Cooperation with École des Mines de Saint-Étienne to be deepened
17.12.2024
From December 9 to 11, 2024, Marcus Dietrich, a staff member of the International Office at TU Bergakademie Freiberg, and Dr. Egle Dietzen, Education Officer for English-taught degree programs at the Faculty of Mechanical, Process, and Energy Engineering, traveled to France to visit the École des Mines in Saint-Étienne. The visit marks another successful step in expanding the university’s internationalization efforts.
The collaboration with the École des Mines arises from an initial contact made during a visit to ETSIME in Madrid in November 2024. In France, the discussions focused on establishing a new Erasmus agreement for student exchange as well as exploring the potential for joint research projects. The outcome of the visit is very promising: The partnership between TU Bergakademie Freiberg and the École des Mines is set to be strengthened and further developed. A return visit from the French team to Freiberg is planned for 2025.
Success for Ukrainian student
16.12.2024
From 2023, TU Bergakademie Freiberg will have access to around 300,000 euros from the DAAD programme "Future Ukraine". 11 particularly high-achieving scholarship holders are currently studying at TUBAF with the support of the programme. One of them is Anhelina Mospan, who defended her thesis in the Materials Science and Technology degree programme at the end of November. This makes her the first scholarship holder from the programme to successfully complete her studies.
At her home university in Dnipro, Ukraine, Anhelina Mospan was already enrolled on the double degree programme Material Science and Materials Technology (specialising in Steel Technology). She had to start her planned semester in Freiberg a year earlier due to the war: "I continued to attend courses in Dnipro online from Freiberg - as did my fellow students there, as there is currently no face-to-face teaching at my home university." Staff in Freiberg drew her attention to the DAAD scholarship because of her good performance: "Thanks to the financial support, I was able to concentrate exclusively on my studies. I was also able to complete additional German courses and make contacts with other scholarship holders from the DAAD programme."
The scholarships can be awarded until the end of July 2025 via the university's International Office. In addition to the scholarships, preparatory German courses, support for the scholarship holders from academic assistants and joint social and cultural activities are also funded.
New university cooperation in the Advanced Mineral Resource Development Master's programme
10.12.2024
Abylkas Saginov Karaganda Technical University (KSTU) has been the first Kazakh partner in the international master's programme ‘Advanced Mineral Resource Development’ since the beginning of December. Programme Director Professor Michael Tost, the Rector of TU Bergakademie Freiberg and KSTU Programme Director Professor Askar Imashev signed the agreement on 4 December 2024. The agreement with the University of Leoben, where the degree programme is based, TUBAF and KSTU enables students from Kazakhstan to come to Leoben and Freiberg to study for a Master's degree and obtain a triple degree. The English-language degree programme has been in existence since 2012.
Cooperation with Central Asia: Memorandum signed with the State Technical University in Bishkek
TUBAF sealed its cooperation with the Kyrgyz State Technical University at the end of November in Freiberg. The rectors of the two universities, Prof Klaus-Dieter Barbknecht and Dr Mirlan Chynybaev, signed a memorandum of understanding in which they initiated joint activities in teaching, studies and research.
The cooperation builds on previous visits and activities of both partners, in particular with the Centre for Skilled Labour Development at the Saxon Ministry of Economics and Labour or the Delegation for International Skilled Labour Security for Northern Saxony. In addition to training and further education at the local GlasCampus Torgau, the topic of raw material processing from old mines could be a starting point for cooperation.
Kooperation mit Raumtextilienshop.de und Lysel.de ermöglicht EDV-Seminare des Career Centers im Wintersemester 2024/25
Um die Aus- und Weiterbildung an der TU Bergakademie Freiberg zu unterstützen, sponsern die Unternehmen Raumtextilien.de und Lysel.de einen Großteil der Kosten für die Excel-Seminare des Freiberger Career Centers.
„Diese Unterstützung ermöglicht uns das Seminarprogramm für unsere Studierenden für das kommende Wintersemester zu sichern. Insbesondere für wissenschaftliche Arbeiten ist Excel ein sehr nützliches Werkzeug, dessen zahlreiche Funktionen in den Seminaren den Teilnehmern vermittelt werden", erklärt Dr. Kristina Wopat, Direktorin der Graduierten- und Forschungsakademie und des Career Centers. „Eine qualifizierte und fundierte Ausbildung der Arbeitskräfte von morgen liegt uns schon immer am Herzen. Zudem ist die Ressourcenuniversität in Freiberg mit Ihrer zukunftsorientierten Forschung ein wichtiger Impulsgeber für nachhaltige Innovationen und technologische Entwicklungen, die sowohl die regionale Wirtschaft stärken als auch globalen Herausforderungen begegnen."
LYSEL erweitert kontinuierlich sein Produktsortiment in der Tradition der sächsischen Textilindustrie. Das Unternehmen bietet maßgefertigte Sicht- und Sonnenschutzlösungen wie Plissees, Rollos und Gardinen sowie Heimtextilien und Akustikbilder. Für den Outdoor-Bereich bietet LYSEL u.a. maßgeschneiderte Planen, Abdeckhauben, Segeltücher, Sonnensegel, Kederschienen und Zubehör an.
Raumtextilienshop.de, als LYSEL-Fachhändler, bietet maßgefertigte Sicht- und Sonnenschutzlösungen wie Plissees, Rollos, Lamellenvorhänge und Gardinen sowie Heimtextilien an. Ein übersichtliches Menü und praktische Filter führen schnell zum Wunschprodukt. Kostenlose Stoffmuster und 3D-Konfiguratoren ermöglichen individuelle Maßanfertigungen und interaktive Kauferlebnisse. Mess- und Montageanleitungen sind digital verfügbar.
TUBAF-Projekt "Nomadenkinder" bei Botschafter vorgestellt
Meldung vom 4.11.2024
Anlässlich des 50-jährigen Jubiläums diplomatischer Beziehungen zwischen der Mongolei und der Bundesrepublik Deutschland lud der mongolische Botschafter, S.E. Mandakhbileg Birvaa, ausgewählte Vertreter der Technischen Universität Bergakademie Freiberg nach Görlitz ein. Mit großer Freude folgten die Mitarbeitenden Kathrin Häußler und Andreas Hiekel dieser persönlichen Einladung am vergangenen Reformationstag. Ein besonderer Schwerpunkt der Beziehungen liegt auf Bildungsinitiativen wie dem Erasmus+-Projekt „Nomadenkinder“. Dieses Projekt eröffnet Kindern in der Mongolei bessere Bildungs- und Entwicklungschancen und fördert gleichzeitig den interkulturellen Austausch. Auch die kommende Junioruni, die am 30. November mit einem Schwerpunkt auf der Mongolei stattfinden wird, schafft wertvolle Begegnungen und Einblicke für junge Menschen in Sachsen, die mehr über die Kultur, Wissenschaft und Geschichte der Mongolei, insbesondere dem Leben und dem Alltag der Kinder, erfahren möchten.
Durch Projekte wie „Nomadenkinder“ und die Junioruni, die durch das Engagement an der TU Bergakademie Freiberg verwirklicht werden, entsteht eine Brücke zwischen den beiden Ländern, die weit über die akademische Kooperation hinausgeht. Die Bemühungen der TUBAF, diese Partnerschaft aktiv zu gestalten, stärken das Ansehen des Freistaates als internationalen Akteur im Bildungs- und Kultursektor und tragen zur weiteren Festigung der deutsch-mongolischen Freundschaft bei.
TUBAF-Forschungsprojekt zur frühen Erde: Modell der vertikalen Tektonik bestätigt
Meldung vom 29.10.2024
Entstanden die frühesten Gesteine auf der Erde vor zirka 4,1‒3,2 Milliarden Jahren durch horizontale Bewegungen der Erdplatten (Plattentektonik) oder durch vertikale Umwälzungen in der Kruste? Diese Frage beschäftigt die Geowissenschaften seit rund sechzig Jahren. Nun hat eine Forschungsgruppe mit Beteiligung der TUBAF im australischen Outback Daten gesammelt, die die Theorie der vertikalen Tektonik stützen.
„Modelle, die die vertikale Tektonik erklären, stützen sich auf Gesteinsstrukturen im East Pilbara Terrane in Nordwest Australien. Denn die rund 3,6–3,2 Milliarden Jahre alten Strukturen werden von Vertreterinnen und Vertretern dieser Theorie als dichtegetriebene partielle Umwälzung interpretiert. Plattentektonische Modelle schlagen hingegen vor, dass sich das Terrane durch mehrere horizontale Kompressions- und Dehnungsereignisse entlang einer konvergenten Plattengrenze gebildet hat“, erklärt Professor Lothar Ratschbacher.
Nach sechswöchiger Feldarbeit im abgelegenen australischen Outback bestätigt die Gruppe um Ratschbacher nun das Modell der vertikalen Tektonik: „Die Strukturen deuten auf ein initiales Gravitationsgleiten der Gesteine weg von aufsteigenden Kuppeln, was zu vertikalen Gesteinsgefügen und schließlich zu horizontalen Verkürzungen zwischen den aufsteigenden Kuppeln führte.“
Bis 2026 möchte die Forschungsgruppe die strukturelle Entwicklung mit radiometrischen Methoden genau zeitlich festlegen. Das Kooperationsprojekt der TUBAF, der FU Berlin und der Universität Hong Kong, das durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) an die TUBAF gefördert wird, untersucht die Frühe-Erde-Modelle strukturell, das heißt, es erfasst Strukturen und bewertet ihr Potenzial zur Unterscheidung zwischen den kompetitiven Modellen.
Es gibt zwei Denkgruppen:
- Plattentektonik hat die Erde während und seit der ältesten Ära der Erdgeschichte geformt.
- Vertikaler Krustentransport, induziert durch Dichteunterschiede in der Kruste, sogenannte "vertikale Tektonik" dominierte die frühe Erde.
Bisher sind die beiden verschiedenen Forschungsansätze nicht zu einem Konsens gekommen.
Skilled workers for the glass industry - TU Bergakademie Freiberg supports cooperation with Kyrgyzstan
25.10.2024
A delegation of representatives from the administration and economy of northern Saxony travelled to Kyrgyzstan in September. Dr Khaled Al Hamdan from the Institute of Glass and Glass Technology was also there as a representative of TUBAF. The aim of the trip was to recruit new skilled workers for the glass industry in northern Saxony. As a scientific partner, TUBAF has been supporting the training and further education of skilled workers here for some time - with the GlasCampus Torgau and, since 2022, with the GlasLAB, which was established there as a research facility.
The delegation also visited the University of Karakol. Here, Dr Al Hamdan presented TU Bergakademie Freiberg and the Institute of Glass and Glass Technology in particular. An important outcome of the trip is the planned return visit by the rectors of the University of Karakol and the Kyrgyz State Technical University of Bishkek to Freiberg on 27 November 2024 to develop further opportunities for cooperation.
Another starting point for cooperation could be the processing of raw materials from the remains of old uranium mining to extract rare earths. This would open up opportunities for a whole series of future collaborations with many TUBAF institutes.
Donation for university archive: Portrait of Sigismund Herder handed over to TUBAF
21.10.2024
Last week, Werner Sieber, former managing director of Augustusburg Castle and Scharfenstein Castle as well as Lichtenwalde Castle, handed over six valuable etchings to the TU Bergakademie Freiberg on behalf of the descendant of the chief mining administrator Sigismund August Wolfgang, Freiherr von Herder. The collection includes the impressive portrait of the chief mining captain and pictures of the Herder family's ancestral castle Rauenstein.
The handover took place during a festive ceremony in the office of the Rector of the TU Bergakademie, which was attended by the Rector, Professor Klaus-Dieter Barbknecht, Professor Georg Unland, Rector of the TU Bergakademie Freiberg from 2000 to 2008 and former Saxon Minister of Finance, and the Vice-Rector for Communication and Sustainability at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Professor Andreas Horsch. Baron v. Herder had given these etchings for the local history and identity of the TU Bergakademie Freiberg to Werner Sieber with the request that they be donated to the TU Bergakademie Freiberg. Werner Sieber commented: ‘It is an honour for me to hand over these pictures to the TU Bergakademie Freiberg, which will make them accessible to science and the public. They are a valuable part of our shared past’.
Freiherr Sigismund August Wolfgang von Herder war der Sohn des bekannten Dichters Johann Gottfried Herder. Seine Paten waren unter anderem Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Johann Georg Hamann und Matthias Claudius. Nach seiner Studienzeit an den Universitäten Jena, Göttingen und an der Bergakademie Freiberger erhielt er 1802 eine Anstellung im kursächsischen Bergdienst, bei dem er in den Bergämtern Marienberg, Geyer, Ehrenfriedersdorf und Schneeberg tätig war. Seit 1813 war er in Freiberg tätig und hier erarbeitete er Pläne zur Wiederaufnahme des zerstörten Bergbaus. 1826 wurde er zum Oberberghauptmann, dem höchsten Verwaltungsbeamten im Bergstaat Sachsen ernannt, und fungierte als Kurator der Bergakademie. U.a. wurde durch seine Anregungen die Ausbildung auf der Bergakademie Freiberg verbessert.
Er hatte eine besondere Leidenschaft für Berguniformen und Bergaufzüge. Seine Bergbarte, kann man noch heute im Büro des Rektors der TU Bergakademie Freiberg bewundern. Er wurde nach seinem Tode in der Halde der Grube Heilige 3 Könige in Freiberg mit Blick auf die heutige Bergbaulandschaft beigesetzt.
New partner university for Advanced Mineral Resource Development Master's programme
21.10.2024
On 2 October 2024, another partner university joined the English-language TUBAF Master's programme ‘Advanced Mineral Resource Development’. The new partner is Navoi State Mining University in Uzbekistan. After the start of the ‘multiple’ and ‘joint degree’ programme between Montanuniversität Leoben and TU Bergakademie Freiberg in 2012, it is now the eleventh partner. As a rule, the first two semesters of the programme take place in Leoben and Freiberg and the third and the semester for the Master's thesis at the respective partner university, usually in the students' countries of origin.
‘With Navoi State Mining University, Uzbekistan is another important mining country represented in the world's largest raw materials training network,’ sums up Carsten Drebenstedt, Dean of Studies for the programme at TUBAF, who signed the contract on behalf of the Rector. ‘With the inclusion in the Master's programme, the cooperation that has existed for 20 years will take on a new quality and dynamic’. Rector Bakhtiyor Mardonov sees the new cooperation as a deepening of the good German-Uzbek cooperation and a further step towards the internationalisation of teaching and research, from which students and teaching staff on both sides will benefit equally.
Recycling and upcycling of industrial waste in the international workshop
17.10.2024
The Research Training Group GRK 2802 and the Department for Industrial Engineering have organised a joint international workshop in Padova. The International Workshop was hosted by the renowned ceramics scientist, Prof Paolo Colombo from the University of Padova. The international workshop focussed on the recycling and upcycling of industrial waste (MgO-C, geopolymers) and the application of new technologies (additive manufacturing, hybrid firing technologies).
From 9-11 October 2024, an international workshop was held at the University of Padova between the Research Training Group GRK 2802, established at TU Bergakademie Freiberg, and the Department for Industrial Engineering at the University of Padova.
The first day of the international workshop was organised by Dr Enrico Storti (former scientific coordinator of the Research Training Group GRK 2802). Dr Enrico Storti completed his doctorate at TU Bergakademie Freiberg in 2018 and received the DFG Walter Benjamin Fellowship for PostDocs in 2023. He currently works at EMPA in Dübendorf (Switzerland) and also teaches at the University of Padova (Italy). During guided tours, the participants of the international workshop were able to visit the historical seat of the University of Padova, one of the oldest universities in Europe (founded in 1222). One of the most famous professors at the University of Padova was the Italian polymath Galileo Galilei, who gave lectures in mathematics, physics and astronomy at the University of Padova from 1592 to 1610. The historic lectern that Galileo used for his lectures can still be admired today in the anteroom of the Aula Magna. The first day of the workshop was rounded off with a visit to the Capella degli Scrovegni e Musei Civici Eremitani di Padova, part of the ENSCO World Heritage Site ‘The frescoed cycles of the XIV century of Padua’, famous for the fresco cycle by Giotto the Bondone and sculptures by Giovanni Pisano.
The scientific part of the International Workshop was opened on 10 October 2024 by the host, Prof. Paolo Colombo. Professor Colombo is Full Professor at the University of Padova, Adjunct Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Pennsylvania State University (USA), Honorary Professor at University College London (UK), Fellow of the European Ceramic Society (ECERS), Fellow of the American Ceramic Society (ACERS) and member of several academies (World Academy of Ceramics, European Academy of Sciences, Italian Academy of Engineering and Technology). Prof Aneziris then briefly presented the latest research topics at the Institute of Ceramics, Refractories and Composites. The introductory lectures by Prof. Colombo and Prof. Aneziris were followed by scientific presentations by post-docs from the University of Padova (Dr Filippo Gobbin and Dr Marco D'Agostini) and doctoral students from the Research Training Group GRK 2802 (Alexander Schramm and Serhii Yaroshevskyi). During the international workshop, the researchers from both universities exchanged their ideas and experiences and developed new approaches for their further scientific work in fruitful discussions. Following the presentations, the participants of the International Workshop had the unique opportunity to take a look behind the scenes of current research at the University of Padova.
Terra mineralia listed as a lighthouse for tourism in Saxony
5.10.2024
The mineral collection of the TU Bergakademie Freiberg was recently listed in an international tourism database as particularly worth seeing. This opens up another way for terra mineralia to present and promote its collections internationally.
The entry was made in the so-called ‘DZT Knowledge Graph’, a digital database of the German National Tourist Board (DZT), which structures and links information about German destinations in order to help tourists and tour operators in the international market to find relevant and personalised information. The aim of the database is to provide the most relevant objects per federal state (sights, attractions, tours and events) for Germany in the Knowledge Graph. This is particularly important for international data users and the corresponding marketing by the GNTB's agencies abroad.
TMGS (Tourismus Marketing Gesellschaft Sachsen) provides the Knowledge Graph with information from the Free State of Saxony. The TMGS has nominated and selected terra mineralia and the Krügerhaus for the top list for Saxony.
Intelligent Simulation & Control: Ulrich Römer appointed to Professorship of Engineering Mechanics
8.10.2024
The engineer succeeds Professor Alfons Ams at TUBAF. During and after his doctorate at the Institute of Technical Mechanics - Dynamics/Mechatronics at KIT, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Römer researched robotics, in particular the energy efficiency and optimisation of robots. He then worked as an academic counsellor at the same institute. Professor Ulrich Römer's other areas of research include current methods for data-based models of dynamic systems and model reduction of high-dimensional and accurate FEM models for efficient simulation and control. The abbreviation FEM stands for the Finite Element Method.
At TUBAF, he will continue his previous scientific specialisations and cooperate with new partners. In teaching, Professor Ulrich Römer wants to cover everything from the classical fundamentals of mechanics to current research topics: ‘Particularly in the basic courses, it is still true that mechanics and an understanding of physics can only be learnt through extensive practice. I would like to provide a wide range of opportunities for students in this area.’
Calculating models for the subsurface: New Professor for Applied Geophysics
2.10.2024
Prof Dr Thomas Günther was appointed to the professorship for Applied Geophysics/Electromagnetics and Potential Methods at TU Bergakademie Freiberg on 1 October. The Freiberg University alumni is moving from the Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics in Hanover to TUBAF, succeeding Prof Klaus Spitzer. In Hanover, he focussed on geoelectric and electromagnetic methods in the research field for the exploration of groundwater systems and mineral resources from the ground and from the air.
Among other things, the geophysicist has developed concepts and methods for modelling and inversion, i.e. for computing processes that generate a subsurface model from geophysical data. This can be used to visualise groundwater salinisation or raw material deposits, for example. At TU Bergakademie Freiberg, the new professor wants to develop technologies for the electromagnetic exploration of raw materials from the air and for the efficient evaluation of large-scale data sets. His theoretical and practical experience complement each other. ‘For me, the key to understanding in teaching is ‘hands-on’, interactive play.’
‘One of the largest and most beautiful geological university collections in the world’
2.10.2024
Great honour for Mineralogical Collections of TU Bergakademie Freiberg: At the 37th International Geological Congress of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), the Mineralogical Collection of TU Bergakademie Freiberg was selected as one of the first 11 IUGS Geo-Collections in the world.
An IUGS Geo-Collection is a museum or university collection of global importance due to its particularly high scientific, historical or educational relevance for the geosciences. The Freiberg collections were selected because they are among the oldest, largest and most beautiful collections of their kind in the world. ‘The most important historical foundation of the collections are the originals by Abraham Gottlob Werner. However, the many first descriptions and originals by Breithaupt, Weisbach, Cotta, Stelzner, Kolbeck and Schumacher are also of great importance. A large number of stored samples from student theses, dissertations, research projects and excursions are available for scientific enquiries,’ says curator Andreas Massanek. ‘However, the collections are not only used to train students or as a source for scientific research. They are open to the public and are used by school classes as part of the curriculum, but also in tourism.’
The Freiberg collection is the only mineralogical collection to make it into the top 11 IUGS geo-collections. The other ten collections are primarily concerned with palaeontology or meteorites. The International Commission on Geoheritage exists under the umbrella of the IUGS. Its task is to raise public awareness of the world's ‘geoheritage’. Three sub-commissions select the most important geo-locations, rocks and collections. For example, the Scheibenberg in the Ore Mountains became such a geolocation, as it was here that the plutonists and neptunists argued about the origin of basalt, and the Rochlitz porphyry tuff, which is widely used as a decorative rock, became the first IUGS geoheritage rock.
Sustainable mining with microorganisms: Sabrina Hedrich appointed to the Professorship of Microbiology and Biohydrometallurgy
1.10.2024
Sabrina Hedrich took up the professorship for Microbiology and Biohydrometallurgy on 1 October. She is the second young scientist to be appointed to a regular professorship in the WISNA Tenure Track Programme at TU Bergakademie Freiberg. The bioscientist has been researching as a junior professor at TUBAF since 2020. Following a positive evaluation of her work, she has now been offered a permanent position.
Professor Sabrina Hedrich's field of research is biohydrometallurgy, in which raw materials are extracted with the help of microorganisms. She is investigating how bacteria can be used to extract metals from ores, industrial residues and waters affected by mining. In particular, it researches bioleaching processes for primary and secondary raw materials as well as the biological treatment of mining wastewater. Other scientific focuses are microbial communities in extreme locations such as acidic mining waters and volcanic areas as well as the characterisation of novel microorganisms.
Professor Sabrina Hedrich has already been able to acquire numerous research projects with renowned international partners. For example, she coordinates the XTRACT consortium, which is developing new processes for a sustainable and emission-free mining industry of the future. In the regional MindMontan project, she is developing innovative technologies in the Recomine alliance to reduce the impact of mining on the environment.
Awards for materials scientists of TUBAF
24.9.2024
Several awards from the German Society for Materials Science (DGM) will go to TUBAF in 2024.
Dr Anja Weidner is honoured as a DGM pioneer. ‘This is a recognition of her tireless activities to link fundamental scientific methods of in situ characterisation with the application of these methods to clarify practical issues in materials technology. In doing so, she makes a significant contribution to the exchange of knowledge between universities, research institutions and companies in Germany and abroad,’ said Professor Martina Zimmermann from TU Dresden in her laudatory speech for the award winner. In an interview with the professional society, the materials scientist reveals what the award means to her.
The DGM Young Scientist Award goes to Dr Ruben Wagner, who completed his doctorate in the Collaborative Research Centre SFB920 "Metallschmelzefiltration - Ein Beitrag zu Zero-Defect Materials at TU Bergakademie Freiberg between 2019 and 2023. He receives the prize for his outstanding results on microstructural research into non-metallic inclusions in a steel after melt filtration, their formation and their effect on the mechanical properties. He explains here how he mastered the leap from science to practice.
Professor Thomas Niendorf from Kassel, a former employee of the Institute of Materials Engineering, where he worked as the head of an Emmy Noether junior research group in 2014 and 2015, will also receive the DGM Prize. He is being honoured for his scientific achievements in the field of additive manufacturing: ‘In his academic career, Thomas Niendorf has explored an impressive range of scientific topics. In the field of additive manufacturing, he has gained worldwide recognition along the entire chain from manufacturing and structure to property characterisation, as is impressively demonstrated by highly cited publications,’ said Professor Hort Biermann in his laudatory speech.
All prizes were awarded on 23 September at the annual general meeting of the German Society for Materials Science (DGM).
SaxFDM research data management
18.9.2024
How can research software be used optimally? How can scientists access research data with as few barriers as possible? How can current research data be used in teaching at universities? These questions were the focus of this year's SaxFDM conference, which took place on 17 September 2024 at the University Library of TU Bergakademie Freiberg. ‘We had around 100 participants yesterday,’ explains Dr Dana Kuhnert from the University Library of TU Bergakademie Freiberg, ’that's really strong.’
TUBAF Vice-Rector for Research, International Affairs and Transfer Prof Tobias Fieback welcomed the participants to Freiberg. The conference began with four keynote speeches and ended with a panel discussion on the topic of ‘Opening up data sets? The challenges and opportunities of re-utilising research data’. The SaxFDM Open Data Awards were also presented for outstanding projects in the field of research data management. Steffen Kailitz (submitter) and Nicole Husemann (in the photo) from the Hannah Arendt Institute for Totalitarianism Research at TU Dresden were honoured with the first prize for their submission: Varieties of Political Regimes.
SaxFDM organises annual conferences. These take place in the major libraries of Saxony's universities (2019 SLUB Dresden, 2021 virtual, 2022 Leipzig University Library: Bibliotheca Albertina, 2023 Chemnitz University Library TU).
TUBAF welcomes new trainees
13.9.2024
Seven motivated young talents started their careers at TUBAF on 1 September 2024. For the first time, one of them is a trainee surveying technician. He and his trainer, Dr Thomas Martienßen, are very much looking forward to the upcoming three years of training together at the Institute of Mine Surveying and Geodesy. With the new intake, the university is now training a total of 18 apprentices.
The official welcome of the trainees and their trainers in the auditorium of the main building by department head Carolin Herrmann and her staff marked the start of the event. The event then continued with a tour of the main university building and the new university library, followed by lunch together in the cafeteria. The trainees got to know important contacts and trainees from other year groups. Antje Müller, herself a trainee media and information services specialist, led the tour of the new university library building. The young people learnt lots of interesting facts about the university.
Gas for Future - from natural to green gas
9.9.2024
Starting today, 20 pupils are conducting research at the MINT-EC camp ‘Future Energy - Gas for Future - from natural gas to green gas’. Until 12 September, the participants from schools in the national excellence school network MINT-EC will be learning all about gas and renewable energies as energy sources together at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg. On the first day, the young people listen to an introductory lecture on the basics of energy production to give them an overview. During the camp, they learn about technologies for converting electricity into gas as a storable energy source. In experiments, the young people explore how much electricity can actually be generated from the wind and how hydrogen or methane is produced from electrical energy. The pupils then see the theoretical knowledge applied when they visit biogas and hydrogen production plants in Raitzen. In discussions with experts, the pupils reflect on the advantages and disadvantages of the technologies under consideration for the environment and society.
Institute of Materials Engineering celebrates 50 years
6.9.2024
The Institute of Materials Engineering at TU Bergakademie Freiberg has been in existence since 1974 - and with it the field of study Materials Engineering (today as a specialisation in the Materials Science and Technology degree programme). Together with the founder of the institute, Emeritus Professor Heinz-Joachim Spies, the team led by Professors Horst Biermann and Lutz Krüger celebrated the 50th anniversary. In addition to former employees, many graduates also found their way to their alma mater Fribergensis.
617 degrees, 110 doctorates and 4 habilitations have been supervised at the institute over the past 50 years. It currently employs over 30 members of staff who are particularly involved in the research fields of investigating mechanical properties, for example under multi-axial stress conditions or high-speed influences, as well as methods of surface layer technology and electron beam technologies, such as additive manufacturing, which are always accompanied by comprehensive microstructural investigations.
25 years after graduating, TUBAF will award the ‘Silver Diploma’ to 15 alumni of the Materials Engineering programme and 8 doctoral graduates at the anniversary celebration. An insight into the history of the institute and several specialist lectures on the institute's research areas rounded off the programme.
At the same time, the festive event was also an honorary colloquium on the occasion of Prof. Spies' 90th birthday in June of this year. Many former companions, such as a board member of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Wärmebehandlung und Werkstofftechnik e. V., took the opportunity to express their thanks and appreciation to Prof Spies.
International MINT-EC-Camp „Zukunft Werkstoffe“
28.8.2024
This week, the four-day international MINT-EC camp ‘Future Materials’ is taking place at the Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg. From 27 to 30 August, 21 students from schools in the national excellence school network MINT-EC, including 10 from the Greek MINT-EC partner school Ellinogermaniki Agogi in Pallini, Attica, will be given an overview of issues relating to the sustainable use of finite resources.
At the camp, the young people will explore how innovative and sustainable methods can be implemented economically. They will be familiarised with the university's research areas and study programmes. A special highlight is an escape adventure in which they playfully familiarise themselves with the work of materials scientists. In the CAVE, the projection room for interactive virtual reality experiences, they examine complex technical systems and 3D models that are used for geosciences. They will also visit the terra mineralia mineral exhibition, the interactive raw materials exhibition ‘The Salt of Life’ and take a trip to the UNESCO World Heritage region of the Ore Mountains.
How TUBAF supports schools
12.8.2024
On 12 August, Konrad Burkmann (PhD student at the Institute of Physical Chemistry at TUBAF) handed over a donation of various glassware to the vocational school centre e.o.plauen (Plauen, Vogtland) on behalf of the Faculty of Chemistry, Physics and Biosciences. According to subject teacher Kathrin Brückmann, 150 beakers, 500 test tubes, 100 Erlenmyer flasks and countless other items will ensure that the school can continue to provide an experimentally based education in the natural sciences in the future: ‘It is particularly important to me that experimentation is not neglected in chemistry lessons in order to promote fun in the natural sciences. Unfortunately, things break from time to time and buying new equipment is usually expensive. Thanks to the donation, we will be able to ensure a sound education in the natural sciences at the ‘eo’ in the future.’
TUBAF has been successfully cooperating with e.o.plauen for many years in the context of events for pupils: ‘There has been close contact between TUBAF and “eo” for a long time. Many alumni study in Freiberg and it's always nice to see one or two of them again during our visits to the university as part of project days or at student recruitment events at our school,’ says Brückmann.
A positive side effect of the donation is entirely in line with the sustainability endeavours of Freiberg's University of Resources: the continued use of glass stocks that are no longer required, which would otherwise have to be disposed of due to renovation work at the university.
New Professor of Economic History and Industrial Archaeology
1.8.2024
Professor Dr Eva-Maria Roelevink is moving from the University of Mainz to TU Bergakademie Freiberg on 1 August 2024. In Mainz, the habilitated historian had been a junior professor of economic history since 2017; before and after completing her doctorate, she was an academic counsellor at Ruhr University Bochum. Her teaching and research interests lie in the history of the coal and steel industry(s), the transformation of glocal resource economies and the management of resource conflicts, the history of materials and corporate history policy. Economic history is a highly interdisciplinary field of teaching and research. Co-operation and collaboration with other subject areas are essential. Perspectives on materiality and resource flows are linked with economic activity and economic change. Over the next few years, the professorship will impart expertise in economic history in teaching and take up co-operative research activities in the fields of institutional change, glocal mining industries and economic activity.
Heisenberg-Professorship "Physik der Quantenmaterialien" prolonged
29.7.2024
Following a positive evaluation, Prof. Dr Daniel Hiller was appointed to the Professorship of Physics of Quantum Materials at TU Bergakademie Freiberg on 29 July 2024. The Heisenberg Programme of the German Research Foundation (DFG) has supported the establishment of the professorship since 2021. Now, in the second funding phase of the Heisenberg Programme, the professorship will be extended by two years at TU Bergakademie Freiberg and the new research field of physics of quantum materials in the field of silicon and germanium semiconductors will be continued. The professorship deals with new methods of doping nanostructures and investigates special interface defects for applications in nanoelectronics and quantum electronics. At TU Bergakademie Freiberg, the physicist uses novel physical and quantum chemical effects to control the conductivity of nanowire transistors and thus enable even smaller, more powerful and, above all, more energy-efficient components. "The miniaturisation of transistors on chips is reaching more and more fundamental limits, so new research approaches are needed for further development. I am delighted to be able to continue this exciting research work at the Institute of Applied Physics in collaboration with the Central Cleanroom Laboratory at TU Bergakademie Freiberg," says Professor Daniel Hiller.
Prior to his appointment at TU Bergakademie Freiberg, the habilitated physicist worked in various research and teaching positions, including as an academic advisor at the Institute of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK) at the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, as well as a Feodor Lynen Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation at the Australian National University (ANU) and as a Humboldt Return Fellow at TU Dresden.
Humboldt ist zurück in Freiberg – Silberweg-Skulptur am Schlossplatzquartier enthüllt
Meldung vom 28. Juni 2024
Er war lange unterwegs, Freibergs prominentester Absolvent Alexander von Humboldt. Nach einem in Rekordzeit von 9 Monaten absolvierten Bergbaustudium zog es den Universalwissenschaftler 1792 in die Welt, insbesondere nach Südamerika. Jetzt ist er zurück an seinem Studienort: Am 28. Juni 2024 wurde vor dem Hörsaalgebäude am Freiberger Schlossplatzquartier eine Skulptur des Forschungsreisenden enthüllt. Anwesend waren u.a. der Kanzler der TUBAF Jens Then, der Baubürgermeister der Stadt Martin Seltmann und der Künstler Robert Frenzel.
Die Skulptur gehört zum Silberweg der Stadt Freiberg. Anhand dieser Route können Interessierte in die Stadtgeschichte eintauchen. Gesäumt wird der Weg von überlebensgroßen Figuren, die über eine App Informationen zum Ort preisgeben. Die Humboldt-Skulptur ist die mittlerweile neunte in der Reihe, zwei weitere werden noch folgen. Nach Aussage der Stadt ist der Silberwegskulpturenpark gemessen an der Zahl der beteiligten Künstlerinnen und Künstler derzeit das größte Kunstprojekt in Mitteldeutschland. TUBAF-Kanzler Jens Then betonte, dass die Humboldt-Skulptur sichtbares Beispiel für die enge Zusammenarbeit von Universität und Stadt sei, die sich auch an anderen gemeinsamen Projekten zeige wie unter anderem der alle zwei Jahre stattfindenden Nacht der Wissenschaft und Wirtschaft und der Initiative Freiberg.Science.City.
Mit Carlowitz und Humboldt Freiberg entdecken – TUBAF ist bei Kunstprojekt dabei
Meldung vom 20.6.2024
Wer Freiberg kennenlernen möchte, kann dies auf dem Silberweg tun – begleitet von Persönlichkeiten der Stadtgeschichte, die als Skulpturen den Rundgang säumen. Auf dem Silberweg sind die ersten der Figuren aufgestellt. Am 20. Juni 2024 fand die Einweihung von vier weiteren statt. Darunter auch die Figur des Erfinders der Nachhaltigkeit, Hans Carl von Carlowitz im Freiberger Albertpark. Und schon am 28. Juni 2024 wird im Schlossplatzquartier der TUBAF eine Skulptur, die Alexander von Humboldt darstellt, feierlich eingeweiht. Die TUBAF trägt mit der Skulptur Humboldts als einem der bedeutendsten ihrer Absolventen sowie mit Hans Carl Von Carlowitz, dem „Erfinder“ der Nachhaltigkeit zu diesem Projekt bei.
An die Skulpturen ist eine digitale Plattform (via App) gekoppelt, die anschauliche, unterhaltsame sowie informative Bildungsangebote bereitstellt. Hier erfahren Neugierige etwas zum Leben und dem Wirken der dargestellten Persönlichkeiten in Freiberg. Kinder werden spielerisch zum Forschen und zu einem naturwissenschaftlichen Verständnis der Welt animiert. Die Ausgestaltung und Produktion der zusätzlichen digitalen Lehr – und Wissensangebote der TUBAF-Figuren erfolgte federführend durch Kathrin Häußler, Andreas Hiekel, Patrick Morgenstern sowie Science Entertainer und Freund der TUBAF, Joachim Hecker.
Neben dem Gelehrtenweg und der Entdeckertour ist die Stadt Freiberg mit dem Silberstadtweg nun um eine Attraktion reicher. Weitere Informationen
Aktionstag „genial sozial“: 10 Schülerinnen und Schüler in Büros und Technika der TUBAF
Meldung vom 18.6.2024
Die TU Bergakademie Freiberg nimmt 2024 zum ersten Mal am Aktionstag „genial sozial“ teil. Begleitet von Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeitern der Universität tauschen die Jugendlichen für einen Tag die Schulbank gegen einen Job an der TUBAF ein: So unterstützen zwei Teilnehmerinnen beim Verein für Weiterbildung an der TU Bergakademie Freiberg, ACATRAIN e.V.. Weitere Einsatzorte sind im Universitätsarchiv, am Schreibtisch und im Labor. Zum Beispiel helfen die Schülerinnen und Schüler bei der Vorbereitung des traditionellen Haldenfestes, bereiten Laborpraktika vor oder inventarisieren Verbrauchsmaterial.
Der erarbeitete Lohn wird von der TUBAF direkt auf das Konto von „genial sozial“ gespendet; die Sächsische Jugendstiftung unterstützt damit soziale Projekte vor Ort in Sachsen und weltweit. „Indem wir Teil dieser Aktion werden, ermöglichen wir einerseits den jungen Menschen, einen Einblick in unseren Dienstbetrieb und unterstützen andererseits soziale Projekte“, sagen die Ausbildungsverantwortlichen des Dezernates für Personalangelegenheiten.
Der Tag steht unter der Schirmherrschaft des sächsischen Ministerpräsidenten Michael Kretschmer und ist initiiert von der Sächsischen Jugendstiftung. Ergänzende Informationen zum Aktionstag
Tackling legal and economic issues together? Conference on Mergers & Acquisitions at TUBAF
17.6.2024
On 17 June, the conference "Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) in the field of tension between law and economics: Current findings from research and practice" took place at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg with more than 80 participants. As an interdisciplinary problem in the field of tension between legal and economic issues, M&A transactions require a broader view not only in practice but also in science. Against this background, the conference is aimed equally at members of law and economics. "As Vice-Rector for Sustainability and Communication, I am particularly pleased that the topic of sustainability / ESG will be discussed in the M&A context by several contributors and from both a legal and an economic perspective," says Professor Andreas Horsch, who is organising the conference together with Professor Jutta Stumpf-Wollersheim and in cooperation with M&A Alumni Deutschland e.V.
JuniorUni with Science-Entertainer Joachim Hecker
10.6.2024
On Saturday, 8 June 2024, a new edition of the JuniorUni took place - in the form of two exciting lectures for children. They came with parents and grandparents to listen to the well-known book author and science entertainer Joachim Hecker. In the packed lecture theatre in TUBAF's Schlossplatzquartier, there were exciting, spectacular experiments from the field of chemistry, insights into amazing acoustic phenomena and lots of questions: Why don't balloons like oranges? How do you blow up a balloon with baking powder? How is elephant toothpaste made? What is a ‘chemical reaction’? How can the oldest substance in the world be made with vinegar and a pencil sharpener? And why does it explode? How do nappies work, why do astronauts wear them and why are they used in Hollywood to make winter films in summer?
Workshop Aysmptotics at TUBAF
10.6.2024
The Asymptotics2024 workshop will take place at TU Bergakademie Freiberg from 10 to 13 June. Mathematical descriptions of everyday phenomena are often too complicated to explicitly calculate their solutions. Therefore, mathematics tries to describe these solutions in other ways. "For example, if you can prove that a system is constantly losing energy, this allows conclusions to be drawn about the solutions to the corresponding equations. If you can describe materials in such a way that they vary greatly in microscopic areas but are mixed well enough, this opens up the potential to simplify the equations themselves in such a way that their solutions can in turn be easily calculated using a computer," says Professor Marcus Waurick, whose working group at the Chair of Partial Differential Equations is organising the workshop.
The workshop, which will be attended by leading experts from nine countries, will focus on the mathematical treatment of these complex topics. "While one focusses on temporal and the other on spatial descriptions and so-called asymptotics, a look at the methods of proof reveals that both issues have similarities. The aim of the workshop is therefore to further explore these similarities and gain new insights."
Medal of Honour of the AGH Krakow for Prof. Ulrich Prahl
13.5.2024
In recognition of the excellent cooperation between the AGH Krakow and the Institute of Metal Forming at TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Prof Ulrich Prahl has been awarded the Medal of Honour by the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow (Poland). The two institutions have been working closely together in the areas of teaching and research for many decades.
In addition to joint and reciprocal lectures, the academic cooperation also includes regular excursions and ERASMUS exchanges as well as the organisation of joint workshops and international conferences. Double degree and double doctorate agreements are also currently being developed. In current joint research projects (for example the EU project nanoBainControl), international teams from both universities are investigating innovative material production technologies for the open-die forging of high-strength and simultaneously ductile steel materials in an automated robot cell.
New interdisciplinary scholarship programme at ZeHS
30.4.2024
On Monday, 29 April 2024, a new interdisciplinary scholarship programme was launched at the Centre for Efficient High-Temperature Material Conversion (ZeHS) with the ceremonial awarding of the certificates. Six scholarship holders will receive around €200 per month with the support of the Stifterverband. In addition to this individual support, there is a fund for joint projects for inviting guest lecturers, funding excursions and more. Joint activities are promoted with the help of the ZeHS Board of Directors.
The next call for applications, which is likely to be aimed at students in the second half of their Master's or diploma programme, is expected for the winter semester 2024/25. "One goal is to expand the scope of the programme together with the Stifterverband through attractive joint activities," says Prof. Dr Dirk C. Meyer, Academic Spokesperson of the ZeHS.
Contact: Theresa Lemser (Theresa [dot] Lemser [at] zehs [dot] tu-freiberg [dot] de (Theresa[dot]Lemser[at]zehs[dot]tu-freiberg[dot]de))
Gessner Award for PhD-student Marieke Stapf
25.4.2024
The Thomas Gessner Award of the Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nano Systems (ENAS) will go to the young scientist Marieke Stapf from the TU Bergakademie Freiberg in 2024. The doctoral student at the Institute of Nanoscale and Bio-based Materials (Prof. Yvonne Joseph) is being honoured for her thesis entitled "Chemical sensors based on suspended gate FET structures". The thesis was written in 2022 in collaboration with Infineon Technologies Dresden. At the award ceremony at the Smart Systems Integration conference in Hamburg, the young scientist presented how field-effect transistors can be used for gas sensors. Experimentally, she dealt with the parameters of gas sensor technology (sensitivity, selectivity, response behaviour and service life). The results of the work thus form a building block for smart systems.
The Thomas Gessner Award is a prize for outstanding scientific work in the field of smart systems integration and is awarded by Fraunhofer ENAS. The prize is aimed at national and international master's and doctoral students in the field of smart systems integration whose thesis was graded at least "very good" and was completed no more than two years ago.
Excavation of the Dominican monastery in the Schlossplatz campus upgraded
The Renate and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Georg Unland Foundation made a donation to the university to enhance the excavations of the Dominican monastery of St Pauli (mid 13th century to 1537). The donor couple planted a rose bush in a large French wine barrel, which is now on public display in the lecture theatre building on Schlossplatz.
"In the Middle Ages, rose bushes were often planted in the cloisters of monasteries. The rose has various symbolic religious meanings. For example, it also symbolises the suffering and death of Jesus. A crown of thorns was placed on his head as he suffered," says founder Prof Georg Unland.
The large plant has been standing in the Schlossplatz quarter of the TU Bergakademie Freiberg since the beginning of April and is also clearly visible from the outside. Jens Then, Chancellor of the university, who accepted the donation in April, commented: "Many people interested in history regularly visit the excavations in the university's rooms. The rosebush as a piece of living nature now further enhances the excavations and points to the site's prehistory as a monastery. We are delighted with the donation from the Renate and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Georg Unland Foundation and will look after the rose bush carefully so that it remains at this historic site for a long time to come."
Im Februar 2024 hatten Altrektor Prof. Georg Unland und seine Ehefrau Renate Unland eine neue Stiftung an der TU Bergakademie Freiberg gegründet und der terra mineralia rund 200 neue Minerale übergeben. Die Spende für die Ausgrabungsstätte in der Freiberger Prüferstraße ist nun die bisher zweite Schenkung.
Donation to Freiberg secondary schools: New life for one thousand test tubes
On 11 April, the Institute of Analytical Chemistry at TU Bergakademie Freiberg handed over around 1,000 test tubes, Erlenmeyer flasks and other glassware to the three Freiberg secondary schools Gottfried Pabst von Ohain, Clemens Winkler and Clara Zetkin so that as many pupils as possible can carry out their own experiments in chemistry lessons.
During the current move from the existing chemistry building, the glassware was sorted out by the institutes, as it could no longer be used in the new laboratories in the Clemens Winkler building. "The schools were very interested in the offer and can now enable pupils to participate more in chemistry lessons," says Anne Fischer, technical employee at the Institute of Analytical Chemistry, who initiated the donation.
Erasmus project "Eco-Mining and Innovative Natural Resource Management" makes progress
Together with eight universities from six countries, the Erasmus project EMINReM is modernising study programmes for Master's degrees in the raw materials sector. Following the launch in May 2023, the project partners held a workshop at TUBAF from 25 to 28 March. The meeting aimed to transfer good practice on teaching content and forms on the topic of "Eco Mining" from the European Union partners to the 7 partner universities in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Specifically, the Master's degree programmes "SINReM" and "Sustainable Mining and Remediation Management" were presented. In addition to content-related aspects of environmental, health and safety at work, issues relating to online programmes and quality assurance were of particular interest. The workshop included a tour of laboratories, the digital teaching environment at the Institute of Mining and semi-industrial and industrial test facilities. One focus was on forms of learning such as "problem-based learning" with the aim of encouraging students' creativity and independence.
The project is funded as part of the European Union's Erasmus+ Key Action 2 programme. The universities in Freiberg, Jaen (Spain), Kütahya (Turkey) as well as in Zhytomyr, Dnipro and Donetsk (Ukraine), in Almaty and Karaganda (Kazakhstan) and in Tashkent and Navoi (Uzbekistan) are involved. "TU Bergakademie Freiberg has already enjoyed close cooperation with its partners in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan for many years," emphasised Rector Klaus-Dieter Barbknecht when welcoming the guests, adding that "the international perspective of Freiberg University is expanding with the partners from Spain and Turkey".
TU Bergakademie Freiberg offers unique courses and international degree programmes that disseminate this knowledge worldwide. Students from over 40 countries are currently gaining insights into this scientific field in the Master's degree programmes "Sustainable Mining and Remediation Management" and "Groundwater Management". "The experience gained in teaching content and methods for the responsible extraction and processing of raw materials is now also being exchanged and further developed with the partners in EMinReM," says project manager Carsten Drebenstedt, explaining the University of Freiberg's involvement.
Honorary professorship of Satbayav University for Prof Carsten Drebenstedt
During a conference at the State Technical Research University in Almaty, Kazakhstan, TUBAF Professor Carsten Drebenstedt was appointed honorary professor of Satbayav University. The laudatory speech was given by Rector Professor Meiram Begentayev (in the picture on the left). The Freiberg researcher was honoured in recognition of his many years of continuous collaboration in research and teaching and for his commitment to effective international cooperation. For example, TUBAF and Satbayev University are currently working together on the Erasmus project EMINReM to modernise degree courses in the field of raw materials.
TUBAF becomes a centre for digital teaching and media services
As a member of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Medieneinrichtungen an Hochschulen e.V. (AMH), TU Freiberg hosted this year's Spring Conference 2024. 43 members of the universities came to Freiberg or took part virtually under the banner of digitalisation and the use of artificial intelligence. Together, they took stock of new technologies for digital and hybrid teaching. In workshops, the participants discussed new challenges for teachers, learners and staff at media institutions. The trend of development is continuing inexorably towards hybrid teaching programmes - whether you like it or not. Students cannot be forced to be present in the lecture theatre. The life models and realities of students and their demands have become too diverse for this, as summarised in the "World Café" during presentations from the partner universities.
The newly elected AMH Association Chairman Knut Zeigermann also spoke out clearly in favour of the use of AI (artificial intelligence) in the creation of digital teaching content. However, according to Zeigermann, this is by no means a substitute for basic knowledge and an existing infrastructure. Routine tasks will certainly be increasingly taken over by AI in the future. However, AI systems would also need specialised personnel for installation, maintenance and operation. Even the use of a digital set-up with several microphones, a mixing console, webcams and the participation of external speakers in remote conferences often causes anxiety among teaching staff. For Knut Zeigermann, it is therefore clear that AI will by no means replace employees in the field of media services at universities or reduce demand, but that areas of responsibility may shift. The guests were delighted with their stay in Freiberg and were able to take away many impressions and ideas from the guided tours of the new lecture theatre buildings at TUBAF, workshops and presentations at this year's AMH Spring Conference.
10 years of the scholarship programme with Mozambique - a success story that continues
For around ten years, scholarship holders from Mozambique have been coming to TUBAF on a regular basis. The successful programme is now being further developed: At the beginning of March, Susanne Gasda (International University Centre), Manuela Junghans (International University Centre) and Professor Dr Carsten Drebenstedt travelled to Maputo to renew the cooperation with the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy of Mozambique (MIREME). The partners signed an agreement that regulates the secondment of up to ten students per year to TUBAF. The students will initially be prepared for the one-year preparatory course to obtain a university entrance qualification and the language requirements. After successfully completing the preparatory course, the students begin their specialised studies at TUBAF. Five cohorts have already completed this preparation; eleven students have successfully completed their studies and are working at TUBAF as doctoral students, among other things, to gain further practical qualifications.
The Freiberg delegation also visited the University of Eduardo Mondlane in Maputo, with which a Memorandum of Understanding has been in place since 2017. In addition to meetings with the German Ambassador to Mozambique Ronald Münch and business representatives, the visit focused on the German-Mozambican Cultural Centre, where the young people are preparing for their move to Freiberg in terms of language skills. The aim of the collaboration is to ensure that the Mozambicans arrive in Freiberg as well prepared as possible.
"H2Giga" lead project: recycling raw materials from electrolysers
The "H2Giga" flagship project of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) aims to promote the series production of electrolysers for hydrogen production in order to support the goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2050, which is anchored in the European Green Deal. Electrolysers are devices that use electricity to split water into oxygen and hydrogen. The latter is the target product and a key building block for CO2 emission-free technologies. Around 10 million tonnes of green hydrogen are to be produced in Germany in stages by 2030, i.e. hydrogen that is generated using renewable energies in order to help reduce CO2 emissions.
12 research teams from the H2Giga project "ReNaRe: Recycling - sustainable use of resources" are addressing this issue and developing innovative recycling and utilisation concepts for so-called proton exchange membrane and high-temperature electrolysers. The aim is to recycle the valuable and critical raw materials used in the electrolyser, such as iridium, ruthenium, rare earths or platinum, on a technical scale in a resource-efficient and environmentally friendly manner and thus keep them in the cycle even after their initial technical use. The "ReNaRe" annual meeting 2024, which took place from 17 to 18 January 2024 with around 30 participants at TU Bergakademie Freiberg, not only provided an opportunity for personal exchange between the researchers, but also emphasised the crucial role of cooperation between the research teams.
Prof. Dr Urs Peuker, coordinator of the "ReNaRe" project at TU Bergakademie Freiberg, continues: "Our project aims to identify possible technical approaches and process routes and to develop initial quantitative results for these with regard to the effectiveness of mechanical, chemical and metallurgical recycling. The focus is on the conceptualisation of possible recycling approaches, which is always a combination of different technologies in different steps."
Review of a successful "ReNaRe" annual meeting 2024 in Freiberg
Project partners:
- DECHEMA Gesellschaft für Chemische Technik und Biotechnologie e. V.
- .V.
- Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH
- Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA)
- Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HZDR-HIF)
- Heraeus Precious Metals GmbH & Co. KG
- Karlsruher Institute of Technology (KIT), wbk Institute for Production Technology
- Öko-Institut e.V., Institute for Applied Ecology
- RWTH Aachen University, Metallurgical Process Engineering and Metal Recycling (IME)
- TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Institute of Ceramics, Refractories and Composites
- TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Institute of Mechanical Process Engineering and Mineral Processing (coordination)
- TU Munich, Straubing Campus for Biotechnology and Sustainability
The diversity of materials - MINT-EC camp "Future Materials" in Freiberg
On 5 March, the four-day MINT-EC camp "Future Materials" starts at the Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg. For four days, 20 pupils from schools in the national excellence school network MINT-EC will work on the topic of materials from production to further processing and their use in modern technology.
The camp begins with an introductory lecture on the topic. The students then take part in a guided tour of terra mineralia, the mineral exhibition at Freudenstein Castle in Freiberg. Over the course of the camp, the participants work in groups on a project. A factory tour is also on the agenda. While one half visits BGH Edelstahl Freital, a company in the steel and mining industry, the other half explores the metal processing company Saxonia Galvanik. At the university, the young people will get to know students from the Racetec team and solve puzzles in the "Materials" escape room.
MINT-EC is the national excellence network of schools with upper secondary level and a distinctive profile in M mathematics, I computer science, N natural sciences and T technology (STEM). It was founded in 2000 by employers and works closely with their regional education initiatives. MINT-EC offers a wide range of events and support programmes for pupils as well as training and professional exchange for teachers and school administrators. The network, which currently has 341 certified schools, has been under the patronage of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder (KMK) since 2009. The main sponsors of MINT-EC are the employers' association Gesamtmetall as part of the think ING. initiative as well as the Siemens Stiftung and the Bavarian employers' associations bayme vbm and vbw.
Workshop further develops software for geology and materials science
From 4 to 13 March, scientists from almost 20 countries will meet at a workshop at TU Bergakademie Freiberg to discuss current challenges in the modelling and characterisation of polycrystalline materials. The focal point of the workshop is the open source software MTEX, which has been developed by TUBAF mathematician Prof Dr Ralf Hielscher and an international team for more than 15 years. This software is used worldwide in industry and research to analyse electron microscopy images in materials science, geology and crystallography and exemplifies the interdisciplinary focus of mathematics at TU Freiberg.
- All information about the software
- More about the specialist area of Professor Ralf Hielscher
Merits for cooperation with the University of Zhytomir: honorary doctorate for Carsten Drebenstedt
Professor Carsten Drebenstedt received an honorary doctorate from Zhytomir University of Technology on 15 February 2024 for his services to cooperation between the Ukrainian university and TU Bergakademie Freiberg and for the development of TU Zhytomir. The rector of the university, Vіktor Valeryovich Ewdokimov, thanked TU Bergakademie Freiberg for promoting cooperation, especially in the current difficult times. In his response, Professor Drebenstedt emphasised that investment in education and research is particularly important in times of crisis. He accepted the award on behalf of all those involved in the university cooperation.
Freiberg and Zhytomir have been linked by a relatively new university cooperation programme since 2008. This was followed in 2009 by study trips and conference participation at TU Bergakademie Freiberg, some of which lasted several months and were financially supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), as well as the first joint programme in the European Union's ERASMUS programme. TUBAF and the Technical University of Zhytomir have been working together on three projects since 2020.
The TU Zhytomir currently educates 9,000 students in 6 faculties: Business and Services; Mining, Environmental Management and Civil Engineering; Information and Computer Technologies; Computer Integrated Technologies, Mechatronics and Robotics; National Security, Law and International Relations; and Education and Lifelong Learning. For TU Bergakademie Freiberg, there are numerous points of contact in teaching and research.
Network of Jewish university lecturers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland founded
Press release from the Network of Jewish University Teachers:
In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, anti-Semitism at universities has increased dramatically since 7 October. Many Jewish students, lecturers and other university staff no longer feel safe at their universities. Some stay away from the campus out of fear or for security reasons, some can only work there with personal protection. Many hide their Jewish identity and no longer dare to express their opinions freely in the face of massive anti-Israeli protests. In order to counter this increasing anti-Semitism and to give Jewish university lecturers a forum, a voice and the opportunity to speak out together, professors and lecturers from all disciplines at universities and colleges in Germany, Austria and Switzerland came together at the end of 2023. The network currently comprises more than 70 university lecturers. It has set itself the goal of:
- raising awareness of rampant anti-Semitism in all its forms, especially Israel-related anti-Semitism, at universities.
- To work with university management and other status groups to develop effective concepts for combating anti-Semitism and for Jewish life at universities and in research and to implement targeted measures in line with the German government's National Strategy against Anti-Semitism and for Jewish Life.
- To provide an exchange platform for Jewish university lecturers and to network them with other national and international groups.
- To seek cooperation with Jewish students and Jewish members of other status groups at universities and to support them through contact points and
mentoring. - To promote and organise cross-university events and studies on topics relating to Jewish life, Jewish identities and the analysis and combating of anti-Semitism.
We would like to work together with the German Rectors' Conference (HRK) to find effective ways to implement the goals of the HRK's press release on combating anti-Semitism from 15 November 2023. Jewish perspectives on anti-Semitism on campus must be given special consideration. All Jewish university lecturers at universities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland who would like to join and support the network, as well as guests who feel particularly closely connected to the cause, are invited to send an email to Juedische [dot] Hochschullehrende [at] gmail [dot] com (Juedische[dot]Hochschullehrende[at]gmail[dot]com).
Contact person at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg is Dr Ilja Kogan, honorary lecturer for vertebrate palaeontology.
Tel: 0371 488-4559
Mobile: 0162 1562033
kogan [at] naturkunde-chemnitz [dot] de (kogan[at]naturkunde-chemnitz[dot]de)
Further contacts: Deidre Berger, Julia Bernstein, Roglit Ishay, Haya Schulmann, Michael Waidner
Email: Juedische [dot] Hochschullehrende [at] gmail [dot] com (Juedische[dot]Hochschullehrende[at]gmail[dot]com)
First successful appointment from tenure-track programme
Following a positive evaluation, Prof. Dr Björn Sprungk was appointed to the Professorship of Applied Mathematics at TU Bergakademie Freiberg on 31 January 2024. This makes the Freiberg University alumnus, who has been researching and teaching as a junior professor at TU Bergakademie Freiberg since February 2020, the first permanent professor that TU Bergakademie Freiberg has been able to recruit from the tenure track programme. The mathematician works on methods for quantifying uncertainties in simulations and forecasts and teaches students in probability theory and data science.
More about Björn Sprungk (internal area)
By participating in the tenure-track programme to promote young academics, the university is following the recommendation of the German Council of Science and Humanities for a cultural change in line with the Anglo-American tradition. The aim is to give young academics the opportunity to embark on a predictable academic career at an early stage. The federal and state governments are currently funding seven tenure-track professorships at TU Bergakademie Freiberg. A total funding volume of up to one billion euros is available for the junior researcher programme, which runs until 2032.
More about the tenure-track professorships (internal area)