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Read this newsletter here in Web format. You can also read this newsletter in German. Dear Alumni,December and the impending turn of the year are appropriate moments to look back and remember this year’s highlights. We’d like to showcase some events and outstanding moments in the life of our university which we think make 2025 quite memorable. One case in point is the dining hall at Campus Dieburg which is hardly recognizable after its splendid relaunch and which now offers a whole new range of opportunities to host events. As right now nearly everything revolves around AI and digitalisation, the “ATHENE Usable Security and Privacy Lab” at h_da got underway in early October. One further milestone: opening the Green Office at Campus Darmstadt. Sustainability also plays an important role in our current alumni portrait. Civil Engineer and alumnus Carsten Herbert has turned energy efficiency and energy saving into his private and professional life theme. And last but not least, we celebrated an anniversary: the “Duales Studienzentrum”, the Center for Integrated Degree Programs, an important building block within the scope of our university, has been active for 10 years. And now: Have fun reading! Wishing you a wonderful Christmas season and a good start into the New Year! Cordially yours, Christine Haller and the alumni team of the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences A New Look for the Dining Hall
Prof. Dr. Arnd Steinmetz, Prof. Carla Heinzel (h_da) and Sebastian Reiff, Dagmar Göttmann (Studierendenwerk). Photo: h_da/Markus SchmidtMaybe you’d like to visit the dining hall on Campus Dieburg? You might not believe your eyes. The Faculty of Media, the h_da Construction Department and the “Studierendenwerk Darmstadt”, the Darmstadt student services, have re-designed the dining hall together and rebuilt it into a multifunctional location. Students from the “Mediencampus” provided significant input. Now, the dining hall not only sports a redesigned gastronomy concept, it also offers spaces for learning and lingering as well as room for exhibitions, presentations, and events. Curtains suspended from crossbeams separate the hall into different sections, and a mobile stage complete with sound system makes it possible to host events right on-site. Prof. Carla Heinzel, Dean of Studies of the Faculty of Media, praises the new, multifunctional usage concept as a real asset. And the university gastronomy at the “Studierendenwerk Darmstadt” has used the renovation as an opportunity to present itself according to the state of the art. Sebastian Reiff, Head of Gastronomy, explains: “From now on, we will be able to provide a larger array of meals, some of them prepared right in front of our guests.” Add to this the benefit of longer opening hours. The multifunctional hall is open on weekdays from 10am through 8pm. Golden Diploma
Graduating class of 72/75, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Photo: h_da/Britta Hünnig50 years ago, they successfully passed their final exams. 13 civil engineers congregated at h_da in November in order to receive their golden diploma certificate during a small celebration full of atmosphere. Is there an anniversary linked with your own studies coming soon? Then feel free to contact the alumni office at alumni@h-da.de. 10 Years of “Duales Studienzentrum” at h_da
Photo: h_da/Britta HüningThe “Duales Studienzentrum”, the Centre for Integrated Degree Programs, was able to celebrate a milestone birthday as well, in June at the “Designhaus” at Darmstadt’s Mathildenhöhe. Cooperation partners, alumni from integrated degree programs, representatives from the Ministry, and University members were present on-site. h_da President Prof. Dr. Steinmetz and Prof. Dr. Michael Becker from the Faculty Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology were invited as speakers, there was a buffet, live music, and of course plenty of networking opportunities. The integrated degree programs, also known as “dual studies”, are a cornerstone of h_da’s study programs and an important building block for practice-oriented learning and knowledge transfer. New StimuliDo you want to do more than mere administration, do you want to shape transformation? Then Public Management is the right study program for you. Here, students learn how to use management and project competencies in a target-oriented manner in order to steer transformation processes in the public sector – in strategic, sustainable, and effective ways. The central question: How can we re-think administration – making it more efficient, more digital, and closer to the citizens? This is now also possible as an integrated degree program, in the new study format “dual berufsintegriert”, i.e. integrated into and alongside your professional career. All interested students will spend 2.5 days per week in a public or non-profit organization, and 2.5 days at h_da. In this way, they can use theoretical knowledge right away in practice, and they can gather valuable experience. Alumni who are interested or who can liaise stimuli and contacts are cordially invited to please reach out to janika.haag@h-da.de. Digital Guardian AngelWhat do people need to use digital services securely and without any fear or concern? The “ATHENE Usable Security and Privacy Lab” (USP-Lab) at h_da, which started its work in early October, is doing research in the area of security from a user perspective. The lab, which is operated by the “User-Centered Security” research group and supported by the National Research Center for Applied Cybersecurity ATHENE, provides the necessary infrastructure in order to investigate such questions by means of experiments. At the same time, the h_da team develops new research methods and integrates the results into teaching. The lab research aims at designing digital security technology in a more user-friendly way so that people can understand it and use it more easily in their everyday lives. In the “impact” interview, computer scientist Prof. Dr. Andreas Heinemann explains why this is important and why data security is not only a technological issue, but a topic that concerns our entire society. Read the full-length interview here. Green Office OpensFrom now on, sustainability at h_da has its own office – the Green Office. This is the central go-to point of contact for all topics around sustainable development at h_da. The new office will initiate, coordinate, and support sustainability projects in teaching and in university operations, in particular taking into account the concept for Education for Sustainable Development (“Bildung für Nachhaltige Entwicklung [BNE]”). The aim is to drive sustainable development across the entire university and to embed it even more strongly into the h_da structure. You will find the Green Office at Darmstadt Campus, Schöfferstraße 3. Life Topic: Saving Energy
Alumnus Carsten Herbert. Photo: PrivateSustainability is a topic of central importance at h_da – not only on campus. Our alumnus Carsten Herbert, widely known as “ENERGIESPARKOMMISSAR”, i.e. the energy savings commissioner, speaks up for saving energy both in his private and his professional life. His 80 YouTube videos on energy efficiency and thermal heat pumps have already registered more than 11 million views. With his lectures, this civil engineer draws crowds from northern Flensburg to southern Constance. Read the alumni story Your chance to win!On which topic did Carsten Herbert write his diploma thesis?Please send your correct answer no later than on January 10, 2026, via email to alumni@h-da.de. With a bit of luck, you can win a tube seed feeder for birds, designed by a graduate from our Industrial Design program. Please don’t forget to include your postal address in order to receive your prize in case you win. The winners will be drawn by lot. We wish you lots of luck! 
Christmas Presents at the h_da ShopAre you still looking for the right Christmas present? Then visit the h_da Shop where you can find lots of inspiration. You can purchase presents and merchandising material both online and directly at the h_da shop located at the “Studierendenhaus” on Campus Darmstadt. One specialty is the product line “Created by Alumni” designed by former h_da students. As an alumna or alumnus, you even get 10% off as an exclusive discount. Write to alumni@h-da.de in order to receive your discount code. We are here for you!Do you have any suggestions, requests, or questions? Please feel free to write us an email at alumni@h-da.de! We’re looking forward to receiving your feedback. Has your address or your employer changed? Please check and keep your data in our alumni database always up to date | ||
Alumni & Relationship-Management der Hochschule Darmstadt | ||