Communications and Marketing
Ahmad Drak: The high-flyer
Ahmad Drak could have taken an easier path. He completed his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at the United Arab Emirates University. There, in his home town of Al-Ain, he had friends, family, a social network and he could certainly have found a job. But Drak didn't just want any job. He had already made up his mind as a child that his work would make a difference later on. As the son of Syrian immigrants, he only had a free career choice on paper in the United Arab Emirates, where almost 90 per cent of the population is made up of migrant workers, only had a free choice of career on paper: "At the time, I tried to get a job as a research assistant. I was told straight out that I wouldn't get the job because I was Syrian. But I really wanted to stay in science," says Drak. So he decided without further ado to apply for Master's programmes abroad.
A new beginning 5000 kilometres away from home
Initially, Germany was not one of his destinations: "I only applied for degree programmes in the USA and Canada at the beginning. One evening after a long day, I went to the car park where my car was parked, a BMW. I liked the car and I had also heard positive things about Germany. I spontaneously decided to have a look around there too," says Drak.
A few months later, in September 2014, he moved into his flat in a student hall of residence in Sankt Augustin and began his Master's degree in Autonomous Systems - almost 5,000 kilometres away from his home country as the crow flies. "Of course, not everything was easy in the early days. Speaking English, for example, was not as normal as it is today. But beyond that, I found the Germans to be very open, welcoming and interested. That certainly had something to do with the fact that, as a Syrian citizen, I was often mistaken for a refugee and this group was treated much more hospitably than is the case today," remembers Drak.
Nevertheless, the start in the foreign country and the new subject was bumpy, says the current doctoral student: "The first two years here were extremely hard for me. During this time, I lost sight of my ambitious goals." That changed when he applied to work as a research assistant for Alexander Asteroth. The professor had a work assignment with very specific requirements for him:
In order to test the aerodynamic properties of the velomobile, a streamlined, muscle-powered vehicle, under real-life conditions, he needed a drone that could fly at speeds of up to 70 kilometres per hour and produce stable video footage of the vehicle. "Such a drone didn't exist back then.
I already had experience with building drones at the time, but this project was on a whole new level," says Drak. This also had to do with the fact that the drone was supposed to track the vehicle independently. The camera was to act as a sensor that monitored the surroundings and controlled the movement. The Autonomous Systems student now had to put his knowledge from his Master's degree programme into practice.
Making a difference with research
Over the next few months, Drak buried himself in work, creating a design, purchasing components, programming and testing. In the end, he presented a fully functional product.
In 2017, he received the Hochschulgesellschaft's sponsorship award for the master's thesis that he subsequently wrote: "It was the first time I had received an award for my achievement and it really humbled me. The award gave me the confirmation that I really can do this and that my skills are needed. It's something that people here in Germany require. That meant a lot to me," says Drak.
Asteroth then offered the young researcher a position as a doctoral student, and the "Garrulus" research project was born, in which Drak has now been active as a project manager since 2020. The team is trying to reforest destroyed forest areas with the help of modern technology. Drones play an important role in this: "The first step is to fly over the forest area. The drone is equipped with various sensors.
We use the data to create a 3D model of the forest floor and identify suitable locations where we can then plant tree seeds," explains Drak. The research group hopes to present a functional system by the end of 2026. A lot of work, but one that is absolutely worthwhile for the scientist:
" We have a great team. Maximillian Johenneken, Brennan Penfold and the contributing students give it their all every single day. Its the collective effort of the team that makes this work closer to reality. Each and every one of us gives their best, because Garrulus is not just a project for us. We have the feeling that we can make a contribution to society as a whole." He is also writing his doctoral thesis on one aspect of the research. Drak has deliberately defined this project in such a way that the results are not decisive for the success of "Garrulus". After all, the researcher is interested in more than a doctorate.
Text: Pascal Schröder
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