During a visit to the campus of Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences (HSRW) in Kleve, Ina Brandes, Minister for Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, gained a first-hand impression of the diversity of research and teaching at the institution during a meeting with various members of the university community.
Following discussions with the Executive Board, Minister Ina Brandes visited selected teaching, learning and research facilities at the three faculties based in Kleve: the KLEX learning workshop at the Faculty of Society and Economics, the Bionics Hall at the Faculty of Technology and Bionics, and the Tropical House at the Faculty of Life Sciences.
The first stop was the KLEX Learning Workshop (Kindliches Lernen Erfahren und Experimentieren – Experiencing and Experimenting with Children’s Learning), which is used to observe and conduct research into work with children. In addition to a fully equipped teaching and learning room, it also features a large outdoor area with a playground and a watercourse. Minister Brandes, accompanied by Dr Marjan Alemzadeh, Professor of Early Childhood Education, and the Dean of the Faculty of Society and Economics, Prof. Dr Ralf Klapdor, was able to observe a research activity taking place in the garden and expressed her enthusiasm for the university’s practice-oriented training.
Afterwards, Prof. Dr Dirk Nissing, Dean of the Faculty of Technology and Bionics, and other staff members welcomed the Minister to the Bionics Hall. The interdisciplinary field of bionics focuses on learning from nature and applying these insights to technical applications. Among other things, bionic submarines are developed and built in the Bionics Hall; the university’s student team uses these to compete very successfully in international competitions, as demonstrated by their world championship title in 2022. Individual components, such as the submarine’s propulsion system, can be tested directly in the water tank to assess their hydrodynamic performance and efficiency.
The university tour concluded with a visit to the Kleve Tropical House – a greenhouse comprising four research cabins and a large cultivation area where a collection of crop plants is maintained. Modern climate control technology enables the cultivation and growth of a wide variety of plant species, allowing the necessary growing conditions to be varied and characteristic climate zones to be simulated. This makes it possible to conduct research on plants from foreign climate zones directly in the field, as Dr Kerstin Koch, Professor of Biology and Nanobiotechnology, explained. A wide variety of exotic plant species from the tropics and subtropics thrive here, ranging from pineapples and cocoa to cinnamon. During her discussion with the Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences, Prof. Dr Peter Scholz, Minister Brandes was also very impressed by the university’s excellent study facilities, its modern campus and its wide range of laboratories and practical training rooms.
At the end of her inaugural visit, Minister Brandes made it clear in a discussion with the Executive Board and the deans: “Before becoming a minister, I worked in the private sector for 15 years. Since then, the shortage of skilled workers has been a constant concern for me. The work of universities of applied sciences is so immensely important for our economy because they train the next generation of scientists with a direct practical focus. This is particularly evident in the dual study programmes. Both North Rhine-Westphalia as a centre of science and as a business hub benefit equally from the collaboration between universities and small and medium-sized enterprises.”
Prof. Dr Oliver Locker-Grütjen, President of Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences, was delighted by the Minister’s visit and agreed with her on the importance of practice-integrated degree programmes: “As a university of applied sciences, it is particularly important for us to offer young people a practice-oriented, future-focused education. Dual or practice-integrated degree programmes are a key component of this.” As an example, he highlighted the Administrative IT degree programme at the Faculty of Communication and Environment on the Kamp-Lintfort campus, which has been offered since the 2020/2021 winter semester in cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalisation and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. “Studying whilst completing an apprenticeship – this is not only attractive to young people, but also offers employers the opportunity to provide skilled workers with career prospects and secure their loyalty at an early stage,” Locker-Grütjen continued.
