Tag der Wissenschaft (Science Day) draws region to THWS
Enthusing people of all ages for the achievements of the Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt – this year’s Tag der Wissenschaft (Science Day) concept was a complete success. Last Friday, several hundred visitors came to Campus Ignaz Schön and Campus Ledward to experience the fascinating and interesting offers of THWS. About 250 THWS members – professors, scientific and administrative staff, and students – showcased tangible science to get involved in from 4 to 10 p.m.
The overall number of visitors could only be estimated, says Jan Hofmann of the organisation team. “A total of 1,500 site plans for the THWS areal were distributed, the Studierendenwerk sold between 700 and 800 curry sausages.” Especially popular among the young visitors: the carts offering complimentary popcorn, ice cream, and candyfloss. Ten kilograms of corn, 400 portions of ice cream, and ten kilograms of sugar were consumed.
Robot attractions
In the middle of all the presentations, lab tours, workshops, and exhibitions, the popcorn smell served as an olfactory guide that led visitors back to the centre. One of the highlights was the robotics exhibition on the first floor. Mobile robots like robodog Spot and Assistant Pepper fascinated children in particular. “I like Spot the best,” ensures 11-year-old Theresa, while her mother grabs a brochure on the Robotics degree programme of THWS. At the same time, two teenagers are trying a game of mini mill using voice command and a robot grappler. The voice command “Rex” activates the robot. Then, the player enters the new position, for example A3 or B1. Only sometimes, the computer seems to hear poorly: “This is because it was only trained with two voices,” says Jonas Schewior, one of the first graduates of the Robotics degree programme, at the same time stating the challenges of this field of research.
Katharina Pfeuffer, of the Startup Lab Werk:Raum was also happy about the crowds of visitors. The lab offered 3D-printed individual mobile phone holders for visitors to take home. The holders only had to be assembled “but it seems that now someone accidentally packed one of the screw drivers,” she says with a baffled smile.
Being in the cockpit once
Another crowd puller was the hydrogen-powered aircraft that was positioned on a meadow. Professor Dr. Johannes Paulus, project manager and dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, proudly presented the interior, that was developed and assembled by students and employees. The maiden flight is scheduled for this autumn already. How this feels, is best sensed by children: They may climb a small flight of stairs into the aircraft and may operate the flaps with the cyclic stick.
Back in the basement, there is a lot of action in the Chemistry Lab. Professor Dr. Maja Kobus and lab manager Jürgen Schwittek had their hands full supporting the teenage researchers with their experiments. They handled test tubes, dribbled liquids into them as precisely as possible – and the trick to prove chlorine was done. Schwittek also presented the mechanism of a battery and how hydrogen and oxygen are produced by electrolysis.
Cocktails illustrate production flow
At the Ledward Campus, Professor Dr. Alexander Dobhan’s task was to illustrate the topic of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning). This is a software through which companies manage their orders, inventory, and production. Usually, this is no topic suitable for illustration “as there is generally nothing to see,” Professor Dr. Dobhan explains the dilemma. “A cocktail bar, our ‘ERP Bar’, however, makes it tangible.” First, visitors received a so-called RFID-tag, that illustrates the individual stations to a cocktail in the computer system. What looks like a handy gaming piece, is part of a radio frequency identification system. It is used to measure if someone is still in the are “take a glass” or how long the production step “cutting the ingredients and filling them into a glass” takes. This data is reported back to the central computer system and can be retrieved any time: By 20:30, the ERP Bar team had distributed 153 Cocktails.
THWS President Professor Dr. Jean Meyer is convinced that the Tag der Wissenschaft (Science Day) was “successful in every way. It calls for a timely repetition!”
Press contact:
Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt
Angela Kreipl
Münzstr. 12
97070 Würzburg
+49 931 3511-8354
