Whether in a large plenary session or, as here, in a personal exchange - at the Alumni Day there was plenty of opportunity to share specialist knowledge and network
Knowledge, exchange and networking at Furtwangen University
Last week's Alumni Day was a great reunion for graduates of Furtwangen University's (HFU) security courses. The opportunity to network, share knowledge and study anecdotes was taken by 85 former students of the Security & Safety Engineering and Risk, Reliability and Safety Engineering degree programmes. They came together at the Furtwangen campus to discuss current developments in the field of safety and security. The welcome address by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Marion Meinert was followed by insights into current research projects in fire and disaster protection. Prof. Dr. Arno Weber presented ergonomics measurements in occupational safety and Alparslan Babur gave a presentation of current doctoral projects. In a keynote speech, Christian Schneider (Initiative Breitscheideplatz, Leonberg) provided information on the protection of soft targets in urban areas as well as on terror prevention, climate change and urban planning.
HFU professors then offered participants the opportunity to address current challenges in interactive workshops and open-space formats. The main topics were machine safety & explosion protection, corporate security, fire and occupational safety, civil protection and current developments in occupational safety. The practical nature of the workshops was complemented by top-class specialist lectures given by graduates of the “Security & Safety Engineering” course who are now working in leading companies. For example, an HFU alumnus who works at Mercedes-Benz gave exciting insights into the use of robotics in corporate security. Another alumnus, now working at ZF LIFETEC, highlighted the security implications of the upheaval in the automotive industry, while a former student, now at Diehl Defence, presented strategies for minimising the risks posed by internal threats. In addition, the participants were given application-oriented insights into modern technologies such as the VR extinguishing trainer and the AI-supported assessment of computer workstations (BAD).
The sponsors BAD, Schwarz Group, FireLife and Mitternacht Arbeitssicherheit were available to the participants for technical discussions and career advice. Since it was founded in 2007, the Security & Safety Engineering course has maintained close links with industry. The subject area is constantly being developed and graduates have excellent career prospects in a wide range of security fields. This year's Alumni Day impressively demonstrated how valuable the exchange between science, industry and practice is. Furtwangen University plans to continue this event as an integral part of the alumni network.