Dr. Sebastian Rinke from the Programming Parallel Computers Group have dedicated themselves to a task that has proven too difficult even for supercomputers: How can the connections in the brain with its around 100 billion neurons be calculated? A trick from astrophysics provided some assistance. To determine the position of, for example, a star in the huge Milky Way, astronomers developed a calculation process that combines the celestial bodies into groups. The TU researchers are using this Barnes-Hut algorithm in their model, which has been designed to support neurosurgeons and push forward the development of artificial intelligence.

Professor Constantin Rothkopf and Dr. David Hoppe from the Centre for Cognitive Science at TU Darmstadt have demonstrated in a study that people can unconsciously plan their eye movements multiple steps in advance. The research published in the journal “Scientific Reports” uses methods from artificial intelligence to investigate human planning behaviour. The results will contribute to the understanding of how information is processed in the brain.

AI with a moral compass Artificial intelligence can be used to translate text, recommend treatments for patients, make purchasing decisions and optimise work processes. But where is its moral compass? A study headed by Professors Constantin Rothkopf and Kristian Kersting (Centre for Cognitive Science) has shown that AI machines can learn how to make moral decisions from humans. The results had been presented at the AAAI/ACM Conference on AI, Ethics and Society. 25

TU Darmstadt The year 2019

Cooperation and transfer

Photo: Katrin Binner

Highlights 2019 Photo: Nicholas Det

1.000 Guests

Photo: Sibylle Scheibner

More than 90 exhibitors – including former innovation projects from TU Darmstadt, start-ups funded by EXIST that are still in their early stages and also already established start-ups – participated in the 4th Darmstadt Startup & Innovation Day at TU Darmstadt, building contacts with guests from the worlds of science, industry and politics. Prizes were awarded to the best entries in the TU Idea Competition.

1 among 17

TU Darmstadt has been accepted into the renowned European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS). The core team for the Darmstadt unit includes six principal investigators from the Departments of Computer Science, Human Sciences and Electrical Engineering and Information Technology. TU Darmstadt is one of 17 sites across ten European countries and Israel that will invest at least 1.5 million euros per year for five years into cutting-edge research into artificial intelligence and intelligent systems.

More than 80 How can energy-intensive production processes be adapted to a fluctuating energy supply? This subject has been investigated by more than 80 partners since 2016 under the leadership of TU Darmstadt and the University of Stuttgart in the Copernicus project “SynErgie”. One result: If industry in Germany was organised more flexibly, it would be able to reduce its power demand by up to 2.5 gigabytes for 15 minutes in the event of a power shortage.

One of 20 TU Darmstadt was one of the winners of the „Reallabore der Energiewende“ (Real Laboratories of the Energy Transition) idea competition with its project outline DELTA. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy awarded funding to 20 consortiums across Germany; 100 million euros of funding is available each year. DELTA aims to reduce energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions in city districts. In the project, several types of districts – residential, industrial, commercial, educational – in Darmstadt will be linked with the grid infrastructures for electricity, heating, gas, communications and transport.

Highlights 2019 Photo: Gregor Rynkowski

3,2 million euros Can gas-insulated direct current lines installed underground eﬃciently and compactly transmit electricity generated using renewable sources over large distances with low losses? This is what the researchers in the High Voltage Technology Group at TU Darmstadt and their partners want to find out in a large-scale, long-term field test at a test site at the August-Euler airport. The project has received funding of 3.2 million euros, half of which was provided by the Hessian Ministry of Economics.

Cooperation and transfer

The long-term project “European Religious Peace Agreements – A Digital Edition” sponsored by the German federal and state governments receives 325,000 euros of funding per year. The University and State Library Darmstadt is one of the partners. The digital edition will be freely accessible on the Internet – fully in keeping with the ideals of open science.

FOR 10 YEARS TU Darmstadt and Deutsche Bahn have had an innovation alliance since 2009. Joint interdisciplinary teams are working on future themes such as cybersecurity, economic rail transport, infrastructure, mobility management and urban logistics. More than 25 departments at TU Darmstadt have participated in the alliance up to now, resulting in more than 100 research projects, doctorates, scientific publications and talks. These addressed specific issues such as: How can changeover times at train stations be reduced? How can passengers be directed to alternative routes?

Photo: Claus Völker

21 YEAR TERM

1 MILLION The number of insect species on many areas of land has fallen by a third compared to ten years ago. These are the findings of an international team of researchers under the leadership of the Department of Biology at TU Darmstadt. Grasslands in highly agricultural regions have particularly suffered from a decline in the number of species, as well as forests and nature reserves. More than one million insects were collected at 300 sites.

Photo: Claus Völker

Building bridges

“Printed bridges have so far always been produced vertically. However, our process allows you to print on an incline.” Thilo Feucht, research assistant in the Institute of Steel Construction Welding robot used for bridge building work

Steel from 3D printers

Glass construction

The TU project “AM Bridge 2019” could revolutionise the construction sector. Researchers at the Institute of Steel Constructions and Material Mechanics have built a steel bridge using a 3D printer at the Lichtwiese campus. Instead of printing the individual components, the welding robots welded the entire structure on-site and over the water.

Researchers at the Glass Competence Center (GCC) are carrying out research into the glass technologies of the future. New types of glass will be thinner, larger, thicker or printed using a 3D printer. The current trend is for thin glass with a thickness in some case of just 25 micrometres, which is thinner than a human hair. This transparent building material is especially hard, scratch-resistant and does not age like plastic. The GCC – based at the Institute for Structural Mechanics and Design – is searching for new applications in the construction sector in the form of movable windows or façades.

Sensitive measurement processes Many of the more than 100,000 bridges in Germany are starting to show their age or signs of stress. To inspect the bridges, it has always been necessary to attach sensors to the structure, dismantle them later and close the bridge to road and rail transport. A team from the Geodetic Measuring Systems and Sensor Technology Group has developed a monitoring process that can inspect the entire profile of the bridge contact-free using profile laser scanners. Static and dynamic deformations can be identified to a precision of one tenth of a millimetre. The maximum measurement distance is around 120 metres, with a maximum data acquisition rate of one million points per second.

“A modern and practical system is required in order to efficiently manage the large and increasing number of monitoring tasks.” Professor Andreas Eichhorn, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Sciences

Photo: Gregor Rynkowski

On the road

Cooperation and transfer

Pilot project: Electrical “refuelling” of Hybrid HGVs

Electrically powered HGVs

Inquisitive vacuum cleaner

Heavy goods vehicles are driving up and down a test section of the A5 motorway to the south of Frankfurt am Main powered by electricity from overhead cables. The pilot system for the “ELISA” project was launched in 2019. A team at the Institute for Transport Planning and Traffic Engineering headed by Professor Manfred Boltze is providing scientific support for “ELISA”. The aim is to make reliable assessments of the extent to which the “eHighway” system can contribute to climate and environmental protection.

A research team at the Security Lab in the Department of Computer Science has identified a weakness in the software for robot vacuum cleaners that could allow them to be controlled remotely. The commercially available devices tested at the lab collect data using a camera and sensors and create a floor plan so that they can move about autonomously. The combination of sensors, connectivity and poor or often non-existent security measures makes these devices highly vulnerable to hackers.

Tram of the future The Institute of Automotive Engineering is cooperating with the transport company HEAG mobilo in the MAAS (“Feasibility Analysis for Automation and Assistance Systems of Trams”) research project. A specially equipped tram is using sensors to record events outside of the tram during its daily operations; a computer programme uses machine learning to learn from the measurement data and draw conclusions about, for example, the behaviour of pedestrians and thus reduce the risk of accidents.

Smart parking space barrier The TU start-up Green Mobility Solutions UG is now able to launch its product “parking space activation via smartphone” onto the market after concluding the required contractual agreements. This start-up, which was launched by students, employees and researchers from the university, has developed a combination of a parking space barrier and web interface. Parking spaces can thus be made available and blocked again via app.

Photo: Sandra Junker

Feel-good factors

“Sun shades and glare protection will be future issues for the construction sector in our latitudes.” Professor Stefan Schäfer, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Sciences Professor Stefan Schäfer

A trick used by orchids

Optimised capacitors

Orchid flowers act as a role model. Researchers at the Institute for Constructive Design and Building Construction in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Sciences have developed an innovative sun protection system that combines the advantages of fabric roller blinds and Venetian blinds and can also be used to control the light. For this purpose, a laser cutting process is used to perforate a piece of fabric with an optimised pattern of small, staggered curved holes. If the material is stretched, it opens up the “joints” that have been produced. This creates uniform openings that also allow enough light into the room when the blind is closed while still protecting against glare.

The material scientists Patrick Salg and Lukas Zeinar and the electrical engineer Dominik Walk are working on low-loss and rapid mobile telecommunication transmissions. The scientists, who are being funded by the Pioneer Fund at TU Darmstadt and the ENTEGA NATURpur Institute, are carrying out research into technical solutions that can also respond flexibly to different frequency bands. They have developed capacitors made out of conductive oxide instead of gold or platinum, which are thus cheaper and more durable.

Cooling materials of tomorrow It is anticipated that humans will require more energy for cooling than for heating for the first time in 2060. Processes such as magnetic cooling could minimise the impact on the climate. Researchers at TU Darmstadt and the Helmholtz Centre Dresden-Rossendorf have conducted research into promising materials and created the first systematic library of materials. The promising materials include intermetallic compounds of lanthanum, iron, manganese and silicon in which hydrogen has been stored in the crystal lattice.

City without barriers People’s health and well-being often also depends on their surroundings – whether the road network, building typology, mobility or air quality. Therefore, junior professor Martin Knöll and his team in the Department of Architecture are introducing new approaches to city planning: Every space requires its own specific solution that meets the needs of residents. This approach has also become a fixed component of the courses, teaching and research.

“How do senior citizens, wheelchair users, people of short stature, children, refugees or people with depression perceive spaces? This is one of the key questions.” Professor Sabine Hopp, “Smart und Inclusive City” Project, Department of Architecture

A good investment Photo: Katrin Binner

New generation exoskeletons Will old or sick people be using exoskeletons instead of walking frames to move around in the future? Will motorised walking aids provide an easier form of mobility in old age? These questions are being investigated by TU Sports Scientist Dr. Martin Grimmer. The researcher, who was honoured by TU Darmstadt as the “Athene Young Investigator”, has developed a simulator that can be used to help customise exoskeletons to people’s bodies.

Intelligent insoles Novapace is a removable sensory insole equipped with electronics that is used for modern locomotion training. The start-up was founded by three entrepreneurs (Patrick Scholl, Simon Staffa and Lukas Braisz) with a background at TU Darmstadt who want to help Parkinson’s patients regain some quality of life and independence. Sensors in the insole measure rollover and pressure distribution of the foot and a vibrating alarm is triggered if the person is at risk of moving incorrectly or stumbling. The young entrepreneurs were supported by HIGHEST – the Startup and Innovation Center at TU Darmstadt.

Cooperation and transfer

Roller bearings as sensors

Drive shafts with roller bearings are found in almost every technical system to position rotating components within stationary ones. Tobias Schirra and Georg Martin, research assistants in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, are working on the further development of these bearings. They have converted a standard roller bearing into a sensor bearing without having to install additional measurement sensors. Instead, they are making use of standard electrical properties. The aim is to be able to better predict the operating life of the components and develop smoother operating processes. The project is being supported by the Pioneer Fund. TU Darmstadt and the Entega Natur pur Institute are investing 600,000 euros per year into the innovation programme.

Dr. Martin Grimmer in the TU Locomotion Laboratory

Lost revenue due to data errors Faulty data in automated stock management systems is causing considerable amounts of lost revenue in the retail trade. Professor Christoph Glock, Head of the Institute of Production and Supply Chain Management, has investigated more than 100 branches of stores with over a million different product groups in Europe and the USA in cooperation with researchers at TU Darmstadt, the EM Lyon Business School in France and Cardiff University in Wales. The result: Revenue can be increased by six percent just by correcting data errors. Sources of errors include incorrect scanning at the cash till, theft and spoilt or damaged products that were not correctly booked out of stock.

The depth of space Photo: Patrick Bal

The mission continues TU Darmstadt and the European Space Agency (ESA) have signed a Memorandum of Collaboration. The aim is to strengthen research and development relevant to space travel and improve networking and transfer activities, as well as to develop new learning content for students. Joint scientific conferences are planned. The cooperation is designed as an open platform in which other European partners can participate. TU Darmstadt also aims to strengthen its cooperation with the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) and its activities in the joint research laboratory ESA_ Lab@TU Darmstadt in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

The alchemy of merging neutron stars For the first time, astronomers have identified a chemical element that was formed by the merging of two neutron stars. The underlying mechanism called the r-process – also known as rapid neutron capture – is considered to be responsible for the origin of large quantities of elements heavier than iron. The research team from TU Darmstadt, the GSI Helmholtz Centre and FAIR were able to demonstrate that the fusion of two neutron stars creates the conditions for this process and acts as a reactor that breads new elements.

Precise nuclear model Precise measurements using laser spectroscopy make it possible to determine the size of atomic nuclei even in very short-lived isotopes. Physicists at TU Darmstadt and their international colleagues have succeeded for the first time in applying this technology beyond the “doubly magic” tin isotope 132Sn. They identified an abrupt increase in the radius. The data suggest that the nuclear surface has a greater influence on the binding of the neutrons and protons than previously assumed. The magazine “Physical Review Letters” highlighted this work as an “Editors’ Suggestion”.

Signed agreement: Johann-Dietrich Wörner (left) and Hans Jürgen Prömel

“For ESA, the cooperation with TU Darmstadt is of major importance for giving additional impetus to the entire innovation chain, from basic research through to space missions.” Professor Johann-Dietrich Wörner, Director General of ESA

“Two ideal partners are coming together here to bundle their outstanding research and application expertise in future areas of digital transformation.” Professor Hans Jürgen Prömel, President of TU Darmstadt until 2019

TU Darmstadt Das Jahr 2019

Life on campus

Photo: Jan-Christoph Hartung

Highlights 2019 Photo: Claus Völker

Over 330

Photo: Patrick Bal

This was the number of participants in 2019 at the Welcome Centre, which provides German courses for international doctoral student, postdocs, researchers and their family members in cooperation with the Language Center at TU Darmstadt. The courses help people to cope with everyday life in the city and quickly feel at home at TU Darmstadt. Demand for the courses is increasing rapidly.

39 words The artist Matthias Berthold from Hamburg has decorated the façade of the new energy centre on the Lichtwiese campus with his “word field”. He used stencils to paint 39 words in dark blue paint onto the grey concrete façade. In 2018, TU Darmstadt held a competition to design the external façade of the new building. Berthold’s design was selected

Photo: Sailing Team Darmstadt

from almost 60 entries.

3 times in a row The “Studentische Filmkreis” (Student Film Club) at TU Darmstadt has been honoured for the third time in a row in 2019 with the “Hessian cinema culture prize for non-commercial cinemas and cinema initiatives”. This university group has been offering the very best cinematic programme from blockbusters to arthouse films since 1954. The films are shown in the Audimax and Rex arthouse cinema in Darmstadt.

For 10 years Sailing Team Darmstadt is working on the development of autonomous, unmanned sailing boats. The vision of the university group: To be the first team to sail their current energy selfsufficient boat design across the Atlantic. To counteract the challenges faced out on the ocean, the software for the sensors has been refined to optimally control the sail and rudder.

Photo: Andreas Kelm

Faster progress

Symbolic starting signal for the construction of the new tramline with the Hessian Minister of Transport Tarek Al-Wazir (2nd from right)

Groundbreaking ceremony for the Lichtwiese tramline Work has started on the Lichtwiese tramline. The construction of the around one kilometre tramline will connect the Lichtwiese campus to the local tram network. This TU Darmstadt site is expanding at a fast rate: Up to 10,000 people will study and work here by 2022/23. According to Vice President Dr. Manfred Efinger, the university views the new tramline as one of the most important infrastructure projects in the last four decades. The new route number 2 is due to be placed into operation in 2021. It will cost 20.2 million euros and the state government is contributing 12.3 million euros.

Head over heels gymnastics In wheel gymnastics, sportswomen and sportsmen execute acrobatic figures and freestyle movements of various levels of difficulty while standing in large wheels connected together. The University Sports Centre has been offering courses in this sport since 1998. Wheel gymnastics – which used to be an Olympic sport – is today considered a niche sport.

Life on campus

Sportiest university in Germany

TU Darmstadt is the “sportiest university in Germany”. In the Sports Badge University Challenge, TU Darmstadt secured its third title in a row with 3,682 points and was the only one of the eight universities to break the 33,000 point barrier. 383 students, employees and alumni started the event in Darmstadt; 330 people had already registered in advance. The German Olympic Federation and BKK24 have jointly held the Sports Badge University Challenge since 2015 to inspire young people to lead a healthy, active life.

“A quick, convenient connection between the main station, city centre and Lichtwiese campus without having to change trams will increase the attractiveness of the City of Science.” Jochen Partsch, Lord Mayor

Photo: André Hirtz

Art and culture

Exhibition about Paul Meißner

Between tradition and awakening

Music at the palace

In the exhibition “Paul Meißner. An architect between tradition and awakening”, the Art Forum at TU Darmstadt has placed the spotlight on the university lecturer, architect and monument conservator from Darmstadt for the first time. Meißner (1868-1939) is one of the architects who worked between the late historicism and early modern eras. His breakthrough as an architect came with the new construction of the Hessian State Hypothekenbank on Paulusplatz in Darmstadt. He also designed important industrial buildings for various companies such as for Opel in Rüsselsheim. From 1904 to 1934, he taught at the former Technische Hochschule Darmstadt and educated generations of architects.

TU Darmstadt offers a unique space for cultural activities in a historical atmosphere right in the heart of the city in the restored Palace Church. To ensure that music of all styles and eras can be heard, TU Darmstadt has concluded a cooperation agreement with the Academy of Music Art (Akademie für Tonkunst) and the Christoph-Graupner Society. The palace organ and a Bechstein grand piano from 1870 open up new opportunities for concert programmes. Students at the academy can give their examination concerts in the church and practice on the organ.

Photography Days The ambitious Darmstadt Photography Days will be organised under the umbrella of TU Darmstadt in future. The Art Forum at the university will provide administrative support and space for the renowned photography festival. The event has been extended to last ten days, while the focus has been expanded to include international artists and institutions. The project receives 122,000 euros of funding from the Culture Foundation Frankfurt RheinMain.

“The academy will use this space opened up by the Technical University to perform music with great joy and energy.” Cord Meijering, Director of the Akademie für Tonkunst, Darmstadt

Life on campus Facts and figures

Photo: Jan-Christoph Hartung

Good old money

In motion

2,140 TU Darmstadt students received a total of 12.83 million euros from

31,600 places on university sports courses

BAföG funds in 2019. More than 60

99,960 individual admissions were recor-

were booked in 2019.

percent of TU Darmstadt students also

ded at the university stadium in 2019

have a job alongside their studies.

(43,500 students and 7,000 employees). Far more than three quarters of them were in the swimming pool season

Food & drink 1.2 million warm meals were served in the Stadtmitte and Lichtwiese canteens in 2019.

from the middle of May until the end of August.

60 Unifit courses were held per quarter in 2019.

370 employees from 105 office units made use of Office Fresh Up training during breaks.

Energy & sustainability 55,600 megawatt hours of district heating was consumed by TU Darmstadt in 2019.

53,000 megawatt hours of electricity was needed by TU Darmstadt in 2019. Of which 38,800 megawatt hours were generated in the university’s own combined heat and power plant. The

Up to 150 employees per quarter took advantage of the courses offered at uniGym.

17 TU Darmstadt students achieved top three finishes in German university championships – for example, in snowboarding and freeskiing, swimming, fencing, karate, Ju-Jutsu and Taekwondo.

280 international students used the sports programme designed especially for them.

remainder was purchased as green electricity.

175,000 cubic metres of fresh water were drawn by the university in 2019.

150 used mobile phones were collected by the TU Darmstadt Office for Sustainability in 2019 for recycling purposes.

15 electric bikes and 16 cargo bikes were newly purchased for transport services on the campus in 2019.

17 percent of the food prepared by the university catering service from Student

Living & assistance 1,900 TU Darmstadt students were living in halls of residence provided by Student Affairs at the end of 2019.

415 TU Darmstadt students sought advice and support during difficult situations in life from Student Affairs’ social counsellors in 2019.

Affairs in 2019 was made using organic produce – which included 67,500 kilogrammes of organic potatoes. 39

TU Darmstadt Das Jahr 2019

Awards

Photo: Gregor Rynkowski

Highlights 2019 Photo: Katrin Binner

2 with 1.5 million euros

Photo: Claus Völker

The TU Darmstadt start-up projects Prochain and QuantiCor Security are being provided with funding of 1.5 million euros by the new StartUpSecure funding programme from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research to help develop their ideas in the area of IT security.

Professor Jutta Hanson, Head of the Institute for Electrical Power Supply with Integration of Renewable Energies, has been appointed to the Senate of the Helmholtz Association. As one of twelve elected members of the body, she will contribute her experience from the field of energy research. The Senate, which is made up of external members, gives its recommendations on thematic priorities and the financial funding of research programmes.

1.25 million euros for 5 years Professor Jürgen Rödel from the Institute of NonmetallicInorganic Materials will receive funding of 1.25 million euros over five years from the German Research Foundation for a Reinhart Koselleck project on the subject of “Research of Dislocations in Ceramics”. The programme supports particularly innovative research which is considered higher risk in a positive sense.

100,000 euros for AI The team headed by Professor Kristian Kersting at the Machine Learning Lab has been awarded the German AI Prize by the business magazine “BILANZ ”. The prize with an endowment of 100,000 euros recognises the development of new methods for machine learning and artificial

Photo: Claus Völker

One of 12

Photo: Bildkraftwerk/Bernd Lammel

High level of funding

Honoured by Federal Minister Anja Karliczek (right): Professor Tatiana Gambaryan-Roisman, research assistant Sebastian Keuth

Ralf Dahrendorf Prize

Dr. Hans Messer Foundation Prize

The doctoral network CoWet headed by Professor Tatiana Gambaryan-Roisman has been awarded the Ralf Dahrendorf Prize for the European Research Area (50,000 euros) by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The group is carrying out research into complex wetting phenomena. Developing a precise understanding of the interactions between fluids and surfaces will help to make industrial processes more efficient and open up new applications, such as in medical diagnostics.

The sociologist Bianca Prietl has been awarded the Dr. Hans Messer Foundation Prize endowed with 50,000 euros – the award with the highest endowment at TU Darmstadt. In the project for her habilitation thesis, the TU Darmstadt scientist aims to clarify the social requirements and consequences of digitalisation and knowledge production.

Awards

ERC Grant plus

The European Research Council (ERC) is funding the Computer Science Professor Mira Mezini with an additional Proof of Concept Grant. The scientist had previously received an ERC Advanced Grant with funding of 150,000 euros for her project “A Programming Platform for Reactive Data-intensive Applications”. Mezini and her team are carrying out research into programming platforms for decentralised artificial intelligence systems, in which the data is managed by the users themselves.

Kurt Ruths Prize The biotechnologist Dr. Simon Krah has been awarded the Kurt Ruths Prize 2019 from TU Darmstadt, which is endowed with 12,000 euros, for his innovative methods in the search for new therapeutic antibodies in the field of medicine. Therapeutic antibodies are considered the new superstars of medicine because they intervene in the disease process much more precisely than many other drugs as they specifically identify a single antigen.

High potential The Junior Professor Ulrike Kramm is carrying out research in the Department of Materials and Earth Sciences into precious metal-free catalysts for low-temperature fuel cells, such as those used in e-mobility drives. She has received a Curious Minds Research Award (7,500 euros) for her achievements in the area of “Mobility and Energy”. The company Merck KGaA, in cooperation with “Manager Magazine”, pays tribute to performances with a high potential for technological and industrial innovations.

AI newcomer Dorothea Koert and Michael Lutter, research assistants in the Intelligent Autonomous Systems Group in the Department of Computer Science, have been selected by the Gesellschaft für Informatik e. V. as two of the ten most outstanding newcomers in German AI research. Koert is carrying out research into new interactive methods that will, for example, help AI to directly learn from humans through imitation. Lutter develops special deep learning algorithms for robots.

Giersch Foundation Award The Giersch Foundation presented the 2019 Excellence Awards (each for 6,000 euros) to out standing dissertations from Dr. Julian Kahlbow, Dr. Kristian Lars König and Dr. Steffen Georg Weber. Excellence Grants (each for 2,500 euros) were awarded to the doctoral students Frédéric Kornas, Phillip Imgram, Jacob Lee, Sajjad Hussain Mirza, Franziska Papenfuß, Maruis Peck, Tabea Pfuhl, Niels Schlusser, Pascal Simon and Martin Jakob Steil.

Athene Award The Athene Award from the Carlo and Karin Giersch Foundation honours academic teaching at TU Darmstadt and has a total endowment of 46,000 euros. The Main Athene Award 2019 was awarded to Dr. Bertram Noback (Department of History and Social Sciences) for a practical, interdisciplinary teaching project in the university and schools on the culture of remembrance in Darmstadt.

Innovative in the fields of energy and mobility: Junior Professor Ulrike Kramm

Engagement in the Friends Association The Vereinigung von Freunden der Technischen Universität zu Darmstadt e. V. (Association of Friends of the Technical University of Darmstadt) and the university support young scientists with the Ernst Ludwig Mobility Grant. Grants were awarded in 2019 to Dr. Marco Tamborini (History and Social Sciences), Dr. Simon Gehrmann (Architecture) and Raja Sangili Vadamalu (Mechanical Engineering). In addition, the Friends Association rewarded twelve outstanding young scientists for their excellent dissertations with prize money of 2,500 euros each. 43

Photo: André Hirtz

Fresh tailwind

“The pioneering business ideas from these startups will help to transform Germany into a leading international market as a provider of digital technologies.” Thomas Jarzombek, Digital Commissioner at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy

Still on track for success: TU start-up NanoWired GmbH

NanoWired honoured once again The start-up NanoWired GmbH, which was founded at TU Darmstadt in 2017, is revolutionising industrial production processes with its KlettWelding Tape. The company received the Hermes Award 2019, which is endowed with 100,000 euros, for its innovation that enables electronic components to be permanently combined very easily.

Digital start-up of the year

Awards

The TU Darmstadt start-up Xelera has been honoured by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy as the “Digital Start-up of the Year 2019”. The prize is endowed with 30,000 euros. The software from Xelera accelerates applications and organises the processing of data in a more energy efficient manner.

Five “Digital Innovations” Start-ups from TU Darmstadt have received multiple awards in the “Digital Innovations” competition held by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy: The Etalytics team – which supports industrial companies with sustainable

energy management using AI-based cloud software – received a main award and a special award with prize money of 52,000 euros. The Core Sensing Technologies team, which develops and produces mechanical components that can detect their local environment using sensors, and the QuantiCor Security team, which specialises in cryptographic methods, each received prize money of 32,000 euros. Merit prizes – each endowed with 7,000 euros – were also awarded to Energy Robotics, Sooqua and SprayPatternator.

Hessen Ideen Prize Three TU start-up teams were successful in the “Hessen Ideen” (Hessian Ideas) university start-up competition. First prize, which was endowed with 5,000 euros, was awarded to Caliberation for a method that simplifies the complex and costly process of calibrating cameras. Third prize was awarded to SprayPatternator for a system that optimises spraying processes in, for example, the metal industry or agriculture. The Audience Award was presented to the team from NAKT who has developed a chemicalfree and reusable facial care cloth.

Respectable personalities Photo: Gregor Rynkowski

Joint winners Professors Klara Nahrstedt and Wolfgang Dahmen have been awarded the Robert Piloty Prize by TU Darmstadt for their outstanding research and development work. The computer science professor Klara Nahrstedt, who teaches at the University of Illinois, was honoured for her work on the development of multimedia systems and networks to accelerate the use of telepresence systems in telemedicine and remote teaching. The mathematician and Leibniz Award winner Wolfgang Dahmen carries out important basic research into, amongst other things, constructive approximation theory for the development of new applications in computeraided geometry.

Pioneer in AI Professor Wolfgang Bibel, who was a Professor of Intellectics in the Department of Computer Science at TU Darmstadt from 1988 to 2004, was selected as one of the “ten most influential minds in German AI history” by the “Science Year 2019 – Artificial Intelligence” initiative. The internationally renowned researcher developed the connection method, which makes it possible for computers to draw correct logical conclusions in a very compact manner.

Honorary Senatorship Award TU Darmstadt presented the Honorary Senator ship Award to the benefactor Alois M. Schader. The foundation founded by the civil engineer in 1988 provides important funding for the practical application of social sciences. The Schader Forum – a cooperation partner of TU Darmstadt – that was opened in 2010 acts as a meeting place for qualified practitioners from the fields of politics, administration, business and civil society to discuss and exchange ideas.

Piloty Prize for Professor Klara Nahrstedt (right), Professor Wolfgang Dahmen (middle)

Departures from the University Council Professor Heidi Wunderli-Allenspach, the long-standing Chairwoman of the University Council, was honoured in a farewell ceremony as she stepped down from her post. The former Rector of ETH Zurich was presented with the Honorary Athene Award by TU Darmstadt for her services to promote internationalisation at the university. After ten years in office, Dr. Holger Zinke also retired from the University Council. The microbiologist and TU Darmstadt alumnus is considered a pioneer of sustainable management and received the most highly endowed European environmental award – the German Environmental Prize – in 2008 together with Prof. Dr. Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker for the economic impact he has made. 45

Photo:Katrin Binner

Impressive students DAAD Prize Ayoub Alhousin, a master’s student in Civil Engineering, was awarded the DAAD Prize (German Academic Exchange Service Prize) for his outstanding work as a foreign student. The award is endowed with 1,000 euros and was given to the young Syrian for his extraordinary social commitment and outstanding academic performance.

Scholarship record TU Darmstadt was able to award 388 German scholarships (“Deutschlandstipendien”) to its especially talented students in 2019 – more than ever before. The total funding amount of 1.4 million euros was also a record. 21 foundations and non-profit organisations contributed to this figure with a total of 169 scholarships. A particularly large contribution was made by the Karin and Carlo Giersch Foundation. TU Darmstadt is one of the five most successful universities in Germany for securing German scholarships.

Master’s student Ayoub Alhousin

“As a refugee student, Mr. Alhousin was confronted with hurdles that should not be underestimated and yet he overcame them all as a result of his personal initiative, commitment and perseverance.” Extract from the jury’s statement

Deutschlandstipendium – List of sponsors • • • • • • • • • • • • •

•

Awards

•

• • • • • • • • • •

ABB Trainingscenter & Co. KG Airbus Defence & Space GmbH ALD Vacuum Technologies GmbH Atotech Deutschland GmbH Avanade Deutschland GmbH BASF SE BBBank Stiftung Bickhardt Bau AG BIG BAU Investitionsgesellschaft Board Deutschland Bosch Rexroth AG Brigitte und Manfred Rehner Förder-Stiftung BSI Business Systems Integration Deutschland GmbH Carlo und Karin Giersch-Stiftung an der TU Darmstadt Clariant Produkte (Deutschland) GmbH Coca-Cola European Partners Deutschland GmbH Compagnie de Saint-Gobain dacoso GmbH Deloitte GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft Deutsche Bahn AG Deutsche Bank AG d-fine GmbH Döhler GmbH Dr. Ingrid Wagner Dr. Otto Röhm Gedächtnisstiftung GmbH

• • • • • •

• • • • • • • •

• • • • • • •

• •

Dr.-Ing. Heinz-Emil Hauck DZ BANK-Stiftung Ed. Züblin AG Elke Deinstrop-Stiftung Endress + Hauser Messtechnik GmbH + Co. KG ENTEGA NATURpur Institut gGmbH Essity Operations Mannheim GmbH Evonik Stiftung Frankfurter Volksbank eG Fritz und Margot Faudi-Stiftung Gemeinschaftsstipendium GFP Goldschmidt · Fischer · Schütz Projektmanagementgesellschaft mbH GOLDBECK Südwest GmbH Gruber + Hartmann Ingenieurbüro für Baustatik Hans Hermann Voss-Stiftung Hans-und-Dorrit-Michel-Stiftung Heinrich Sauer & Josef Schmidt Stiftung hkp Deutschland GmbH Horst Görtz Stiftung Hottinger Baldwin Messtechnik GmbH HPP - Harnischfeger, Pietsch & Partner Strategie- und Marketingberatung GmbH Infraserv GmbH & Co. Höchst KG ING AG

• Ingenieursozietät Prof. Dr.-Ing. Katzenbach • Isra Vision AG • IT-Seal GmbH • Jakob Wilhelm Mengler-Stiftung • KFT Chemieservice GmbH • KSB SE & Co. KGaA • Kurt und Lilo Werner RC Darmstadt Stiftung • LEONHARD WEISS GmbH & Co. KG • Ludwig-Schunk-Stiftung e. V. • Lufthansa Technik AG • Maingau Energie GmbH • Merck KGaA • MEWA Textil-Service AG & Co. Management OHG • MLP Finanzberatung SE • Mobile Industrial Robots GmbH • Namics (Deutschland) GmbH • Nintendo of Europe GmbH • PPI AG • Prof. Dr. Bernd Reckmann (HSR) • PSI Energy Markets GmbH • real,- Digital Payment & Technology Services GmbH • Roche Diagnostics GmbH • SAP SE • SCHENCK RoTec GmbH • Schwarz IT KG • Sigi und Hans Meder Stiftung • Sparkasse Darmstadt

• Stiftung für Angewandte Geowissenschaften • Stiftung ZusammenWachsen • STRABAG AG • Talentschmiede Unternehmensberatung AG • Tanja Brühl • TE Connectivity Germany GmbH • Tosoh Bioscience GmbH • TRUMPF GmbH & Co. KG • Union Investment Stiftung • Ursula Blaum • Vereinigung von Freunden der TU zu Darmstadt e. V. • Viridium Service Management GmbH • von Ledebur, Ernst, Freiherr • Vössing Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH • vwd Vereinigte Wirtschaftsdienste GmbH • Waltraud Herrhausen • Wayss & Freytag Ingenieurbau AG • Weisenburger Bau GmbH • WISAG Sicherheit & Service Holding GmbH & Co. KG • wörner traxler richter planungsgesellschaft mbh • Yatta Solutions GmbH • Zürich Beteiligungs-AG

Photo: Jan-Christoph Hartung

Imprint Publisher President of TU Darmstadt Karolinenplatz 5 64289 Darmstadt Editor Jörg Feuck, Head of Corporate Communications, TU Darmstadt Copy TU Darmstadt/Jörg Feuck, Astrid Ludwig Translation Lund Languages, Köln Photo editor Patrick Bal Title photo Britta Hüning Layout and design AS’C Arkadij Schewtschenko Communications, Frankfurt www.ascfrankfurt.de Printing Druckerei Ph. Reinheimer GmbH Darmstadt Circulation (english) 300 May 2020

Photo: Britta HĂźning