Communications and Marketing
The year 2024 at Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences
Decisive changes were made at the top of Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg in 2024. After 16 years in office, H-BRS retired its President Hartmut Ihne in October. Ina Brandes, Minister for Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, honoured Hartmut Ihne's work. Around 400 members of the university, companions and guests from academia, politics and society attended the emotional ceremony in the Audimax in Sankt Augustin. Just a few days later, the new university president Marion Halfmann had her first day at work. The economist was elected to the post by the university electoral assembly in April. She comes from the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, where she had been Professor of Business Administration, Marketing and Sales since 2020. Her previous professional stations were Cologne University of Applied Sciences and Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences in Kleve, where Halfmann taught and researched as a professor.
The H-BRS will retain its Chancellor. The University Election Assembly unanimously confirmed Angela Fischer in office in June. The Senate and the University Council of H-BRS had unanimously invited the 55-year-old lawyer to stand for re-election.
The most striking change in the appearance of Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences in Sankt Augustin is certainly evident when you enter the campus: since the beginning of the year, a park-like area with trees, flowerbeds and seating has been created on the large square in front of the main entrance. The idea behind the extensive construction work: Areas are being unsealed and the quality of stay is being increased. In addition to the forecourt, other areas between the buildings have been remodelled in a similar way. The unsealing of the campus areas and the planting are the visible realisation of the sustainability strategy that H-BRS has adopted. The aim is to create a sustainable, liveable and climate-neutral campus at all locations.
Over the past twelve months, the Rheinbach campus has continued to be characterised by incessant renovation work. The most obvious change here was the reopening of the library in January. The premises had been closed to the public for almost four years - first due to the coronavirus pandemic and then due to the flood damage in July 2021. Today, the library is not only freshly renovated, but also more beautiful and modern. A number of new features have been added, such as the ‘chat boxes’ for phone calls or video conferences. The library is particularly proud of its new fully automated green screen studio, which is equipped with state-of-the-art video technology. Not all university buildings have been completely refurbished yet, but work has been completed in four of the six university buildings on campus and normal operations are underway.
‘By joining forces, we have tackled the many large and small tasks of the year and found convincing solutions. The greatest joy for me personally was to see the young people at our graduation ceremony, to whom we have given the best possible education,’ says H-BRS President Marion Halfmann, looking back on the year. ‘This will also be our aspiration in the coming year, which we will fulfil with heart and mind. I am proud that we have found new answers to important research questions that can sustainably improve the lives of many people.’
Application-orientated and practical: research at H-BRS
In 2024, scientists at H-BRS continued to conduct application-oriented research and found practical answers to pressing questions. For example, a research team at H-BRS has developed an educational robot for autistic children. The prototype of a social robot can independently carry out various learning tasks with the children and interact with them in the process. Another research team is working on reforesting destroyed forest areas with the help of drones. The autonomously flying drone should be able to measure the damaged terrain, quantify the extent of the damage and sow new seeds in suitable places. By using artificial intelligence, the system will be able to find suitable places where the tree seed has the best possible chance of growing. Biomedical research at the H-BRS is being further expanded with a project funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). Nine working groups from several research institutes have come together to establish a research centre for transport mechanisms in cells and their molecular interactions. The results will provide a better understanding of widespread diseases. The DFG is funding this project with around six million euros over the next five years. Another example of application-orientated research is a project investigating the benefits of urban green spaces for quality of life and climate protection. The research team is working on combining environmental data into virtual images in order to provide a better basis for planning. Artificial intelligence should be able to provide recommendations for action, for example for watering trees.
A warm welcome for the first semester students
The highlight of the H-BRS calendar of events was the official farewell ceremony for graduates in October. At a ceremony with a colourful programme, around 550 now former students celebrated their graduation together with their families in the Telekom Dome. They were joined by other guests from politics, business, society and academia, totalling around 3,000.
For others, the path to successful graduation is only just beginning: in September, H-BRS officially welcomed its newly enrolled students. The setting for this was the ‘Market of Opportunities’. The ‘first-timers’ were able to gain a comprehensive impression of their new educational institution through information stands, lectures, presentations and discussion rounds. Around 2,000 students enrolled at H-BRS for the first time in the winter semester 2024/25. Of these, around 90 per cent started Bachelor's degrees. Around 9,000 young people - around 40 per cent of whom are female - from more than 125 nations are currently studying at the three H-BRS campuses. This means that the total number remains almost stable compared to the previous year.
Another date in the H-BRS annual calendar that was heavily emphasised was the Company Day in November. The careers fair has made a name for itself as a well-attended information and contact exchange for students and graduates. Over two days, more than 150 companies presented themselves as attractive employers. They met highly qualified young people at the university. During the fair, companies published around 1,000 job offers.
Prizes and awards for teams and individual achievements
It is financial support, but also an honour: 94 H-BRS students received the Deutschlandstipendium scholarship at a ceremony in December. They will now each receive 300 euros per month for one year. Numerous companies from the region sponsor the scholarships. In addition to a very good average grade, the decisive factors for the award are the willingness to take on social responsibility or the successful overcoming of obstacles in one's own life and education.
Many members of the university received prizes and awards in 2024, in a wide variety of fields, as a team or as individuals. For example, computer science student Ahmed Faisal Abdelrahman received the VDI's sponsorship award for his research work on the Master's degree programme in Autonomous Systems. In his work, he investigated how the learning ability and adaptability of robots can be improved. The North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences and Humanities has awarded Dr Milena Kriegsmann-Rabe the Karl Arnold Prize for her research into resilience. In her research work, the cultural anthropologist looked at the topic of resilience from the perspective of medicine, the life sciences and cultural studies. Professor Paul R. Melcher from the Department of Engineering and Communication was honoured as ‘Professor of the Year’. In the nationwide competition, he came third in the Engineering Sciences and Computer Science category. Special commitment to teaching was also the jury's reason for awarding the university's teaching prize to Professor Christine Buchholz. She had created a new type of teaching format with the ‘walking lecture theatre’.
The H-BRS robotics team put in an outstanding team performance at the international German Open robotics competition in Kassel in April. They took first place in the working robot league. The motorsport team, which took part in several international competitions, has also grown even closer together as a community. The newly developed electric racing car proved its enormous potential, but had to deal with technical teething troubles.
The year 2024 marks the end of a year in which Bonn-Rhine-Sieg University of Applied Sciences has worked intensively on its positioning for the future. At the end of the year, there was a special event that had nothing to do with science but was very close to the hearts of the employees: the Wishing Tree campaign. In Sankt Augustin and Rheinbach there was a Christmas tree in each town, hung full of wish cards from people in need. The cards didn't stay on the trees for long and were turned into gifts to bring Christmas joy to those who are less fortunate.
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Sankt Augustin
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E 240
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Grantham-Allee 20
53757, Sankt Augustin
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