TU Dortmund awards Prizes to international Projects at &quot;Global Gallery&quot;

As part of the second Global Gallery at the TU Dortmund University, three outstanding projects with an international connection were awarded prizes on 18 May. The guests were able to choose their favourites from 29 presented initiatives. The prize money of 1,500 euros each goes to a digital integration platform as well as to projects for flood protection in Bangkok and for the expansion of pedestrian infrastructure in Nairobi.

In his welcoming address, Rector Prof. Manfred Bayer emphasised the importance of internationalization, not least in view of recent events in Europe: "Different cultures and nationalities enrich our campus life and teaching and research benefit enormously from international exchange. For us, mutual respect and support for each other are a matter of course." For example, TU Dortmund University is currently offering a variety of support services for Ukrainian and Russian students and academics.

A total of 29 international projects from the areas of research, study and teaching presented themselves to the numerous guests at a poster presentation. "The selection is wide-ranging and impressively shows how much TU Dortmund University is already doing in the area of internationalization," said Dr. Barbara Schneider, Head of the International Affairs Department. During a "Gallery Walk", visitors had the opportunity to find out more about the initiatives, talk to the project participants and cast their two votes.

The three winning projects

Shadows of Injustice" received the most votes: In Nairobi, 1.7 million people - that's about the population of Hamburg - walk to work every day, risking their lives, because the road network is mainly designed for car traffic, although only eight percent of Nairobi's inhabitants own a car. The aim of Dorcas Nthoki Nyamai's project from the Faculty of Spatial Planning is therefore to expand the infrastructure for pedestrians and make it safer.

Second place went to "Sucking up or soaking in? Climate resilient upgrading of informal settlements in Bangkok": Students from the Faculty of Spatial Planning are investigating unofficial settlements in Bangkok and how they can be better protected against flooding, as Thailand's capital is at high risk of flooding and natural disasters particularly affect the low-income residents of unofficial settlements.

Integreat - the digital integration platform" also received 1,500 euros: The app enables immigrants to quickly and easily access relevant information that cities or districts provide on the platform in several languages. Nationwide, almost every sixth municipality already uses the app, which Prof. Manuel Wiesche from the Faculty of Economics and Philip Popien and Mizuki Temma from the Faculty of Computer Science developed together with partners.

Prizes for Internationalisation

For the first time, four prizes for internationalization were awarded, each worth 2,500 euros: In the area of teaching, Prof. Kevin Kröninger from the Faculty of Physics was awarded for the Master's programme "International Master of Particle Physics", which the TU Dortmund University offers in cooperation with the University of Bologna in Italy and the University of Clermont Auvergne in France. For his paper "Trust and stock market volatility during the COVID-19 crisis", Prof. Peter Posch from the Faculty of Economics received the Internationalisation Award in the Research category. Brigitte Trimpe from the administration was honoured for her efforts in the area of third-party funding contracts, especially the negotiation of grant agreements with EU partners, and the provision of English-language contracts. Dr. Sascha Feldhorst from MotionMiners received the award for internationalization in transfer for the international success and expansion of the TU start-up in recent years.

As part of the "Visiting Professor & Visiting Scholar Programme", which Prof. Tessa Flatten, Vice-Rector International Affairs, launched last autumn, two of the six visiting scholars also received their certificates at the Global Gallery. The aim of the programme is to strengthen internationality in teaching.

Impressions of the event

Rector Prof. Manfred Bayer welcomes the guests.
Dr Barbara Schneider, Head of the International Department, explains the voting rules.
All projects are presented with one sentence.
Guests can find out about the projects at the Gallery Walk.
Voting is done with small green balls.
Prof. Manfred Bayer presents visiting scientist Alejandro Garcés Ruiz with his certificate.
Prof. Manfred Bayer congratulates the winners of the Internationalisation Awards Brigitte Trimpe, Prof. Kevin Kröninger and Dr. Sascha Feldhorst (from right).