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RESI Project

Student Conference on “Reconstruction” at the University of Mosul

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A hall full of people at the student conference © Lisa Lembacher​/​Universität Graz
It was already the seventh time that the Student Conference has taken place at the University of Mosul.

From 11 to 16 February, around 900 students convened at the University of Mosul in Iraq to discuss how reconstruction and reconciliation can succeed after the victory over the so-called Islamic State (IS) and how quality of life can be improved. The conference was organized within the RESI project (“Renew Education and Science in Iraq”), in which TU Dortmund University and the universities of Graz and Mosul are working together.

At the 7th International Student Conference, teaching staff and students from TU Dortmund University, Paderborn University, Freie Universität Berlin, the University of Graz (Austria), the University of Amsterdam (Netherlands) and the University of Bielsko-Biala (Poland) dealt in around 40 interdisciplinary workshops with strategies for combatting violence against children and women, computer-based measurement of CO2 emissions in Mosul and improving its transport infrastructure, among other things.

“A special highlight was the workshop that centered on the planning of Al Najafi Street – a historic commercial hub and cultural site in the heart of the old city of Mosul,” reports Felix Senger from the Department of Spatial Planning, who co-organized the student conference. “In the presence of the regional governor, a competition was held to find the best concepts for redesigning the street, which was completely destroyed.” Three students from the Department of Spatial Planning at TU Dortmund University took part in the competition. Nico Fröse says: “What impressed me most was the mood of starting afresh that could be felt everywhere. The reconstruction of the city is in full swing. That was also noticeable in the workshop devoted to the reconstruction of Al Najafi Street. People are really optimistic about the future.”

Several people view results in an exhibition. © Lisa Lembacher​/​Universität Graz
The participants presented their project results at a gallery walk.

Pauline Jegen adds: “What I found particularly exciting about the workshop was working together with the Iraqi students. Through the intercultural exchange, we were able to learn a lot from each other and discuss different urban planning concepts in Germany and Iraq.”

About RESI

The interdisciplinary project “Renew Education and Science in Iraq” between the University of Mosul, the University of Graz and TU Dortmund University was launched in 2016 and is funded by the German Academic Exchange Service. It is led by Professor Dietwald Gruehn from the Department of Spatial Planning at TU Dortmund University and benefits from the active support of numerous university institutions. The aim of the collaboration is to foster scientific and intercultural exchange between the three universities, to help the University of Mosul with reconstruction after the IS occupation and to create programs for students, scientists and young professors from various disciplines.

Further Information about RESI

 

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