Highlights from Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg in 2020

The big news at the start of 2020 was the re-election of Hartmut Ihne as President of Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg. Then came another welcome announcement that both H-BRS and Hochschule Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences had been eagerly waiting for: the State of North Rhine-Westphalia had approved the funding for the pilot phase of their joint NRW cyber-campus (CCNRW). The two university presidents, Hans-Hennig von Grünberg and Hartmut Ihne, agree that the CCNRW is a project of pioneering significance for the entire state.

The creation of the CCNRW was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the early part of the year, but then March saw the rapid spread of the coronavirus across Germany and there was no time to be lost as teaching in the summer semester had to be moved to digital channels on an unprecedented scale. “Campus@home” was the universal watchword adopted by all universities in North Rhine-Westphalia. The “Coronomester” demanded a lot from our students, teaching staff, employees and – not least – IT staff: technology and teaching essentially went mobile, while working from home over the spring and early summer and then again from November became the rule rather than the exception. The university was literally deserted, although the library was open more or less throughout since students needed to be able to borrow and return books for their exams.

External funding for digital teaching

Raising external funds for digital teaching and research was one of the positive things to come out of this year, along with the excellent results from our 2016 graduates in a regular state-wide survey conducted across all types of higher education institution. Roughly half of students from H-BRS completed their studies during the standard period of study, which was above the average of 40 per cent for North Rhine-Westphalia as a whole. Around 80 per cent of the H-BRS graduates surveyed also rate their satisfaction with their studies as high or very high.

Even though H-BRS is already very actively involved in developing the didactics of digital university teaching and new teaching formats and has a proven track record in this area, the university submitted further applications for funding for digital teaching – with successful outcomes. A total of eight projects (half independent and half in a consortium with other universities) were awarded around EUR 1.8 million in funding in 2020 and applications have been submitted for two more. The findings from the projects will be made available to all universities.

Research up in the air

From a research perspective, this year has seen some significant developments:  the scientists at the Institute of Visual Computing (IVC), for example, have been letting their ideas take flight, although they have been keeping their own feet firmly on the ground. They have successfully managed to make virtual worlds appear even more real, providing their test subjects with experience spaces that are not just based on simulated images. The addition of sensory features appealing to our senses of hearing, smell and touch generates a much more realistic impression. This research is not only attractive to game developers, but is also being used for therapeutic treatment for conditions such as anxiety disorders and may well also prove to be the icing on the cake for virtual wine tastings in future.

The IVC also took to the air again in 2020, carrying out parabolic flights for a range of research issues. This involved strapping participants inside an aircraft in a way that enabled them to float virtually weightlessly, and not just for a brief moment. Tests are performed in these exceptional conditions to help investigate why our brains fool us into thinking we are moving when we are actually stationary and something else around us – another vehicle, for instance – is moving instead.

A wide variety of topics covered

Since the summer, the Department of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Technical Journalism has been involved in developing and testing a mobile battery inverter as part of the LEITNING project. If successful, this could prove to be a key element in providing a modern, highly reliable emergency power supply and may even lend itself to other applications too in the long term. Another project that has recently got under way is the “Start-up Programme Rheinbach Sankt Augustin” (SUPRA), run by Centre for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and SMEs (CENTIM). The German federal government is supporting the project using funding from the “EXIST” programme earmarked for leveraging potential. The aim is to pool together the centralised and decentralised initiatives designed to support start-up schemes under one roof (SUPRA) and to generate more visibility for young entrepreneurs, whether they are students or university staff.

One project worth mentioning here has already been completed: Prof. Jörn Oliver Sass has made good use of the “Zeit für Forschung” support offered to him by the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and, as part of his focus on rare metabolic disorders, he has produced a comprehensive overview of all described cases of two such congenital diseases from all over the world which involve disruptions to the ketone body metabolism. This is a significant step forward, as it now provides a basis for comprehensive medical consultations.

Important new partnerships

The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) represents a strategically important collaboration in the field of civil security research aimed at protecting terrestrial infrastructure. It brings another key element into the mix for the university’s Institute of Safety and Security Research (ISF) and provides the ideal supplement to its existing activities. The partnership fits into an overall landscape that also includes the Cybersecurity Learning Lab, CCNRW, the Computer Science study programme (which now has a heightened profile) and the planned Cybersecurity and Privacy study programme on the Sankt Augustin campus, as well as the Institute for Detection Technologies on the Rheinbach campus, with its focus on sensor technology.

Speaking of cybersecurity, the “RedRocket” hacking team picked up some prizes in 2020 too. To make up for a shortage of new recruits, the “RedRockets” brought in hackers from institutions such as the University of Bonn to bolster their numbers. Achieving third place in the international Hack-A-Sat competition run by the US Air Force in August was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the year for these students, who reconquered a satellite as part of a mixed university team going by the name of “FluxRepeatRocket”.

Looking ahead

The President’s Office at H-BRS is steering the university through the coronavirus crisis by ensuring continuity. The Office of the President, led by Hartmut Ihne, and Chancellor Angela Fischer were confirmed in office in the autumn – with the exception of Prof. Iris Groß, who was no longer available. Prof. Marco Winzker has now joined the President’s Office as Vice President for Teaching, Learning and Further Education. And yesterday (Thursday, 17 December 2020), with just a week to go before Christmas, the Senate and the University Council approved the University Development Plan for the period from 2021 to 2025.

At the end of a difficult year under the impact of the coronavirus, President Ihne is keen to draw attention to one more highlight: the establishment of the “Promotionskolleg NRW” doctoral programme, which, amongst other things, underlines the recognition received by universities of applied sciences for their research achievements. This is something he has been campaigning for for years. Looking ahead to the future, the President stresses the importance of “how we handle the challenges life throws at us and live our lives wisely. By setting an example ourselves, we can support others. This also includes looking and listening so that we are aware of those around us.” With this approach, we may be able to overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic together.