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In this issue

• A portrait of alumnus Umair Ansari
• Using AI to speak to the dead
• The communication of noxious fungi
• h_da-shop opens on campus
• Award for building culture

Umair Ansari. Photo: Private

Success by Studying

Umair Ansari came to Germany as a refugee child. His dream: he wanted to study and have a successful career. He had the right instinct: Ansari chose the new course of study “Information Law” at h_da, a course that at that time – in the early 2000s – was offered by only few universities in Germany. Ansari graduated with a Diploma, followed by a Master’s degree. Today, this alumnus is IT Team Lead at automotive supplier SAF-Holland located near Aschaffenburg.

Read our portrait on Umair Ansari here.

Master’s Program “Applied Social Sciences” Starts

As of winter semester 2024/25, the Master’s Program “Applied Social Sciences” is now being offered at the Faculty of Social Work. This course is aimed at students who want to critically reflect on society while actively shaping it. In terms of contents, the course focuses on issues of societal transformation such as the socio-ecological or the digital transformation. There are two focus directions: “Work and Organisation” and “Innovation and Society”. The application period for the next winter semester will start in June 2025; please find further information on this course here: https://sowi.h-da.de/master/uebersicht.

Successful orientation semester 

More than 20 young people took part in the first orientation semester “hejmint“ at h_da. It is aimed at adolescents who are interested in taking up a STEM course of study (German abbreviation: MINT) or a STEM vocational training, and it combines a trial course at h_da with insights into job life. Successfully so: n fact, nearly all participants subsequently started a vocational training or a (dual) course of study in the STEM area.
h_da is conducting several projects on the transition from school to university. The aim is to provide orientation to young people with different educational backgrounds and biographies. More info on “hejmint” at https://h-da.de/en/studies/semester-of-orientation/hejmint.

A new microscope and a symposium

The Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology has put into service an automated super-resolution fluorescence microscope subsidized with EUR 500,000 by “Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft”: the IX83 SpinSR Spinning Disk made by Evident Scientific. Researcher can use it to examine a wide range of objects in 4D. Practical applications include the development of medications, but also many other areas which call for a high-throughput resolution in terms of space and time – such as cell reaction on stress, wound healing processes, or fungi infestation of plants. The new research area covered by eight professors from Hochschule Darmstadt and ETH Zurich was presented at an international symposium held at h_da. 

Common European Institute

30 researchers from the field of nanotechnology convened at Hochschule Darmstadt in order to put their cooperation within the framework of “European University of Technology” (EUT+) on a new base: scientists from seven out of the nine EUR+ partner universities took part in this two-day workshop. The aim is the foundation of a common “European Research Institute”. Read more at https://impact.h-da.de/en/eut-nanotechnology.
 

YUBIZZ! – on the road to a successful start-up

Do you have an innovative business idea? h_da supports former students in realizing their plans with its start-up support program YUBIZZ!. Of particular interest is the start-up subsidy program “EXIST Gründerstipendium”, since it offers EUR 30,000 for material expenses, a coaching budget of EUR 5,000 as well as the possibility to use the h_da infrastructure. If you’re interested, please write an email to yubizz@h-da.de.

Use AI to speak to the dead

Longing for immortality is one of the oldest motifs in literature, music, and religion. According to the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice, the gods granted Orpheus the chance to free his loved one from the underworld, but he failed. What art cannot achieve, Artificial Intelligence is aimed at achieving: Via avatars – digital twins – bereaved persons are now to be given the possibility to “speak” to the deceased. Dream or nightmare? Emotion researcher Prof. Dr. Katrin Döveling at h_da explains in an interview how such technology can change the emotions of grieving persons. More about this at https://impact.h-da.de/en/talking-to-deceased-loved-ones-with-the-help-of-avatars.

Prof.Dr. Yvonne Haffner, Renée März. Photo: Private 

First female doctoral candidate at the Doctoral Center for Social Work

Renée März is the first female h_da doctoral candidate who has successfully defended her dissertation in the cross-university Doctoral Center for Social Work at HAW Hessen. Her research centered on coping strategies of adolescents who have a hard time during their transition phase between leaving the basic secondary school and looking for a vocational training. For them, there are targeted support offers and transition programs, e.g., at vocational schools. Renée März conducted interviews with these youths in order to find out how they master their challenges. Read more at https://impact.h-da.de/erste-promovendin-soziale-arbeit.
 

Making science fit for the future

This is a dilemma that any researcher knows only too well: Where do I find data that complement, substantiate, or maybe even refute my own research work? How do I get this information, how and where was this data collected – and am I allowed to use it in the first place? Even to this day, the national and international world of research data is similar to a confusing jungle in which searching for and making use of important pieces of knowledge is rather difficult and non-transparent.
This is a situation the researchers at h_da want to change, at least at a German level. Together with a total of 1,500 scientists, they are currently working on building a National Research Data Infrastructure – one of the largest scientific subsidy programs by the Federal government and the Federal States, funded with one hundred million euros per year for a total of ten years. Find out who is working on this exciting project: https://impact.h-da.de/en/national-research-data-infrastructure.   

 
Photo: Hans-Peter Schmal

Lab Nights in the “Wasserbauhalle” (Hydraulic Engineering Hall)

The “Wasserbauhalle” (Hydraulic Engineering Hall) on Campus Darmstadt can present quite a different picture. For the second time, the “Lab Nights” took place here, a date alumni should mark in their calendars, for a new edition is already planned. The invitation had been extended by the Faculties of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Media. The musical evening offered a mix of harp sounds, saxophone improvisations, live electronic music, and DJ groove. The perfect sound was mastered by students from the Sound and Music Production program. Between the music units, the student volunteer team of “wasserBARhalle” looked after catering. The eight-people organization team grouped around Prof. Arne Speer, Dean of the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Martin Weber, research assistant in the Wasserbauhalle (Hydraulic Engineering Hall), were enthusiastic about the great feedback and the outstanding commitment of all involved.

Photo: h_da / Jens Steingässer

The communication of noxious fungi

In a project funded by the DFG, h_da molecular biologist Vera Göhre examines the ways in which noxious fungi communicate with their host plants. In concrete terms, this is about fungi infesting crops like corn, cabbage, beets, rice, or rapeseed. The professor cultivates rock-cress plants in a washed concrete tub on campus, plants infested by the smut fungus Thecaphora thlaspeos. Göhre and her team want to find out how exactly noxious fungi manage to infiltrate and reprogram their hosts. These insights could be an important contribution to global nutrition: Globally, several hundred of fungal diseases are known, which – according to an estimate by the Max Planck Society – result in harvest reductions of twenty to forty percent. This development is reinforced by climate change and increasing resistance. Read more here: https://impact.h-da.de/en/communication-between-plants-and-fungi.

AI use during studies shows a strong increase

A team consisting of alumni and students of the Bachelor’s study program “Applied Social Sciences” has – together with Professor Jörg von Garrel from the Faculty of Social Sciences – interviewed more than 4,900 students all across Germany. The results show: more than 90 percent of all students are using AI-based tools for their studies – more than half of the students even use them frequently or very frequently. By far the most popular tools are ChatGPT (both free of charge and fee-based) and the translation AI DeepL. The current survey is part of a longitudinal survey. The first inquiry in 2023 showed a usage of AI-based tool during studies of 63 percent. Overall, the results indicate that their usage for academic purposes is turning more and more into a matter of course. Read up on more survey results here.

And learn about further exciting projects in impact– the magazine showcasing research results at h_da.

The Darmstadt MBA

Our renowned MBA course of studies is available to you at an exclusive alumni discount of 20%. You will benefit from practice-oriented teaching content and intensive mentoring. You can thus acquire excellent leadership qualities and establish valuable networks for your professional career.Curious already? We’re offering an online MBA info evening on May 15. Get detailed info on our website https://darmstadt-mba.h-da.de/. 

Pan-European Seal Program

Once a year, the study programs in Information Law – in particular the Master’s program International Licensing Law – nominate interested and suitable students and alumni from the previous year for the Pan-European Seal Program, upon which those nominated then undergo the application procedure. The program opens the door to a paid one-year traineeship at the European Patent Office (EPO), the second-largest intergovernmental organisation in Europe. There, high-performing university graduates can take on challenging tasks in various departments at the EPO headquarters in Munich or at another EPO location, such as Den Haag, Vienna, or Brussels. This combination of practical on-the-job experience and professional education offers them many possibilities to learn new things and expand their skills and competencies, thus enhancing their future career opportunities. The program will start in mid-September. More information on this at https://euipo.europa.eu/.

The Alumni Management is again offering a competition for alumni. The prize: one of three bicycle frame bags carrying the logotype of the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences. You can win by giving the correct answer to the following question and being fast.

Question: “Why did Umair Ansari choose the study program ‘Information Law’ at h_da?”

Please send you answer by email to: alumni@h-da.de The winners will be drawn by lot. We wish you lots of luck! Please remember to include your postal address (in order to receive your prize in case you win). 

Photo: h_da 

h_da-Shop opened on Campus: The online shop with souvenirs of h_da has been around for while. Since early April, everyone who’s interested can now browse in person among the T-shirts, bags, hoodies, cups, and gift items in the small brick-and-mortar store located in the “Studierendenhaus” [students’ house]. The shop offers merch and memorabilia carrying the h_da logotype as well as books and the flipbook about people and projects at h_da. The assortment on sale in the “Studierendenhaus” is larger than the online offer at www.h-da.de/shop. Alumni benefit from a 10% discount, both online and on-site in the Campus shop. Please contact alumni@h-da.de in order to receive your discount code. The Faculty of Architecture provided advice and support in developing the shop.

Guided tours across campus: You’ve been away from the campus of your former alma mater for some time? Would you like to take a look at all the things that have changed since your student days, or would you like to enjoy the vista across the city from the top of Darmstadt’s tallest building, the h_da tower? A guided tour around Campus is the answer. The guided tour will find its sociable conclusion at “Schöffers”, the Campus restaurant. Meeting point for this 90-minute guided tour will be the Tower at Schöfferstrasse, the tour starts at 4:30 pm. The next guided tour will take place on 24 April 2025. Book your ticket(s) online at https://www.darmstadt-tourismus.de/.

Further dates: 22 May, 25 September, and 23 October.

University sports: Calisthenics, relaxation, or team sports? Alumni can register for the classes of the university sports program. They can participate at the usual h_da rates. In order to benefit from these special conditions, you need to be registered in the alumni portal and send an email to hochschulsport@h-da.de. You can check out the program online at https://booking.h-da.de/.
 

Friends’ Association for Campus Dieburg founded: The Faculty of Media and the City of Dieburg have founded a Friends’ Association. The aim is to expand the close cooperation between both partners.The association bears the name of “Freundeskreis Mediencampus Dieburg e.V.” and supports the cultural, artistic, and creative exchange between the City of Dieburg and the Media Campus of Hochschule Darmstadt. It wants to enable the promotion and organization of media events within the city and the university, the support of student media projects, as well as the awarding of scholarships and prizes. Find further information at: https://mediencampus.h-da.de/freundeskreismediencampus/.

Photo: Jason Seller, BDA Hessen, BDA Award for Building Culture in Hessen 24/25.

Award for building culture: The cultural club “das blumen e.V.” has received the award for building culture from the “ Bund Deutscher Architektinnen und Architekten BDA Hessen e.V.” [German Architects’ Association in the State of Hesse]. The BDA honors the commitment of individuals, institutions, and initiatives that have made an outstanding contribution to good architecture; a basis for a well-founded discussion about the built environment; and the architectural discourse on a local and regional level in the State of Hesse. “das blumen e.V.” was created nearly 25 years ago as a concept design project and working space by the recently deceased Prof. Hartmut Raiser and associate professor Bianca Lautenschläger-Haerlin at the Faculty of Architecture in the study program Interior Architecture at h_da. The award celebration was attended by four “das blumen” generations, among them also alumni from the first generation back in 2006. More at https://www.bda-hessen.de.

DAAD award for Bigyan Lamichhane: The award of the “Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst e.V. (DAAD)” [German Academic Exchange Service] in 2024 was given to Bigyan Lamichhane (30), graduate of Hochschule Darmstadt. The award comes with EUR 1,000 in prize money and recognizes outstanding achievements by international students at German universities. Only recently, 30-year-old Nepal-born Bachelor student Bigyan Lamichhane finished his Technical Chemistry program at the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at h_da with great success. Alongside his studies, he is also a committed social volunteer. For many years, he was part of the program “Wohnen für Hilfe” [rent in return for daily help], supporting a visually impaired elderly lady in her everyday life. Following the outbreak of the COVID pandemic, he also volunteered as a student helper at the DRK nursing home “Seniorenzentrum Fiedlersee” in Darmstadt-Arheilgen.