Department of Engineering and Communication

Student projects at IMES 2023 in Cambridge

Starterprojekt Biokunststoff auf der IMES 2023 in Cambridge

Thursday 25 May 2023

Juliane Karneboge and Claudia Luppertz, both research assistants in the EMT department, participated in the exchange of experiences at the International Material Education Symposium (IMES) in April 2023. The historic atmosphere at Clare College was an exciting addition to the forward-looking nature of the subject. The H-BRS lecturers presented posters from their applied project work with students.
Claudia Luppertz und Juliane Karneboge auf der IMES 2023 in Cambridge
Claudia Luppertz (l.) and Juliane Karneboge during their three-day training course at IMES in Cambridge. Photo: Juliane Karneboge

Juliane Karneboge explored the question "Bioplastics: what is this and is it compostable?". This was a starter project that focused on experiments on the compostability of bioplastics. The students learned about the differences in the degradability of bioplastics. On the one hand, it is crucial which plastic it is, on the other hand, the conditions during composting are important. Most plastics that are labelled as biodegradable can only decompose industrially and not in garden compost.

Claudia Luppertz dedicated herself to the topic "Project work with engineering students, material selection for a planetary carrier". This was a project work by students in the third semester, who selected a material for a planetary carrier using databases, simulation software and metallographic investigations. The students learned about different aspects of materials science. They learned what steps are necessary to select a material and bring it into a certain shape. In organizing, planning, and executing their project, students' competencies in communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking were encouraged.

Both employees used their training not only to represent the university internationally, but also to maintain and expand their respective professional networks. Enriching impulses, which they themselves took up on the subject of materials science, will be profitably incorporated into the teaching of the department in the future.