About 550 scholars of the German Academic Exchange Service met at Technische Universität Dortmund on the 27th and 28th of May. The young academics are from 96 different countries, especially from Africa, Latin America, Middle and East Europe and the CIS countries. Many of them already graduated in their home countries and are now complementing their studies at German universities. In Dortmund they got the chance to meet each other and to exchange experiences.
Rector Prof. Ursula Gather and DAAD vice president Prof. Max G. Huber welcomed the students in the Audimax. Choosing a university in Germany is an excellent but also a courageous decision as living, studying and doing a PhD in a foreign country is a great challenge, states the rector in her welcoming speech. Subsequently the DAAD scholar Dmitriy Targoni from the Russian Federation talked about his experiences regarding change by exchange. The opening event was artistically accompanied by Josue Partida and Anne Jannick.
During their stays in Dortmund the international guests listened to scientific lectures from TU professors and presented topics they are investigating at their universities: they range from examining the rivalry between Cologne and Düsseldorf (Ariel Connolly-Smith, Universität Bern) to education abroad and the factors for a successful implementation (Damian Chukwu Odimegwu). Apart from the technical exchange, the DAAD scholars’ attention was mainly focused on establishing new contacts. And the participants had the occasion to do so.