School of Engineering – International Blog | Tag Archive

Knowing how to deal with cultural differences

Posted on 30. November 2018 by obst

My name is Ignacio Peluaga Lozada. I was born in Argentina, but moved to Spain at the age of 7.

In Spain I study Computer Science. But I wanted to go to a German speaking country and to a big city. From the available list of German speaking destinations Zurich was the biggest city so I applied to it. Then I found out I would go to Winterthur and not Zurich as it was stated on the list, but this was not a problem at all.

My first impression as introduction was at the Technikum: the building is old, but it’s clean. Back at home the building in which Computer Science is taught is quite new but not as clean and organised as the ZHAW School of Engineering. The infrastructure at the ZHAW School of Engineering is top in my opinion so engineering students can really learn what is needed for nowadays engineer positions.

My most memorable experiences are the ones I lived with the people I met there, specially the other exchange students at the ZHAW School of Engineering during the first semester. Also I had the chance to learn German and to study at an university which teaches what is really needed in the “real world” and not tons of (in a way) useless theory. Thanks to what I learned at ZHAW I was able to find a job in an area of Information Technology that I really like.

Ingacio (left) and fellow students a the Rhine Falls in Schaffhausen.

I did like living in Switzerland as well. Even though it’s expensive everything is clean and organised. Also going on exchange programs is a unique opportunity to meet people from all around the world and to learn from them. Knowing how to deal with cultural differences is important nowadays.

My advice to people who are planning on doing exchanges is not do an exchange year when its going to be your last bachelor’s year and you have to pass 60 credits. You do not know what you will find at the destination university. ZHAW School of Engineering and my home university have different teaching methods and it is quite difficult to get used to this and therefore pass all the exams and get all the credits. Besides that, I would suggest that exchange semesters should be mandatory for Bachelor students because what is learned during that time can not be learned in any other way.

Ignacio (middle) and other exchange students on their trip to Schaffhausen.

Incoming portrait: Basil Gygax from UK

Posted on 12. October 2018 by obst

My name is Basil Gygax and I am 23 years old. Although I am a Swiss passport holder, I know little about my country as I grew up in the Philippines and Singapore. I am currently enrolled in a BSc in Air Transport Management at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom. My main hobbies include flying (PPL), traveling, long distance running and swimming.

By completing an exchange semester in Switzerland, I was able to benefit in a number of ways. First and foremost, I got to experience my “home country” as a student and interact with likeminded people on a comparable course. ZHAW’s School of Engineering’s reputation, wide choice of modules and friends that already study at this institution all contributed to my choice. I also chose Switzerland and ZHAW specifically with the hope that this exchange semester will open doors on the Swiss job market in the future.

The interactive and engaging teaching style practiced at ZHAW was foreign and eye opening to me as a university student from abroad. I was also positively surprised by the amount of “contact hours” students at ZHAW have compared to my university. Overall however, I believe that the amount of student hours required for a module and the grading of these modules is comparable to my home institution.

My exchange semester at ZHAW allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and experience something new. I leave Switzerland with many positive and memorable impressions. I believe that my most memorable experiences from this semester include the wide variety of outdoor activities I was able to enjoy. These include skiing, river rafting, hiking and biking.

My exchange at ZHAW offered me a good balance between interesting/educational modules and time to socialize and experience all the amazing things Switzerland has to offer. I recommend anyone with an interest in a specific country, culture or course of study to apply for an exchange semester. To truly benefit from an exchange semester, I think it is essential that students have an open and engaging attitude.

Wie zwei Maschinenbau-Studenten aus Sri Lanka am ZPP spannende Praxiserfahrung machen

Posted on 19. July 2018 by obst

Für Hans-Jörg Dennig ist es schon der 3. IAESTE Praktikant, welcher momentan sein einjähriges Praktikum am Zentrum für Produkt- und Prozessentwicklung (ZPP) absolviert. Er kennt IAESTE (International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience) aus eigener Erfahrung von seinem Praktikum in Helsinki, Finnland während seiner Studienzeit. Inzwischen hat er die Seiten gewechselt und macht immer wieder neue Erfahrungen als Supervisor von IAESTE Studenten neben seiner Tätigkeit als Ingenieur und Dozent an der ZHAW im ZPP.

Dass er dabei schon zwei Maschinenbau-Studenten mit Bachelor-Abschluss aus Sri Lanka, betreute ist Zufall. Beide haben sich fachlich gut integrieren können, auch wenn das theoretische Lernen in ihrer Heimat im Vordergrund steht und es keine gut ausgerüsteten Labs gibt. Diese sind jedoch sehr fit in der Programmierung bzw. Berechnung und haben es auch sonst geschafft, ihr Wissen vor Ort in die Praxis umzusetzen. Beide schätzen die paradiesischen Zustände am ZPP betreffend Laborwerkstatt und Maschinen für alle Phasen der Produkt- und Prozessentwicklung. Ein weiterer Vorteil ist, dass sie auch lernten, diese hochtechnologischen Geräte zu bedienen oder ein Operator ihnen jeweils zur Seite stand. Herr Dennig möchte, dass die Studenten hier die Chance bekommen, möglichst viel Praxiserfahrung zu bekommen, wenn die ZHAW dabei noch etwas abschöpfen kann, ist das natürlich gut und wenn noch mehr zurück kommt sei dies super.

Kasun hat sein Praktikum an der ZPP im Sommer 2017 abgeschlossen und sich dann für einen Master an der ZHAW entschieden, welchen er gleich im Anschluss an das Praktikum startete. Gleichzeitig kann er nebenbei als Werkstudent beim ZPP zu 30% weiterarbeiten. Ein Glücksfall für beide Seiten. Kasun konnte somit nebenbei auch Bhanuka, welcher Anfangs Jahr startete, optimal in das gesellschaftliche Leben in der Schweiz einführen. Beide waren erstaunt über das freundschaftliche Zusammenarbeiten im Team, wie die verschiedenen Hierarchiestufen sich den gleichen Büroraum teilen und man sich mit dem Vornamen anspricht. In der Freizeit geht das Team sogar einmal wöchentlich zusammen joggen und die beiden betreiben den Nationalsport von Sri Lanka auch im Verein in Winterthur weiter: Cricket.

Kasun’s Spezialgebiet ist das „Selective Laser Melting (SLM)“, worüber er wohl auch seine Masterarbeit schreiben wird. Bhanuka startete im Zahnradprüflabor und arbeitet momentan am Redesign des BICAR, eine Mischung zwischen einem umweltfreundlichen E-Bike und komfortablen Elektroauto. Wenn dieser im nächsten Jahr dann wieder die Strassenzulassung erhalten sollte, ist Bhanuka wie auch Kasun aber wieder zurück in Sri Lanka.

Bhanuka programmiert die Lasermaschine.

Von Gaby Hilpertshauser, Incoming Exchange Coordinator, IAESTE Switzerland

About different approaches and demands

Posted on 9. January 2018 by obst

My name is Tomas Volf. I came from the Czech Republic to Switzerland for my Master thesis. Official field of study is Mechanical Engineering. I do a lot of sport. I like jazz music, mixing cocktails and holiday planning. My employer’s headquarters is settled in Switzerland, so I connected school and work together. I have been to Switzerland previously and I liked the mountains nearby. I have studied a similar field of study and the school had enough experienced cantors.

I had a big problem with finding a suitable parking spot. There are blue zones everywhere. There also was a problem with accommodations as WOKO offers the living contract for minimum half a year. The school has a lot of buildings around the city. Even though it is not a big city, a better marking of classes would be nice.

The insight of local professors is a bit different and it was really nice to see how can you approach to problems differently – what is and is not the priority when testing students. Also the integration among students is priceless. The ESN organization works fine and organizes a lot of events suitable for students. I also appreciated the sport opportunities provided by the school.

I liked to meet other Swiss or international students. The teachers had an entirely different demands than our teachers in home university. Here, they are more focused on practice use and application in industry. I think it would be nice to have an opportunity to try a low paid job in school. Helping doctorate students or something like that.

Staying in Switzerland was good experience, sometimes the Swiss people are a bit too honest and observing rules.

Praktikum und Auslandaufenthalt in einem: IAESTE macht’s möglich

Posted on 7. December 2017 by obst

Durch die Austauschorganisation IAESTE können Studierende ein Praktikum im Ausland absolvieren. Lisa ist Praktikantin am IEFE und erzählt von ihren Erfahrungen mit IAESTE und als Praktikantin. Read More →

«A wonderful first week in Winterthur»

Posted on 30. May 2017 by bhen

A group of students from the University of Minnesota is currently staying at the ZHAW School of Engineering. The Global Mechatronics Seminar they attend is a specialized, concise course in mechatronics − complex systems, composed of mechanical components, computers, and sensors. In addition to that, their stay in Winterthur also offers them a chance to get to know Switzerland, its people and geography, as well as some unique ZHAW traditions like the Frackwoche – also known as Tail Coat Week.

Read about their experience on their blog.

«Switzerland is the most beautiful country in the world»

Posted on 16. March 2017 by bhen

«My name is Bassam Haithm and I am from Yemen. I came here from South Germany, where I was studying Bioprocess Engineering. My interests are to travel a lot and to learn more about different cultures from all around the World. I have chosen the ZHAW School of Engineering because what I heard about it. Switzerland is the most beautiful country in the world and it was a chance for me to get good experiences through the interesting projects the School provides.

The system here is similar to Germany, but also quite a bit different: At the School of Engineering more projects are connected to companies/industrial partners. It was a really good experience to have. In Winterthur, the students are friendly and helpful. The semester at ZHAW, in my opinion, was a good way to get to know new people from different parts of the world and to have fun with them. Academically, I learnt how to plan and run a project and how to create an idea and implement it to reality. My exchange semester in Mechanical Engineering was totally good, but also stressful. The support of the International Office and the professors was perfect.

There are some topics, like events – especially culture ones – and trips to visit some famous places in Switzerland, I was really missing through the exchange semester. The only events that we had was through the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) and volunteering work from them. I hope that in the future the International Office will organize more events and trips for the exchange students. Finally, I would absolutely recommend to my colleagues to spend their exchange semester at the School of Engineering.»

City of Winterthur

«Experiences cannot be bought by money»

Posted on 24. November 2016 by bhen

Two undergraduate students from the Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology (SIIT) in Thailand joined the summer training at the ZHAW Zürich University of Applied Sciences. After their return they talked to SIIT News about their experiences. Read the full article here (p. 8).

Den Weg in die USA geebnet

Posted on 1. December 2015 by bhen

Die ZHAW School of Engineering unterschreibt ihr erstes Double Degree-Abkommen. Künftig können Masterstudentinnen und -studenten ihr Studium in Winterthur beginnen und im amerikanischen Bundesstaat Washington abschliessen – und erhalten ein Abschlusszertifikat aus beiden Ländern.

Das Double Degree-Studium kombiniert bestehende Studienprogramme an der ZHAW School of Engineering und an der Washington State University (WSU). Zum Studium zugelassen sind sowohl Schweizer wie auch amerikanische Studierende. Die ersten beiden Semester verbringen sämtliche Studierende in der Schweiz. Dabei belegen sie ein Fachgebiet des Master of Science in Engineering: Business Engineering, Energy & Environment, Industrial Technologies oder Information & Communication Technologies. Das dritte und vierte Semester verbringen die Studierenden in den USA, belegen dort eines von drei korrespondierenden Fachrichtungen und schreiben ihre Masterarbeit.

«Mit dem Double Degree haben unsere Studierenden vollen Zugang zum amerikanischen Hochschulsystem inklusive der Möglichkeit eines Doktorats in den USA»
Martina Hirayama, Direktorin

Schweizer und Amerikanischer Abschluss
Die Studierenden erhalten neben dem Fachhochschulabschluss in der Schweiz auch den Universitätsabschluss der WSU. «Damit haben sie vollen Zugang zum amerikanischen Hochschulsystem inklusive der Möglichkeit eines Doktorats in den USA», erklärt Prof. Dr. Martina Hirayama, Direktorin der ZHAW School of Engineering. «Des Weiteren arbeiten unsere Absolventinnen und Absolventen später grösstenteils in exportorientierten Firmen, wofür Auslandserfahrung – insbesondere im englischsprachigen Raum – sehr wichtig ist.» Mit dem nun unterzeichneten Double-Degree-Abkommen regeln die beiden Partnerinstitutionen ihre Zusammenarbeit.

Beginn im Sommer 2016
Die erste Durchführung ist auf Herbstsemester 2016 geplant. «Dann werden die ersten Studierenden aus den USA zu uns an die ZHAW School of Engineering kommen und zusammen mit unseren Studierenden die Vorlesungen, Übungen und Praktika im Master of Science in Engineering belegen», so Martina Hirayama. «Im Herbstsemester 2017 reisen dann unsere Studierenden in die USA und schliessen dort mit der Masterthesis und weiteren Modulen innerhalb von zwei Semestern ihr Studium ab.»

An extendet article in English has been published on the WSU website.

Hochrangige Delegation aus Hongkong in Winterthur

Posted on 16. October 2015 by bhen

Eine achtköpfige Delegation des Legislative Council von Hongkong liess sich an der ZHAW School of Engineering die Umsetzung des erfolgreichen, dualen Bildungssystems an einer Fachhochschule erklären. Die Vertreter des Panel on Education waren äussert beeindruckt bei der Präsentation einer Bachelorarbeit am Zentrum für Signalverarbeitung und Nachrichtentechnik. Auch der im Wesentlichen von Studierenden mitproduzierte Flugsimulator im Zentrum für Aviatik entlockte den Besuchern lobende Worte.

Der Panel on Education des Legislative Council verband mit diesem Besuch die Absicht zu prüfen, ob ein ähnliches System wie das erfolgreiche duale Schweizer Modell auch in Hongkong eingeführt werden könnte.