A look back: Raising awareness of SPIN in Dresden

Anyone unfamiliar with Saxony’s higher education landscape is regularly surprised by the scale of academic achievements taking place in the supposedly small university town of Mittweida. This is particularly true of the three major cities. ‘The town with the highest number of students per capita in Germany’. ‘Europe’s most modern academic media centre’. ‘Pioneering research of the sort usually found at universities’. ‘Mittweida connoisseurs’ know all this and much more about the HSMW. At the first SPIN2030 Science Festival, numerous residents of Dresden also experienced it for themselves.

On 8 and 9 March, 8,000 visitors came to the Technische Sammlungen Dresden to find out from over 50 scientific institutions what researchers in the Free State of Saxony are working on every day – and what that means for their own lives. At the forefront were a large number of HSMW researchers from the fields of Biotechnology, forensics, engineering, computer science, Physical Engineering and social work.

“I am proud and grateful that we were able to inspire so many people with the SPIN2030 science festival. That was, and remains, our aim, because Saxony thrives today – and will thrive even more in the future – on bright minds,” explained Science Minister Sebastian Gemkow afterwards. “The solutions to the major questions of our time lie in science and research, whether it be climate change, a more resource-efficient and sustainable way of life, or the fight against disease. Research gives rise to innovations that are then realised in applications, new products and even businesses.”

Mittweida’s strength in transfer and research proven

The translation of research findings into applications or products is referred to in the higher education sector as ‘transfer’ or the ‘third mission’. “We are well ahead of other universities in this respect. Research at HSMW is entirely application-oriented. We conduct research into what the economy needs and what drives it forward,” states Professor Uwe Mahn, Vice-Rector for Research at HSMW and project leader of Saxony5. “Through our European university alliance, EURECA-PRO, we are focusing precisely on the issues highlighted by the Minister: responsible consumption and production, and a resource-efficient and sustainable way of life. We actively contribute the knowledge gained from this to the region – whereby ‘region’ extends as far as Lusatia, where we are helping to manage structural change through the PAL project.”

It is no coincidence that Mittweida University of Applied Sciences once again set a record for third-party funding in 2022. Third-party funding refers to grants from public or private institutions that do not form part of the university’s core budget. These are additional funds that make research at Universities of Applied Sciences (UoAS) possible in the first place. Unlike universities, UoAS receive hardly any funding to carry out basic research. Mittweida University of Applied Sciences (HSMW) secured 17.3 million euros and invested it in the region. In relation to the number of professorships at UoAS, this is a national record and ranks first among UoAS in Saxony. However, figures alone can hardly convey the significance of research. That is precisely why the researchers from Mittweida brought numerous exhibits to the SPIN2030 science festival.

Insights through hands-on experiences

The media informatics students from Mittweida invited visitors to the Science Festival to take a seat in one of their driving simulators. In Dresden, the audience not only gained a hands-on understanding of just how realistically the simulations now replicate the experience of driving a car.

Professor Matthias Vodel’s team explained in practical terms how this apparent ‘gimmick’ at Mittweida’s Living Lab for Motion Simulation and Software Development helps to enhance the immersive experience; in other words, making the simulation even more realistic, which opens up new possibilities for driver training as well as for improving driver assistance systems. Among others, the media informatics students from Mittweida are collaborating with the Austrian brand KTM and the Nürburgring, as well as with IAV, one of the world’s leading high-tech service providers to the automotive industry.

A particular focus for the Mittweida delegation at the SPIN2030 Science Festival was to spark an interest in science and research amongst the youngest audience members. Biotechnology professor Röbbe Wünschiers, dressed as a bee, captivated the academic talents in attendance at a special edition of the Mittweida Children’s University. He explained to the children – and, in some cases, their parents too – how important bees are for preserving biodiversity and also for the delicious fruit on our tables.

Equally popular were the workshops run by the team led by Professor of Biophotonics Richard Börner. ‘Tracking the building blocks of our lives with light and Lego’ meant that more than 100 participants used the familiar interlocking bricks to assemble a strand of DNA and then ‘code’ using a specially developed ‘Lego sequencer’ via optical sensors and match it online to a living organism.

Numerous discussions are reshaping the HSMW’s image

At the HSMW stand, where visitors were also able to witness the electrolysis of green hydrogen using a particularly cost-effective anode – the development of which is currently being coordinated by HSMW – other researchers also fielded critical and inquisitive questions. Professor Stephan Beetz, for instance, spoke about how inclusion and diversity can lead to future opportunities; Professor Thomas Villmann discussed the potential and risks of AI with the guests.

Forensic science professor Dirk Labudde also provided a special highlight: he took to the stage at the SPIN2030 Science Festival on Friday evening as the highlight of Science Night and took those present on an entertaining journey into the possibilities of digital forensics. “Night at the Museum – sometimes things go missing.” was the title of his talk, in which he explained how the forensic scientists at Mittweida supported the investigating authorities following the theft of the 100-kilo gold coin from Berlin’s Bode Museum and the break-in at Dresden’s Green Vault.

About SPIN2030

With the campaign “SPIN2030. Saxony – Land of Science”, the Saxon Ministry of Science aims to showcase the diversity, excellence and appeal of Saxony as a research hub to a wide audience. Universities, the Saxony University of Cooperative Education and non-university institutions from across the state are taking part. SPIN2030 had already made a stop in Mittweida back in January. As part of the ‘Experience Saxony – Land of Science’ series, Minister for Science Gemkow took part in a discussion on the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence within the HSMW’s ‘Controversial Dialogue (Dialog Kontrovers)’ event series.

_{Text: Helmut Hammer (HSMW) / Images: SMWK (Ben Gierig)}