Students from the Université d’Artois visit Leipzig

As part of a partnership that has now been in place for almost twenty years, a themed seminar takes place over a week in March. From 26 March to 31 March 2017, students from the Mechanical Engineering programme in Béthune were once again guests in Leipzig for a seminar on the topic of ‘Process chains for quality assurance using the example of a reverse engineering process’. The students were accompanied by their professors, Martin Geiß and Arnaud Berlemont. The thematic seminar is largely funded by the Franco-German Youth Office, with additional grants provided by the International Office and our Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Energy Technology.

The seminar centred on various courses and practical sessions dealing with the reverse engineering process. These courses were delivered in both English and German by Prof. Schulze (Giessen), Prof. Schönfelder (FE Simulation), Prof. Müller (Renewable Energies), as well as staff members Mr Dörfler (Scanning) and Mr Rost (Hydraulics). The thematic seminar took place for the third time in the new faculty building in the Connewitz district. During a tour of the faculty, the guests were able to gain a comprehensive insight, in particular, into the well-equipped laboratories and the technical capabilities of the lecture theatre.

Over the course of the week, various excursions and factory tours were undertaken with the seminar participants. Notable destinations this year included, for example, the Stahl- und Hartgusswerk Bösdorf GmbH foundry in the south of Leipzig. During a very interesting tour, they were able to watch the casting of solid chain links for open-cast mining cranes first-hand. The Biomass Research Centre was the destination of another excursion in Leipzig. These visits were very well received by the students.

In addition to the activities at the university, the French students also had many opportunities to experience the local culture through encounters with local people. For example, the students from France met with pupils from the bilingual Anton-Philipp-Reclam Grammar School. Mr Forschle, a very dedicated French teacher at the grammar school, had organised this meeting. The Reclam pupils, all of whom have an excellent command of French, gave the guests a guided tour to introduce them to their home city of Leipzig. On another afternoon, the French guests, accompanied by Mr Forschle, set out on a journey into the past and visited the Monument to the Battle of the Nations and its associated museum. The staff of the ME Faculty also organised a table football tournament for the French guests at the Jet.

These encounters were a great pleasure for everyone involved. For the French guests, the eventful week passed far too quickly and many would have liked to have stayed in Leipzig for longer.

In October 2017, members of our faculty will make a return visit to Béthune. There, eighteen students will take part in an English-language seminar focusing on specific challenges in using the CATIA CAD programme.