Company News Jul 21, 2005 10:00 AM
School students try out undergraduate lifestyle
In association with Dortmund University, ThyssenKrupp once again this year gave interested school students a chance to try out living and working on the University campus for one week. True to the name of the project "do-camp-iing" (which stands for "Dortmund, Camping and Engineers") the trial-run students lived in tents on the campus, ate at the university refectory and worked in rooms at the university.
A total of 66 school students, including 17 girls, took the opportunity to find out about their preferred engineering degree courses before making their final choice. A central element of this unusual study guide is project work, for which the students are divided into nine groups which are each given a technical assignment. Examples included the construction of a metal kayak, the programming of industrial robots and the design of a sensor-operated dimmer. Mentors and scientific staff members were on hand to support the groups and answer the students' many questions.
In addition to the intensive project work there was a varied program of extracurricular activities. A campus rally and a get-together with engineering students already at the university gave the school students an insight into how a university is structured and how it functions. The visit by Dr. Joachim Rüther and Dr. Christoph Nöres from Uhde GmbH was also very well received. Both graduates of Dortmund University, they reported on their career experience. On a tour of the ThyssenKrupp steel plant in Duisburg the students then gained an impression of the many careers in technology available to them.
The "do-camp-ing" days in Dortmund have been held every year since 2002. The high level of motivation among the students during this voluntary orientation week makes for productive project work and an intensive exchange of experience.