An American in Mittweida
An American in Mittweida
Martin Anselm, professor at the renowned Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in the USA, has roots in Mittweida. Mittweida University of Applied Sciences and RIT want to cooperate more closely in research and student exchange.
International mobility of academics is part of everyday academic life: Due to Corona, teaching and research in - and from - distant countries was severely restricted in recent years, but in 2022, people started traveling again: from Mittweida to the world, and from the world to Mittweida. Some have already been here twice this year, like Professor Martin Anselm from the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York State. This may be due to the fact that, in addition to scientific cooperation, the professor also has a piece of family history connected with the university town and Mittweida University of Applied Sciences: His grandfather had a teaching position at Mittweida University for a time. His great-grandfather Julius Anselm worked at the then Technikum from 1901 to 1948, including many years as director.
From Rochester to Mittweida
From May 10 to 25, Martin Anselm was with two colleagues and 24 students at the fourth joint "Field School on Automotive Electronics" at the Mittweida Faculty of Engineering and thus in the mother country of the automobile.
Reliability evaluations are the research focus of Martin Anselm. He gained 12 years of industry experience working as a researcher and failure analyst prior to becoming a professor at RIT in 2014. For the laptops and hand held devices, for example, he investigated the durability of the solder joints connecting the components when the device was subjected to external stresses.
In addition to teaching and exchanges on his research focus, the second visit, from July 17 to August 1, served primarily the discussion of opportunities for deepening the Mittweida-Rochester partnership. Both sides of the pond see further points of connection in research and in student exchange beyond programs like the field School and disciplines like engineering.
The Mittweida Faculty of Engineering is also conducting research into how components can be reliably and efficiently tested and optimized in terms of their mechanical properties and materials in terms of their chemical properties. The research interests complement each other and cooperation is a good idea. The first step will be the mutual supervision of final theses of students from both universities.
Martin Anselm: "I am pleased that in the future we also want to deepen the partnership in research and in the exchange in study programs. The field school in Mittweida already shows that many of our students take advantage of the opportunity to expand their professional and cultural competencies and overcome their uncertainties in a foreign country."
From Mittweida to Rochester
A first joint field school in Rochester and, thus, the first visit of a group of German students from various disciplines is planned for 2023. At that time, Volker Tolkmitt, designated rector of Mittweida University of Applied Sciences, also wants to make his inaugural visit to the partner in the USA: "RIT is a renowned university in the United States, with 20,000 students a little larger than Mittweida University of Applied Sciences. I'm all the more pleased that Martin Anselm's personal and academic ties to Mittweida are opening the door for an expanded partnership that will benefit students at both universities in particular."
As Tolkmitt's "advance guard," PD Dr. Gunter Süß, director of studies at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences' IKKS, traveled to Rochester in July for a return visit to explore opportunities for cooperation and student exchange in the media, cultural and social sciences: "This ranges from online guest lectures to 14-day short stays for smaller groups, such as at the Field School, to semesters abroad", says Süß.
It is already possible for two to three Mittweida students in technical disciplines to spend a semester abroad at RIT each year. The tuition fees of currently about 30,000 US dollars per semester are financed by the exchange places and are not incurred by Mittweida students. Interested students should contact Professor Frank Weidermann.