2013: University of Kassel at the Hessentag

At trade shows, conferences and meetings, exchanging business cards is a must. Maybe not for long: The "Conferator" digitally records your contacts using radio tags and shows on your smartphone when you spoke to whom.

Today, the Internet is ubiquitous and mobile. How should both the technical and non-technical expectations of users be met when developing new services and applications? The Kassel LOEWE focus area "VENUS - Designing technical-social networking in situational ubiquitous systems" is developing a software development methodology that systematically takes into account the interactions between technology, individual users and society.

FG Industrial and Organizational Psychology

By means of mobile systematic gaze and movement recording, the physical and mental stresses of employees in application fields of varying complexity can be recorded. The data obtained allow conclusions to be drawn about the usability of the application system or the mental stress and fatigue of the employees. These findings can be used to simplify complex operating procedures or to improve the technical and ergonomic design of a work system. Real-time eye movements can be used to control individual elements or systems, e.g. in safety-critical areas.

FG Plastics Technology

Conventional plastics are based almost entirely on fossil raw materials, which will become increasingly scarce in the future and whose prices have risen continuously in recent years. Many consumers are showing increasing interest in organic products and alternative raw materials. The demand for organic products is also growing in the plastics sector. Those bioplastics that consist of renewable raw materials, such as vegetable oils, sugar, starch or wood, are of importance for sustainable management. Within an extensive joint project of the Agency of Renewable Resources (FNR), different topics of the processing of bioplastics are dealt with at the Institute of Materials Technology (IfW).

Natural fiber-reinforced bioplastics - properly processed - show good potential for future applications.

FB 15 Mechanical Engineering/ SFB

Research for resource-saving products of tomorrow.

Process-integrated manufacturing of functionally graded structures based on thermo-mechanically coupled phenomena.

The production of high-quality mass-produced goods under the framework conditions of Western high-wage countries only has a perspective if extraordinary innovative achievements are made in order to further increase the quality and sustainability of the products. The aspect of resource conservation is playing an increasingly important role in this context. This challenge is taken up by the SFB Transregio 30.

funded by: German Research Foundation

FB 15 Mechanical Engineering/ Formula Student

The Herkules Racing Team consists of 45 students from various disciplines who have a common goal: successful participation in the international Formula Student design competitions with their specially developed racing car. Already in its third year, the team is holding its own against other universities with innovative ideas, engineering work and a target-oriented marketing strategy.

Further info at: www.herkulesracing.de

LOEWE Focus VENUS

At trade fairs, conferences and meetings, exchanging business cards is a must. Perhaps not for long: the "Conferator" digitally records your contacts using radio tags and displays on your smartphone when you spoke to whom.

The Kassel LOEWE focus area "VENUS - Design of technical-social networking in situational ubiquitous systems" is developing a software development methodology that systematically takes into account the interactions between technology, individual users and society.

FG Electrical Engineering/High Voltage Engineering

High voltage overhead power lines are inspected at regular intervals by walking, driving or flying down them with helicopters. Inspection from the ground is limited by the distance and perspective of the observer, helicopter inspection is very expensive and requires specially trained pilots and flight permits for the line corridors. This project will demonstrate that these tasks can be accomplished much more effectively and cost effectively with a multicopter.

Humanoid robots are robots modeled on humans in terms of construction and shape; they go back to Leonardo da Vinci's idea of an artificial human. The positions of the joints and sensors as well as the mode of locomotion are modeled on humans, but they do not have to meet the criterion of being an exact replica of humans (as is the case with androids).

There are many motivations for the development and use of intelligent humanoid robots: For industry, humanoid robots are highly interesting as multifunctional working machines, since they can be easily integrated into production processes and can make life easier for humans, especially in tasks that are "Dull, Dirty, Dangerous." Many scientists today also assume a learning process in the creation of an AI, the AI should actively participate in the life of humans and learn through observation and interaction (cf. Computational Intelligence).

Department of Humanities and School of Art

The goal of the two service-learning projects Kultur Kids Nordstadt and Project K is to enable student teachers to combine theoretical knowledge and pedagogical action in a practical and interrelated way using cases. The seminar concept is aimed at preparing and practicing professional teacher action already during the studies through practical case work and research-based, situated learning in the real field of action. The students take on a sponsorship for a child in a special situation for 10 months (2 semesters).

..with exhibition"Home Education in Hesse 1953-1973".

LOEWE Focus ELCH

Is it just a sensory illusion when we smell things differently? Or are there physical causes behind it?

Molecules can have a mirror-image structure in the arrangement of their atoms - comparable to our hands. The resulting sense of rotation is called chirality and is decisive for the behavior of chemical reactions, especially for their medical effectiveness in the case of biomolecules. What effect does the sense of rotation have on the behavior of electrons? This is what the Kassel LOEWE focus ELCH - Electron Dynamics of Chiral Systems is exploring. Based on their basic research, the researchers hope to develop a highly efficient analysis method for the chirality of molecules that could be used, for example, in drug development.

• "Winning - with Math and Natural Sciences!" [Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences/ CINSaT]Presentation of the Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Kassel.
• "Making historical Kassel virtually walkable" [Department of Architecture, Urban Planning, Landscape Planning]Dissertation by Dipl.-Ing. Pierre Pelz: As part of the research work "Techniques and limits of interactive architectural representation in the digital reconstruction of lost urban spaces", the inner city of Kassel before its destruction is restored as a 3D model and made walkable for the public.
• "The Underwear of the City" [Department of Architecture, Urban Planning, Landscape Planning]Diploma thesis by Linda Wydra: In her richly illustrated volume, she describes the city's unlocations and neglected places that we have all come to overlook.
• "Denkmalschutz genau betrachtet" [Department of Architecture, Urban Planning, Landscape Planning]Short lecture by Prof. Alexander G. Eichenlaub: Many buildings in Kassel are listed and some have changed to their disadvantage since the 1980s. Without being able to intervene?
• various lectures [Department of Social Sciences]"Sociology goes Public" - reports from an exciting science "Kassel in the Middle Ages" - a reconstruction in maps "Political Kassel in the Here and Now" - from the perspective of young reporters
• "Building for Life" [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering]Civil and environmental engineersdesign the framework of our current and future living environment in a sustainable way that is competent, safe and conserves resources.
• "Red cherries, brown beans - a coffee course to join in" [Department of Ecological Agricultural SciencesThe staff of the Witzenhausen Tropical Greenhouse have prepared a coffee course with stations where visitors can explore the world of coffee.

Daily program:

• Streetband of the Institute of Music(Brass, direction: German Marstatt)
• Zebranistic (Rock, Funk & Blues)
• Streetband of the Institute of Music(Brass, direction: German Marstatt)
• Ji-Youn Song (piano)
• LILA WOLKEN BAND(Pop, from the Institute of Music)
• "Flying students - high, fast and furios" (trampoline gymnastics group performance) / "Gefangene Worte" (dance solo) / "Capoeira meets Kassel" (capoeira trio) / "Großenritter CG Baunatal meets IfSS" (Gardetanz group performance) (Institute of Sports and Sports Science direction: Frauke Mutschall, Sebastian Fischer)
• GRIMMSKRAMSALLERLEI - a free dessert for the Grimm year (served by Theater der Universität Kassel -STUK)

• "Make your move" (floor gymnastics group performance) / "Gameboydance" (movement theater solo) / Trust and BElieve in YOUrself (sports acrobatics - trio) / "Seid Ihr noch ganz sauber?" (dance group performance) (Institute for Sports and Sports Science)
• Energiegeladen (University of Art meets Institute of Music, percussion ensemble, direction: Olaf Pyras, textile design: Kerstin Jost-Eisenberg, dance: SoZo Vision in motion Kassel)

Highlights of the evening:

• Mark Mustang (blues, rock n' roll and technically innovative craft).

• Caro Kiste double bass

• Joern + the Michaels

• Schemes

• Big Band of the Institute of Music of the University of Kassel

• Information marketplace on the climate mile Represented on the climate mile of the Hessentag by the Competence Center for Climate Protection and Climate Adaptation (CliMA), the KLIMZUG-North Hesse project, the Environmental Profile and the Graduate Center for Environmental Research and Teaching of the University of Kassel.

• Climate-adapted bus stop at the Auedamm Construction and opening of a "special" bus stop" in front of the Auebad, which is intended to maintain or increase the attractiveness of public transport even in times of climate change

• Salon of sustainable mobility Presentation of e-driven vehicles from pedelecs to passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles

• Culinary marketplace on the climate mile Culinary marketplace with regional and ecological - and thus climate-friendly - products

• Student project group for a climate and environmentally conscious Hessentag Formation of a student working group that advises the Hessentag office of the city of Kassel on the climate and environmentally conscious design of the major event and presents the results of its work as part of the Climate Mile.

• Development of a stage program for the Climate Mile and a working group for a climate and environmentally conscious Hessentag.

Project seminar

The course "Environmental Management in the University and Region of Kassel" is one of the Service Learning Seminars (learning through engagement) of the University of Kassel.

Within the seminar, a group of 7 students of the master program Sustainable Management worked on the topic "Sustainability and Environmental Protection at Large Events" under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Michael Hiete (CESR).Together with members of the "Climate and Environmentally Aware Hessentag 2013" working group, the group took care of developing a CO₂ calculator to calculate the individual CO₂ footprint of a Hessentag visitor. In cooperation with Hessenforst, visitors were enabled to participate in a regional reforestation project.

To illustrate their CO₂ footprint, a comparison was made (e.g. how many trees (Douglas firs) would have to be planted for xxx CO₂ emissions to compensate for the CO₂ emissions caused).

In cooperation with Hessenforst, visitors were able to get involved in a regional reforestation project on a donation basis. Based on their CO₂ balance sheet, Hessentag visitors were given flyers with recommendations for action to avoid and reduce CO₂ emissions.

• Investigation of the decay of hydrogen molecules [Philipp Schmidt, University of Kassel].
• Producing oil with fungi [Voppe Fissen, Wintershall]
• Laboratory Astrophysics and the Search for Traces in Space [Prof. Dr. T. Giesen, University of Kassel]
• Let there be light! [Ilian Eilmes, SFN, short lecture at the Hessentag]

• The Cosmic Skeleton: How Structures Stabilize in the Universe [KP Haupt, SFN]
• The World of Galaxies [I.Eilmes, SFN, short lecture at the Hessentag]

A selection...

• Building an insect hotel [A.Köhler,Y. El Hamdeoui, M.Borzuchowski, L.Holten]
• Building a rocket [R.Figge, A.-L.Reichardt]
• Chemical experiments on food [M.Holfeld]
• WeDo programming [J.Niggemann]
• Solar cells [N.Bunje, C.Koch, A. Langenhagen]
• How does an IR - WebCam work? [C.Reitz, N.Ayeb]
• Buoyancy and submarine [A.Falb, J.Korff]
• Microscopy [L.Hornschuh]
• Technical drawing [M.Schlüter]
• Anodizing: Metals become colorful [A. Hensel, L. Paschold]
• Introduction to Java Programming [J.Schüler, A.Homburg]
• Cryptography [M.Klimpel, A.v.Wangenheim]
• Measurement of electric fields [N. Verlaan, S.Reitz, L.Schmidt, F. Wagener]
• What are black holes? [KP Haupt]

• Chemietheater [M. Holfeld and the chemists of THS Homberg]

          In a small play a fairy tale of a town in the Middle Ages is told. Many experiments are performed... a chemistry show with surprises!

• Who will build the best energy saving house (model) in one hour? [Organization: F. Klei]

          Teams of 4-5 young people build a house model with provided materials that emits as little energy as possible.

• Water striders: big time!

          Who dares to run across a swimming pool with non-Newtonian liquid?