TACKLING THE ENERGY TRANSITION IN AN INTERNATIONAL COURSE

Last March De Nayer Campus was the scene of the international intensive course programme “On the road to energy wisdom”. About 50 bachelor and master students from FH Dortmund, University of Udine, Free University of Bolzano, University of the Basque Country and ISEL Lisbon joined forces with our students to work on one of the world’s greatest challenges: the energy transition.

The students of the Faculty of Engineering Technology participated in the framework of the course “Engineer and Sustainability”, which includes a multidisciplinary assignment linked to one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

“The origin of the topic ‘energy wisdom’ arose from frustration on the fake news in the press”, explains Dr. Peter Arras, the project coordinator. “The daily communication streams and articles in the popular press concerning energy production, distribution, consumption and energy transition are notoriously incorrect. Hence, very often strategic and political decisions are based on flawed data. Engineers are some of the best placed specialists to be able to fact-check and interpret the correct data to be used as input for future strategies. Starting from this observation, the international intensive courses turned out to be a positive-minded project with many constructive ideas.”

Mixed teams

“This positive turnout was largely linked to the format and the work forms used”, says Peter. “Engineers must be able to communicate to non-peers. Transparent and clear communication is one of the competences we envisage in our curriculum”. The students were subdivided in ten mixed student teams, and the physical week of course work on De Nayer Campus was set up as a student challenge. The students were asked to develop a board game on one of the research questions concerning energy production, energy distribution, energy for households, energy in transport etc.

The pitch-sessions presented to the jury at the end of the week turned out to be a major success. The students were very inventive and creative in producing original approaches, especially in the multidisciplinary solutions.

Each morning of the course-week started with an interesting and challenging guest lecture delivered by academic staff and engineers both from partner universities or companies. The afternoons were devoted to the student challenge, guided by De Nayer coaches.

Dr. ing. Peter Arras

© Joren De Weerdt

Eye-opener

“On the Road to Energy Wisdom” is a course in the format of “Blended Intensive Programmes”, a new type of projects bringing international students and staff together in a blended/physical format, working on a specialized topic. Also, for Peter, even after decades of international experience in EU projects and exchange, this was a new and challenging way of working together. “One month before the physical week I gave the students the assignment to read the book ‘Factfulness’ by Hans Rosling, so that they would become aware of the sensitivity of figures and data, and especially their correct interpretation. Reading this book was a revelation for many of them. “ The Blended Intensive Programmes are an interesting concept to give students an international experience in a short format (a digital pre-and post-trajectory in combination with a physical intensive programme).

Network

“On the road to Energy Wisdom” was one of the seven short intensive courses organized in the framework of the EUCLIDES network. This network groups 17 of our faculty’s oldest EU partners and has set up a diverse range of projects since it was founded in 1999. In 2023 the network hosted the “Euclides international weeks” for the third time already. The intensive courses focus on themes such as ‘Sustainable Cities & Communities’, ‘Digital Transformation in Manufacturing and Engineering Design’, ‘Circularity of Polymers’ and “Molecular Gene Technology”

“It took months of preparation and it was a hectic and intensive week with 50 students and staff in the wake, but I strongly believe that the students have reached the outcomes envisaged and improved their international competences”, concludes Peter “This calls for a next edition. The EUCLIDES network can count on me for 2024”.

Hilde Lauwereys

www.euclidesnet.eu/projects