Schlagwort: ‘Forschung’
Birthday edition of the RWTH Science Night ‘5 to 12’
The magnetic globe rotates weightlessly on its own axis – just like in outer space
For the 20th time, RWTH Aachen University offered a glimpse behind the scenes. This time, 7,200 visitors, including many children, came to the C.A.R.L. auditorium between 6 p.m. and midnight to experience the world of research at close quarters.
What started out as a modest idea to present science at an unusual time, in an entertaining way and free of charge to anyone interested, has grown over the past 20 years into a mega-event that not only attracts thousands of guests, but also inspires the members of the university involved. Once again, the team of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology welcomed curious children of all ages and were on hand to help them with experiments.
With questions such as “Why isn’t the light on now?”, “How does that work?” or “Can I do one more experiment?” younger children followed their natural urge to discover new things.
The programme included reconstructing electrical circuits where they could visualise electric current as light or movement. They made switches, explored the magnetic and thermal effects of electricity, learned to distinguish between conductors and non-conductors, and finally became familiar with electricity.
Faculty members provide support when experimenting with electric circuits
Older children ‘already had this at school’ and enjoyed putting their theoretical knowledge to the test. But adults also found their way to our station, taking the opportunity to generate lightning with the influencing machine, thoughtfully lingering in front of the floating globe, or attentively studying the model of the power distribution network set up by the Chair of Automation of Complex Power Systems. The joy of experiencing research and progress together is clearly at the centre of the Science Night.
„We want to show in an entertaining way what RWTH has to offer – and in such a way that everyone who wants to know something can understand it,’ said Rector Ulrich Rüdiger.
The potential of the Science Night is therefore even greater, as it represents an important interface where the direct transfer of knowledge takes place in a social and cultural context. In line with the motto ‘from the laboratories to the people’, it makes an important contribution to promoting proximity between science and society.
The station of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, equipped with numerous child-friendly experiments
The programme for this year’s Science Night took place in ten lecture halls and numerous seminar rooms. There were over 80 shows and lectures, experiments, talks and discussions. From Artificial Intelligence (the experts from the RWTH’s AI Centre had brought along the robot ‘Pepper’ for support) to the ‘Physics Fair’, from the latest information on the US elections and the spectacular ‘Fascination of High Voltage’ to the circular economy, floating Teslas and the construction site of the future. The range of topics was as colourful and diverse as the RWTH itself.
Further information on the programme, as well as impressions and experiences of the organisers – Department of Press and Communication, Section 3.2 – can be accessed via the links.
Who run the work? – Team ÜEW
From left: Stefanie Samaan, Ricarda Kriete, Carolin Guntermann, Sophia Tepe, Lina Fischer, Muriel Krüger, Jana Einsiedle, Claire Lambriex ©Martin Braun
A look at the team from the chair of Transmission Grids and Energy Economics at the Institute of High Voltage Equipment and Grids, Digitalization and Energy Economics (IAEW) presents a pleasing picture for the field of electrical engineering: almost a third of its researchers are female.
The share of women in engineering has increased in recent years, and female engineers are a natural part of an institute team. All of the female researchers in the team have completed a degree in the field of electrical engineering and then decided to complete a doctorate at the university and start their professional career here. Of course, working in electrical engineering requires a certain interest in science and technology, but the key to success and fun is usually the curiosity to understand new things.
We are always motivated by the question: ‘How does this work?’, says Lina Fischer, who is researching a robust planning model for the future energy system.
The next step is simply to have the bravery to actively pursue these questions – even if it means venturing into the unknown.
© Martin Braun
Everyone at the IAEW is driven by the vision of researching and developing solutions for the energy transition. The work at the chair of Transmission Grids and Energy Economics is primarily focusing the question:
„How should we design the future energy system so that it is environmentally friendly, reliable and economically efficient?“
This covers a wide range of interesting aspects. For example, lot of research is done on how the large amounts of energy from photovoltaic and wind energy plants, as well as alternative energy sources such as hydrogen, can be integrated into the current energy system. The transmission grid for electricity is essential for this. It can be seen in everyday life, for example, by the high-voltage power lines running alongside the freeways. The transmission grid enables electricity transport over long distances and thus the transport of large amounts of energy from wind turbines in northern Germany to regions with high electricity consumption. Current projects at the chair are investigating how the transmission grid needs to be expanded and operated in the future in order to facilitate the energy transition. Research is also ongoing in determining the locations where power lines to offshore wind turbines in the North and Baltic Seas should be connected to the grid or where large electrolysis plants for the production of hydrogen should be positioned. In addition to the technical aspects of the components, these studies must also take economic aspects into account, such as the costs arising from investments or possible congestions in the transmission grid.
In general, the consideration of economic and market aspects plays a major role in the transformation of the energy system. European efforts to further strengthen electricity trading between the individual countries are leading to increasing electricity exchanges in Europe and thus to further challenges for the transmission grid. The chair is therefore developing methods and models to simulate the European electricity markets. In this way, various future developments can be examined and their potential impact on market participants and the transmission grid can be analyzed.
A further focus of the chair is to deal with innovative concepts that will ensure the secure and reliable operation of transmission grids in the future and thus protect against blackouts. To this end, models and processes must be developed that can represent and investigate the dynamic system behavior of transmission grids and their components under changing conditions.
© Martin Braun
When you think of working at a university institute, your first thoughts usually revolve around working solely on your own research project. This often gives a false impression of work life at an institute, especially in the field of engineering. Work at the IAEW is characterized above all by the variety of different projects with both research and industrial partners. This allows you to get to know different topics and to gain a wide range of experience. You are often involved from the very beginning of the projects through working on them on to the presentation of the results. The different project teams make the collaboration very varied. In addition to scientific knowledge, your time at the institute gives you the opportunity to acquire a range of skills that qualify you for management positions in the industry.
Of course, you also experience many other things that make working at the institute worthwhile.
“In particular, the joint activities with other young colleagues after work, various institute traditions, parties and sporting events are all part of it.”
Notably, the IAEW also offers the opportunity to gain insight into the institute and its research topics through student assistant jobs or a thesis.
Be inspired and find your own way!
On our website we inform you about our study programmes.
