Engineers shape our world
An on-site program for students in 10th grade and above.
The Faculties of Electrical Engineering and Mechanical and Process Engineering at the Technical University of Applied Sciences Augsburg (THA) would like to introduce high school students to the diverse fields in which engineers work. Our program, featuring interactive hands-on stations, is designed for high school students in 10th grade and above and can be held either at the students’ school or on campus at THA. It is well-suited, for example, as part of an extracurricular program for 11th-grade students or for career exploration in 12th grade.
Key Information at a Glance
- Currently, 8 mobile interactive stations are available; at the THA, two additional non-mobile stations can also be provided
- Suitable for all academic tracks (language, math and science, etc.); can also be adapted for 9th-grade students at Realschule
- On-site at the school (within a 50-km radius of Augsburg)—up to 8 stations
- or the class(es) can visit the THA—up to 10 stations
- Class size: depends on the available stations, approx. 3–4 students per station
- Time frame: ideally 4 school hours
- Can be conducted, for example, as an extracurricular activity for 11th-grade classes
- Conducted, for example, as part of career orientation for 12th-grade classes and similar programs
Our Intention
In recent years, we have noticed that the concept of engineering is becoming increasingly obscure to young people. Yet their entire daily lives are interwoven with technical products. Our program aims to highlight this reality and raise students’ awareness of technical developments by showing how central engineers are to shaping our world. In doing so, we demonstrate the extent to which technology can contribute to the sustainable development of our society.
Educational Goals
The program aligns with the educational and instructional goals in the field of technology and physics at Bavarian schools. It enables students to recognize the breadth of technological developments and to explore their opportunities and risks. In the area of career orientation, students can learn about fields of work in engineering and experience how, by applying theory to practice, they can later contribute to shaping a sustainable world in their careers.
Program and Schedule
Introduction
The students meet the professors and student ambassadors from the Faculties of Electrical Engineering and Mechanical and Process Engineering. After a brief introduction to the stations and the program schedule, the groups are randomly assigned to the first hands-on station.
Duration: approx. 15 minutes
Learning Objectives: To become familiar with the departments and stations/topics in engineering
Experiencing Engineering
At interactive stations, the class can explore and engage with various fields of engineering application in small groups (ideally with a maximum of 4 students per group). Each group has about 30 minutes per station to delve into the respective topic. The stations are designed as self-guided learning stations. Students can explore the content on their own using a presentation on a tablet. Short videos, activities, quizzes, and experiments/exhibits also encourage active interaction with objects from the fields of electrical engineering, Mechanical and Process Engineering. The professors and students on site are available to assist the groups at any time while they work through the stations. A time frame of a total of 4 school hours has proven effective, allowing students to explore at least 3 stations. At the stations, they also gather information that they will need for a quiz afterward.
Time frame: ideally at least 90 minutes
Learning objectives:
- Gain hands-on experience with fields of engineering and explore technical concepts
- Reflecting on the opportunities and risks of technical developments
- Identifying and evaluating opportunities for sustainable development through engineering achievements
Final quiz and Q&A session with students
At the end of the event, there will be a brief overview of engineering topics and degree programs offered by the faculties. Afterward, the floor will be open for questions from the high school students. To help break the ice, this session will be led by students and supported by professors. Questions may be asked about engineering, the profession, the degree program, as well as the various stages of the event, etc.
Duration: 30 minutes
Learning objectives: Reflection on and evaluation of the preceding content through the students’ own questions
Stations
The following stations are currently available:
Plastic Recycling
At this station, students learn how plastic can be recycled. They also learn about the opportunities and challenges of recycling and become more aware of the problem of the growing waste crisis. Through hands-on activities, they identify types of plastic themselves and verify their classifications using a sensor.
Model for Biodiesel Production
In a series of reactors, students observe the various stages of transesterification from oil to biodiesel. By rotating a stirrer, they observe the different behaviors of the starting material, intermediate products, and final products. They also compare the viscosity of oil and biodiesel using a viscometer. At this station, they learn how transesterification works chemically, why it is necessary, and how biodiesel is produced on an industrial scale.
Textile Recycling
At this station, students learn to view textiles as one of the most pressing waste problems and, at the same time, as a major opportunity for a future circular economy. They follow the industrial textile processing steps from used textiles to new yarn and can use VR headsets to explore the Recycling Atelier, the world’s first model factory in the field of textile recycling.
Senso Sticks
At this station, students learn how engineering can contribute to inclusion and social participation. Under the motto “Mechatronics Helps People with Disabilities,” students in the mechatronics program develop various projects (e.g., games, musical instruments, and kitchen appliances). These projects are then made available to the Fritz-Felsenstein-Haus in Königsbrunn, a facility for people with physical and multiple disabilities. Students can try out the game “Senso Sticks” as an example and, in doing so, also learn about an example of technical product development.
Teeodohra
At this station, students learn how knowledge is imparted in the field of engineering. The “Teeodohra” project is an example from the field of embedded systems designed to introduce students to the world of IT through a programmable tea rabbit. Through small, hands-on tasks, the group can dive into programming themselves and learn not only what role “embedded systems” play in technical devices, as well as how engineers can support and help shape technical education and find potential career opportunities in pedagogy and teaching.
Photovoltaic (PV) Demonstrator
At this station, students learn how engineering and renewable energy are connected. By conducting experiments with the PV demonstrator, they develop an understanding of the power output of a photovoltaic module. In the experiment, two fans are operated—one mechanically (using a hand crank) by the group, and the other using the power generated by the PV module when exposed to sunlight. The power generated by the two methods can be compared not only visually and quantitatively, but also interactively: The differing strengths of the fans’ airflow help students visualize how much power was generated in each case. By covering the PV module or changing its tilt angle, various factors affecting power output can also be simulated.
Water Analysis
Water quality is a top priority in this country, and our tap water is considered one of the safest in the world. Through water sampling, students learn to recognize potential contaminants and other substances in the water and understand how they form. They independently test liquids for specified values using test strips and a water analyzer.
Wind tunnel (can only be conducted with supervision at THA)
Using a mobile wind tunnel, students gain hands-on experience with the principles of aerodynamics and can observe the effects of controlled airflow through interchangeable experimental setups. In addition to the complex field of aerodynamics, the program fosters an understanding of experimental setups and testing procedures in engineering.
Optimizing Technology: Simulation and Experimentation Using Crane Construction as an Example
At this station, students learn how engineers improve technical products and processes, making them more efficient and safer. In addition, they gain hands-on experience with simulation and experimentation—processes that engineers encounter both in their studies and in their careers. Using a crane as an example, the groups can make technology predictable and optimize it. The group can use an app to make changes to the design elements of a crane and simulate the effects on its safety. Afterward, the students can experimentally test these improvements and replicate them on a model.
Robotics (can only be conducted with supervision at THA)
In the robotics lab of the Faculty of Mechanical and Process Engineering, high school students learn how industrial robots move through space and how they are controlled and programmed. They get to control a robot online themselves and explore in a playful way which of its six axes they need to move—and how—to navigate to a specific point or perform a movement in space. In addition, they learn about so-called cobots, which enable human-machine interaction.
In the RoboticsLab of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, students experience firsthand how modern cobots and mobile robots are controlled and used: They try out how people collaborate with robots without safety fences and explore how robotic arms can be guided directly through touch. They also learn how image processing is used in robotics—and how robots can be controlled, for example, using hand gestures.
Sounds interesting?
Please feel free to contact us with no obligation if you are interested in offering the program at your school. We would be happy to discuss options and dates for the program: either at your school or on-site at the Technical University of Applied Sciences Augsburg.