Electrical Engineering and Information Technology

After five and a half years in the role of Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Professor Jens-Rainer Ohm (left) was given a ceremonial farewell. The farewell was given by Managing Director Martina Dahm (right) and the new Dean of the Faculty, Professor Albert Moser (centre). © Martin Braun

On the 25th Day of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology (TDEI), which took place on 22 November 2024, we presented our success this year and once again brought together companies, students, faculty members and graduates.

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at RWTH Aachen University has a longstanding reputation as an institution that produces highly qualified and responsible engineers, a reputation that has been established over the course of five decades. This is corroborated by the faculty’s consistent performance in national and international rankings, in which it consistently ranks at the top. The Dean of the Faculty, Professor Albert Moser, commenced proceedings at the Electrical Engineering and Information Technology Day with a review of the preceding year and the welcoming of new professors to the Faculty team.

From right: Professor Alber Moser with Professor Volkmar Schulz © Martin Braun

Professor Volkmar Schulz’s expertise in the field of image processing enriches the research in biomedical engineering. He previously led the “Physics of Molecular Imaging” group at the Institute for Experimental Molecular Imaging and is now the head of the Institute of Imaging and Computer Vision at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, a role he assumed in September 2024.

From right: Professor Simon Steentjes and Professor Albert Moser © Martin Braun

Professor Simon Steentjes had been pursuing the objective of returning to RWTH Aachen University for a considerable period of time, as part of his personal mission.

„Working with young minds fosters fresh ideas that keep me attuned to current developments. It’s wonderful being back in teaching“, says Professor Steentjes, who assumed the role of head of the Institute of Electrical Machines and Chair in Electromagnetic Energy Conversion in October.

Having previously held leading positions at Audi AG and the Hilti Group, Professor Steentjes has many years of experience in the industry.

Professor Peter Jax © Martin Braun

Another item on the programme was the report presented by the Dean of Studies, Professor Peter Jax, who is also the Head of the Institute of Communication Systems. Based on the results of quantitative surveys, he conducted an analysis of the academic teaching provided within the degree programmes offered by the faculty, identifying potential areas for further development.

Subsequently, Professor Jax presented the Team Award, which was bestowed upon Cinar Algül, Maxim Klosa and Wenjie Zeng for their exemplary contributions. The three students had demonstrated outstanding performance in their work on the Electrical Engineering and Information Technology project, entitled MATLAB meets Lego Mindstorms.

Best Bachelor Award winner Fritz Stracke © Martin Braun

One of the key factors contributing to success is the constructive collaboration with other companies, which provides students with the opportunity to engage in and contribute to challenging projects and theses. At the TDEI event, Gold sponsor Intravis participated in an interview. Furthermore, the Rohde & Schwarz Best Bachelor Award was bestowed upon Fritz Stracke in the current academic year. The student, who is also distinguished by his dedication to the student council for electrical engineering and information technology, was recognized for his bachelor’s thesis, entitled “Investigation of the bare-metal support of Rst Unikernels in heterogeneous computing systems”.

Another noteworthy feature of the event was the keynote address delivered by Professor Andreas Hierlemann from ETH Zurich, entitled “Interfacing with brain cells at subcellular resolution”. The interview with Professor Sven Ingebrandt, Head of the Institute of Materials in Electrical Engineering 1 at RWTH Aachen University, and the presentation of the key visual and the institute’s projects also provided valuable insights.

The graduation ceremony marked the traditional conclusion of the event. After the graduates were introduced by name on stage, the Dean congratulated each of them on their academic success.

Professor Antonello Monti expressed his gratitude to the students in a unique manner. He once caused a great deal of excitement at the TDEI 2019 with a surprise performance. In the current year, he reappeared on the stage in the company of the ERC Band. Two musical compositions, “Knockin on E.ON’s Door” and “AC to Hell”, were presented as part of the performance.

We would like to express our gratitude to all faculty members and assistants, as well as the RWTH International Academy, for their contributions to the organisation and implementation of the Electrical Engineering and Information Technology Day.

Further details regarding TDEI 2024, along with photographic documentation of the event, can be accessed on the official website.