Virtual Pupils School 2020
In 2020 the Pupils’s University Mechanical Engineering took place in virtual form and had to face all the challenges that the current situation brings. Around 20 pupils from secondary schools from all over the country took part in the virtual week and had the opportunity to get a taste of many topics related to mechanical engineering in Aachen and to gain initial insights into the university.
The virtual Pupil's University started on Monday with a welcome from Dr. Matthias Brockmann, CEO of the IoP Cluster of Excellence. The first day provided a variety of information, including a virtual lecture on "Industrial Robotics" (Aline Kluge-Wilkes from the WZL) and a lecture on "Supply Chain Management" (Maria Linnartz from FIR) and a virtual Tour though the Demofabrik Aachen by Linnartz´collegue Sebastian Junglas (FIR).
These classics from previous years were supplemented on Tuesday by lectures and demonstrations on textile technology and plastics technology, respectively carried out e.g. by Florian Brillowski and Hannah Dammers (Institute for Textile Technology ITA) and Lukas Pelzer (Institute for Plastics Processing IKV). Student counseling services were also on hand to help the young adults make decisions about the right course of study. A round of talks with consultants and students from the mechanical engineering department, for example, addressed topics such as compulsory internships, the opportunities for a semester abroad offered at RWTH, student assistant jobs and social commitment as financial security and social compensation for studying, as well as dealing with highs and lows in stressful everyday student life.
The conversation with students again opened up important opportunities for exchange and to look at the university from an insider's perspective. The RoboScope school lab also took place online this year and was designed by Pia Benmoussa from IMA & IfU via Discord. The fields of optics, laser technology and process engineering were also present again this year and were made tangible by means of lectures and simulation games. We look forward to seeing some of the future students again in the next few years and hope to soon be able to physically welcome the participants of the student university back to our campus.