My Fulbright fellowship at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio has reached its end and I am now back at ZHAW in Winterthur. It is time to look back to this fantastic adventure and to think about what this experience brought me both on a professional and personal side.
Professionally, it was a big success: two disclosures including one who was turned into a patent as well as a publication in preparation to be submitted to a high impact journal.
I learnt a lot in contact with Prof. Jason Heikenfeld. He is a great scientist and in addition Vice President for Innovation and Commercialization at UC Cincinnati. He definitely knows how to turn out research results in successful businesses and also how to collaborate with the industry. I am looking forward to putting in practice all what I learnt. I work hard to become an inspiring leader. I am convinced that we can perform great research at ZHAW but we need to better “sell” our results and focus on the impact.
I am also happy to have initiate discussion between ZHAW and UC concerning a potential cooperation between our institutions. Some ZHAW students are currently performing an internship in the lab of Prof. Jason Heikenfeld and it would be fantastic if we could trigger a long-term relationship with regular incomings/outgoings.
Finally, thanks to the Fulbright program, I could travel across the US to deliver several lectures and participate to conferences. At the end (including some holidays) I had the opportunity to visit: San Diego, Houston, Cleveland, Chicago, New-York City and Boston! I meet so many great people and great researchers (not only talking about NDL members who were extremely welcoming).
Personally, this adventure was a life changing experience. Moving to the US with my wife and our son was not an easy task and the preparation phase as well as the first weeks in Cincinnati were very stressful. We were extremely busy: my wife was studying fulltime to get an LLM degree and I was working full time. As the day care did not work (more than 18 months waiting list), we had a nanny who was great fortunately. Being one year abroad put things in perspective. On the one hand we better appreciate now many things in Switzerland we were not aware of before leaving (like public transportation for example). On the other hand, we notice that few things could be improved, and we miss this entrepreneurial spirit of Americans. In addition, the Midwest is particularly family friendly.
We will definitely miss the US but I am happy to be back at ZHAW and I am looking forward to new challenges! And who knows what will come next…
I was recently in Boston (called the “Beantown”) in the framework of a ZHAW-Swissnex cooperation. Practical, Boston is only one-and-a-half-hour flight from Cincinnati. 🙂
There I visited some labs at the University of Boston, and also at Northeastern University (NU) which, as you might know, has an exchange agreement in place with the School of Engineering. Northeastern University has a wonderful urban campus near the Boston river. Actually, NU is very similar to ZHAW for many aspects and it is definitely a “good match”.
I was at the Bioengineering Department located in a beautiful brand-new building with state-of-the-art infrastructure and labs. The aim of the visit was to strengthen the cooperation between our institutions fostering the student exchange program. So, if interested just drop me an email and I will be happy to tell you more about NU Bioengineering!
Back to Cincy for the last weeks before heading north to Chicago and flying back to Switzerland just in time for unmissable “Nacht der Technik”!
See you soon!
Mathias*
*) Mathias Bonmarin is a senior lecturer at the ZHAW School of Engineering. Recently, he was honoured to get a prestigious Fulbright scholarship and therefore he’s at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio for one year as a visiting Professor.
My name is Stefan, I live in Winterthur, Switzerland and study Computer Science at the ZHAW. I’m no CS student by accident – I like technology a lot and like to play around with gadgets of all sorts. To balance out my mostly urban life I like to hike in our beautiful countryside.
I always wanted to gain first hand experience of the North American lifestyle which influences our culture and daily life so much. I applied for different universities in the US and ended up going to the California State University in Long Beach. Can’t go wrong with that as an IT geek, right?
Well California really is as you know it from all the movies! Palm trees, surfer and sunshine almost everyday. The size of everything, including the campus, is just gigantic! I really enjoyed exploring the beautiful nature of the USA. Hiking and camping with new-found friends in the national parks of California was a life-changing experience.
Hiking can be a life-changing experience.
I really enjoyed the close relationship to all the professors and experiencing the really diverse campus lifestyle of an American university. There are so many cultures and heritages meeting each other and the people really to care about each other! Daily life is that much more personal that at home. The only real downside of living in SoCal is that you really do need a car if you want to do pretty much anything.
Few weeks ago, in the framework of a second Fulbright Outreach Lecturing Fund (OLF), I had the opportunity to visit the Biomedical Department at the University of Houston UH in Texas. UH is a renown large university (more than 46’000 students) located in the city of Houston few miles away from downtown. The campus is beautiful, really green, with tropical plants and trees (there is almost no winter in Houston!). It was already really warm for spring and I was told that the university football team, the cougars, have to train inside in air-conditioned buildings during summer time 🙂
I could discuss a potential partnership with the ZHAW School of Engineering and visit several labs at the Biomedical Department. It was really impressive! Can you imagine: 21 professors and 5 adjuncts. The research span from biomedical optics to microfluidics with many potential collaborations with the ZHAW.
A big thank to Prof. Metin Akay, Prof. Yasmin Akay and Dr. Ting Chen for their hospitality. And thanks to Fulbright Outreach Lecturing Fund for financial support. I hope to be able to come back soon.
Next time I will be on the east coast visiting several universities in the Boston area, in particular Northeastern with whom the School of Engineering has a student exchange agreement.
*) Mathias Bonmarin is a senior lecturer at the ZHAW School of Engineering. Recently, he was honoured to get a prestigious Fulbright scholarship and therefore he’s at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio for one year as a visiting Professor.
My name is Pasha Naeem and I am studying Engineering and Management in Winterthur Switzerland. Besides that I like swimming, backpacking and skiing.
For my exchange semester I chose the Charles University in Prague because it was one of the most prestigious of the available universities located in a big city. I was in Prague once before making this decision and knew that it was one of the most charming cities in Europe and that it offered a wide range of cultural activities.
Studying at the Faculty of Social Sciences was quite similar to studying at the ZHAW with regards to the structure of lectures, practicals, scripts and exams. However studying at the Faculty of Mathematics was quite something different as they emphasize more upon the theoretical rather than the practical aspects.
Before my departure I was advised to seek a shared flat, as these are relatively cheap, centrally located and more hygienic than the available dormitories. On social media one can easily find many listings, but the quest can also become overwhelming as Prague has several public and private universities with an immense fluctuation of exchange students.
Thus the supply and demand of available apartments and rooms is quite high. With considerable effort and some luck, I was able to secure a shared flat with six other exchange students before my departure. We were a mixed group 3 guys and 4 girls from German, Belgium, Spain and Switzerland. None of us knew the others before our arrival in Prague and although we were all enrolled in different faculties or even universities, we were all in the same boat, exchange students in a foreign country. So over the duration of the semester we became more than just roommates out of convenience. We studied, cooked and ate together every other evening in different constellations.
Prague and the Czech Republic in general have a stirring history. The country has experienced an economic boom since joining the EU and offers a high quality cultural and culinary experience. As student you get up to 75% discount on public transport which isn’t just clean, comfortable and punctual but also provides free Wi-Fi. My roommates and I used this opportunity every now and then and we visited other cities like Pilsen, Brno and Cesky Krumlov.
Looking back, the exchange semester was an enriching experience in many aspects and I am glad to have had this opportunity. It also made me look at many current topics and issues with a more European point of view which provided a welcome contrast to my previously rather “Swiss centric” perspective.
I hope you are doing fine! Spring time finally reached the queen city… Winter was long this year! 🙂
I was in Cleveland last week-end. I was invited by Prof. Regan Silvestri from the Lorain County Community College in the framework of the Fulbright Outreach Lecturing Fund (OLF). Basically, The OLF provides funding for campuses to host Fulbright Visiting Scholars, already in the United States, for short-term speaking engagements. It was a fantastic experience!
Lorain County Community College (LCCC) is a large community college with more than 14’000 students. Founded in 1963, it offers bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, short-term certificates and workforce training.
A big THANK to Regan who was such a great host! We could visit the beautiful campus and the MEMS department. I learnt that LCCC emphasis practical education in close link with local industry needs. Somehow similar to ZHAW! In the afternoon, I had the opportunity to give a lecture about my research in the field of thermal imaging. Prof. Silvestri is also very involved in research: he developed a new method to accelerate the aging of whiskey! I am sure he would get lots of excitement from students in Winterthur too! 😉 We need to invite him for a talk (and a testing of his research outcomes)!
On Saturday, we still had time with the family to visit Cleveland which is the largest city in Ohio located on the shore of lake Erie. It is a very scenic place. The lake is so big with sand beaches so that you have the impression you are sitting in front of the ocean. We quickly walked through the city and enjoyed the Case Western Reserve University area with lots of parks and museums.
In the evening, it was unfortunately already time to drive back to Cincy! It is a 4 hours drive. For US standards just around the corner! 😉
*) Mathias Bonmarin is a senior lecturer at the ZHAW School of Engineering. Recently, he was honoured to get a prestigious Fulbright scholarship and therefore he’s at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio for one year as a visiting Professor.
Sie nennen ihre Limousinen «Sonata», «Grandeur» oder gar «Equus» – bei den vielen Pferdestärken durchaus verständlich –, sie sind im Internet präsent, in fast jeder freien Minute mit ihrem Smartphone beschäftigt oder mit ihren Schminkutensilien, sie kauen belegte Brote als Zwischenmahlzeit, sie sprechen – und schreiben vor allem – beachtlich gut Englisch, sie essen immer häufiger mit Messer und Gabel, sie spielen leidenschaftlich Fussball, sie bauen Hochgeschwindigkeitstrassen für ihre Züge, kichern (sehr häufig) und turteln (ganz selten), feiern Halloween-Partys mit Popkonzerten, führen ihren Studienkollegen unbefangen ihre Leistungen vor und erzählen von ihren letzten Abstechern nach Genf, Brüssel oder Winterthur. Kann man oder sollte man da noch hin, wenn man ausziehen will, das andere, das Fremde zu suchen? Weit weg genug ist es ja allemal; wenn man in Incheon landet, hat man den Ural, die Mongolei und das Gelbe Meer längst hinter sich; noch einen Ozean weiter ostwärts, und man ist in San Francisco.
Aber aufgepasst: Die Tastaturbelegungen ihrer PCs sind für uns undurchdringlich; ihre Schrift, Han Gul ist ein «vereinfachtes» Silbenalphabet. Die Regierung kämpft gerade damit die üblichen 62-Stunden-Wochen irgendwie in die Nähe von 50 Stunden hinunter zu regulieren – OK, das dürfte dann eng werden für die Industrie, weiterhin mit einer Jahresarbeitszeit von 2’700 Stunden kalkulieren zu können. Manche blättern bis zu 90 Dollar für einen Aufenthalt in einem simulierten Knast hin – damit sie sich endlich einmal ausklinken können. Ungewöhnlich viele junge Leute setzen ihrem Leben ein vorzeitiges, jähes Ende, weil sie überzeugt sind, nie mehr mithalten oder den Erwartungen gerecht werden zu können. Das fängt schon im Schulalter an. Dort seien die Kinder zwar durch ein Gesetz davor geschützt, dass sie abends nach zehn Uhr noch zum Lernen angehalten würden, heisst es. Sie gehören zu rund der Hälfte keiner Religion an. Wenn doch, dann arran-gieren sich das Christentum und ein konfuzianisch geprägter Buddhismus mit einander. Sie leben zum Teil in über hundert Meter hohen Wohntürmen. Sie sind Weltklasse in Schiffsbau, LED-Displays und E-Sport.
Unsere Hochschule, die ZHAW strebt mit ein paar Hochschulen in Südkorea Austausch und Zusammenarbeit an. Bevor man da jetzt sein ganzes Herzblut hineingibt, dürfte man ja vielleicht mal kurz innehalten und sich fragen: Passt das überhaupt zusammen? Passen wir zu denen, passen die zu uns? Wenn sie in Südkorea «frei» aussuchen können (d.h. sich an die Programme der Regierung halten), dann kann es passieren, dass sie etwa auf Usbekistan oder den Nepal zugehen. Und wir Schweizer? Sind wir auch schon festgelegt oder hätten wir ausser Südkorea überhaupt noch andere Optionen offen? Da ich nun in der Schweiz, in Deutschland, in den USA und Südkorea den grössten Teil meines Lebens verbracht, vier bzw. gut drei Jahre und nun zuletzt drei Monate ge-lebt, gewohnt und gearbeitet habe, erlaube ich mir einen tabellarischen Vergleich der vier Länder. Es kann jeder selbst sehen, mit wem wir Schweizer das Heu am ehesten auf der gleichen Bühne hätten bzw. auf wen man zugehen müsste nach dem Prinzip der Gegensätze, die sich anziehen.
So bleibt am Ende die Frage: Werden in naher Zukunft noch mehr Studenten aus Winterthur den Weg nach Korea und insbesondere an die INHA University finden? Und werden sich vielleicht auch schon bald Studierende aus Korea an der ZHAW blicken lassen?
Schaun ‘mer mal. Oder: das wird sich für alle noch zeigen, und es werden es am Ende alle sehen – auch die, die sich noch nicht so ganz sicher sind, ob sie gesehen werden wollen.
Von Prof. Dr. Markus Weber Sutter, Institut für Energiesysteme und Fluid-Engineering (IEFE)
Die ZHAW School of Engineering hat ein Double Degree-Abkommen mit der Grand Valley State University im US-Bundesstaat Michigan unterzeichnet. Masterstudierende können dadurch ein gekoppeltes Studium in der Schweiz und in den USA absolvieren. Für die School of Engineering ist es das zweite Abkommen dieser Art mit einer US-Partnerhochschule.
Das Double Degree-Programm bietet den Studierenden beider Hochschulen die Möglichkeit, zeitgleich den Masterabschluss der ZHAW und der Grand Valley State University (GVSU) zu erlangen. Die vorgesehene Studiendauer beträgt dafür vier Semester. Die Studierenden verbringen das erste Jahr an der School of Engineering der ZHAW und das zweite Jahr am Padnos College of Engineering & Computing der GVSU in Grand Rapids. Die Studierenden starten ihr Double Degree-Programm jeweils im Herbstsemester. «Zunächst werden die Studierenden aus den USA zu uns nach Winterthur kommen und zusammen mit unseren Studierenden die Vorlesungen, Übungen und Praktika im Master of Science in Engineering belegen», erklärt Wolfgang Kickmaier, Leiter International Relations an der School of Engineering. «Im zweiten Jahr reisen dann unsere Studierenden in die USA und schliessen dort mit weiteren Modulen und der Masterthesis innerhalb von zwei Semestern ihr Studium ab.»
Internationalisierung als Strategie Die renommierte GVSU wurde 1960 gegründet und zählt derzeit rund 25’000 Studierende. Die GVSU ist mit insgesamt 94 Partnerverträgen in 35 Ländern international ausgerichtet und fördert die Internationalisierung aktiv. Die School of Engineering pflegt mit der GVSU bereits seit 2012 eine intensive und erfolgreiche Kooperation. Neben dem Studierendenaustausch auf Bachelorebene ist die gemeinsame Summer School seit 2013 ein Erfolgsmodell. «Ein weiterer Ausbau der Zusammenarbeit durch das Double Degree-Programm ist eine sinnvolle, logische Weiterentwicklung der bestehenden und erfolgreichen Beziehungen», so Wolfgang Kickmaier. Internationalisierung gehört zu den wichtigen strategischen Stossrichtungen der School of Engineering und der ZHAW. Die School of Engineering wird ihre strategischen Partnerschaften mit internationalen Hochschulen auch weiterhin ausbauen.
Hi my name is David, I was born and raised in Switzerland. After finishing my apprenticeship as a designer at Maschinenfabrik Rieter AG I worked one year prior to taking on a new challenge at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences. I’m currently studying mechanical engineering and getting into my 7th semester. As a part time student, I’m working 60% as a designer for Stadlerrail. I like to spend most of my time off campus with outdoor activities such as biking, hiking, snowboarding, wakeboarding, surfing and sometimes in the gym. In the following paragraphs I’d like to tell you about my semester abroad.
Kia ora
These traditional Maori words, simply meaning welcome, greeted us students in Christchurch at the beginning of the semester. But this warm welcome did not just mark the beginning of the studies at the university, it actually encouraged me to explore and discover New Zealand. I’ve always been looking for an opportunity to benefit from a top-quality education in a first-class travel destination and found it in New Zealand. Its stunning and very diverse landscape plus English as the national language seemed to be ideal to further develop my personality and academic knowledge.
Since the University of Canterbury, which is located in Christchurch, maintains a partnership with the School of Management and Law of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences it was easy to find a suitable institution. A brief research about the university and its prestigious College of Engineering convinced me immediately to apply for a study abroad semester. I was considered a free mover and therefore self-responsible for the entire application process. But the very efficient and straight forward communication with the University of Canterbury as well as my early organization clearly facilitated the process. In order to profit as much as possible and to minimize a potential knowledge deficit, I paid high attention to attend courses that had a strong similarity to the ones I missed at my home institution.
I instantly felt comfortable at the university and got into a daily routine really quickly. Attending lectures every day and not being assigned to a class was unusual first but I adapted to it. It just took a bit longer to recognize all the faces and identify the students that attended multiple courses with me. Fortunately, I was able to connect with some local and other study abroad students during the first week. Especially the international welcome day, which was held prior to the semester start, helped me a lot to get social connections. Another great opportunity to connect with people is sport. It does not require that much effort either. Just be open minded and introduce yourself with a smile. During the semester connecting got harder since everybody was following its personal schedule, attendance was not mandatory and you could easily get lost in a lecture theater filled with 150 people.
From a scientific perspective it seems to me that lectures at UC focus more on details to prepare students for their master. At ZHAW on the other hand a more practical approach is chosen and students get well prepared to work with their bachelor’s degree. Some lecturers for example required us students to additionally read in a book and gain a more detailed understanding about the topic. The lectures therefore only taught the basics. Fortnightly quizzes were used as a feedback about the discussed topics and lab reports were always checked on plagiarism. I experienced the lecturer’s way of teaching as very successful and liked their interaction with the students. It is noteworthy to mention that such a semester abroad requires a certain level of English since its main purpose is to improve your academic knowledge rather than your language skills.
Besides science there was plenty of time to pursue personal interests and widen the individual horizon off campus. The tragic history of Christchurch was still very present and clearly observable throughout the entire city. Roadworks and construction sites gave a small hint about the severe damage the earthquake has caused. New buildings opened almost monthly. At the beginning of the semester a brand-new research building, equipped with the latest laboratory technology, was introduced at UC and during the semester new office buildings with bars and restaurants opened in the city center. The city is obviously recovering and coming back to live. Sadly, earthquakes will always remain a part of Christchurch and therefore get addressed in lectures about material science or design.
Within a short drive Christchurch was left behind and the unspoiled nature at one’s feet. Unfortunately, the sighting of a Kiwi, which is New Zealand’s national animal, is very rare and a lot of luck is needed. But because a third of New Zealand’s landscape is protected by national parks there are plenty of opportunities to physically challenge oneself or observe other animals besides the Kiwi. This is why I spent 5 days hiking on one of the great walks in Abel Tasman National Park. I also visited famous spots like Queenstown, the Aoraki or went snowboarding in July and surfing on the 90 Mile Beach. From glaciers to remote and gorgeous beaches, New Zealand is able to please everybody with its beauty. With rugby as their national sport, also sport maniacs will be satisfied and there is a huge reason for that. The Kiwis, to which New Zealand citizens also refer to, are home to some of the world’s best rugby teams. The Canterbury Crusaders for example are domiciled in Christchurch and the famous All Blacks are New Zealand’s national team and reigning world champion.
Reviewing my time at the University of Canterbury I couldn’t have made any better choice. Not only did I got to experience and practice mechanical engineering from a different perspective, yet it reminded me once again how important it is to approach problems from different ways. The University of Canterbury is an outstanding institution equipped with the latest technology. I felt appreciated and welcome with the first touch. Christchurch itself is a lovely and charming city. Its location is ideal to start exploring New Zealand, particularly the south island which is most visitors’ favorite. The Kiwis are very friendly and welcoming people. By arranging about 95% of my accommodations through Airbnb I also experienced their great hospitalization. After the semester I took advantage of New Zealand’s excellent location to discover the south pacific. I travelled to Samoa, the Cook Islands plus Tahiti. In each country I spent roughly two weeks sunbathing under palm trees, on stunning beaches with crystal clear, turquoise water. I personally highly recommend to everyone giving such unique experience at least once a change. It is not just an opportunity to develop one’s individual character and scientific knowledge, but also to challenge and discover oneself. It has been my forth experience abroad that lasted for several months and was again a full success. I’m able to return to Switzerland with a bigger personal backpack, stuffed with new knowledge, fantastic experiences and wonderful moments.
The Abel Tasman National Park is named after the first European who landed in New Zealand, the Dutch Abel Tasman.Like some lakes in Switzerland, the Lake Pukaki was formed by receding glaciers.
Wir – Somea Desarzens und Zino Grütter – sind Verkehrssysteme-Studenten der ZHAW School of Engineering in Winterthur und haben unser 4. Semester an der FH Technikum in Wien absolviert.
Da Verkehrsstudiengänge auf der Welt (noch) rar gesät sind, war unsere Auswahl an Fachhochschulen, die einen ähnlichen Studiengang wie in Winterthur anbieten, klein. Unsere Partnerhochschulen in St. Pölten und Erfurt kamen bei unserer Wahl zu kurz, da uns beide Städte nicht überzeugten. Schnell fiel unsere Wahl dann auf Wien, wo wir zügig und sehr freundlich angenommen wurden.
Ein Besuch im Wiener Prater ist ein Muss.
In Wien gefiel uns speziell die zum Verweilen einladende Donauinsel als Naherholungsgebiet, das man in anderen vergleichbaren Städten vergeblich sucht. An der Fachhochschule fielen uns als erstes die modernen Gebäude und Räumlichkeiten auf, welche im Vergleich zum Technikum in Winterthur ein paar Jahrzehnte neuer waren. Der grosse Unterschied zwischen den Fachhochschulen war die in Wien geltende Anwesenheitspflicht in allen Fächern, die wir so in Winterthur nicht kennen. Ansonsten waren der Aufbau der Module, die Unterrichtsart und die Prüfungen ziemlich ähnlich wie an der ZHAW.
Somea und Zino lernten Austauschstudenten aus der ganzen Welt kennen.
Am besten in Erinnerung bleiben uns die Leute, die wir in Wien kennengelernt haben, und die Zeit, die wir mit ihnen geniessen konnten. Dies waren sowohl Kommilitonen als auch Austauschstudenten aus anderen Ländern, mit denen wir schulische und ausserschulische Aktivitäten unternommen haben. An der Fachhochschule profitierten wir stark von den engagierten Dozenten, welche auf der einen Seite einiges verlangten, auf der andern jedoch auch viel von ihrer Fachkompetenz vermitteln konnten. Persönlich war es eine tolle Erfahrung, einen eigenen Haushalt zu regeln und Personen aus verschiedensten Kulturen kennenzulernen.
Schlechte Erfahrungen machten wir in Wien keine oder sie waren so geringfügig, dass wir sie bereits vergessen haben. Wir sind deshalb auch froh, dass wir den Schritt gewagt haben, ein Auslandsemester zu absolvieren. Eine solche Erfahrung können wir jedem wärmstens empfehlen.
