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During the International week, international guests and representatives of Aalen University networked with each other. Photo: © Aalen University | Gergö Konc

Lecturers from European and non-European countries contributed to the International Week at Aalen University with a total of 25 lectures in English, introducing students to current and global research topics. With a look into space, Aalen Professor Dr. Miranda Fateri concluded the series of lectures in English and spoke about her moon dust research. The event, which took place last week, was organized by the University’s International Relations Office.

A fresh international breeze blew across the campus last week thanks to the large group of visitors from partner universities from all over the world – especially in the newly opened WIN university building, where the International Center has found its new home. “An international week is a great way to internationalize your own campus, because everyone benefits from it: students can test their English skills at the guest lectures and talk to the guest about their universities, which are possible destinations for a semester abroad. At the same time, researchers and lectures can network with international partners – in one place and within a few days,“ says Prof. Dr. Anja Dieckmann, Vice-Rector for International Affairs, adding that “promoting ‘internationalization at home‘ is one of the university’s strategic internationalization goals.“
One highlight of the week-long event was a workshop on international research collaborations, which was also attended digitally by other partners. The aim was to identify common research interests and potential future research activities. The workshop was attended by around 50 researchers from all over the world.

The international week culminated on Saturday with the “Open Campus“. Many guests expressed how impressed they were with the research activities, the technical equipment, the facilities and also the dedicated staff at the university. We were very proud hosts,“ says Martina Kübler, Deputy Director of the AAA. Overall, the International Week attracted 33 foreign guests from the following countries to the university: Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Namibia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Thailand, Czech Republic, Turkey, Ukraine and the USA.

A group of 16 students from Colombia, who visited the university last week as part of a DAAD-sponsored excursion to find out about the study opportunities here, also benefited from the international program. With nine participating European universities, Aalen University recently founded an alliance to jointly promote the further development of the European education system and to support each other in the process. The International Week provided an excellent opportunity to strengthen cooperation within this young alliance.