Student Notifications

Critical Infrastructure & Digitalisation Course – Register Now!
Critical Infrastructure & Digitalisation Course – Register Now! 2126 1417 ide3a

**ATTENTION**: The registration period ends on April 2 2023 – follow the link below to register!

For the third time, ide3a is hosting its lecture series “Critical Infrastructure and Digitalisation (CID)” for Master students from all partner universities (TU Berlin, NTNU Trondheim, DCU Dublin, PoliMi Milano, CUT Cracow, HPI Potsdam). Lectures will take place every Tuesday from 3:15 to 4:45 pm during the upcoming summer semester starting on April 18 until July 18, 2023 and will be held in English.

There will be a few changes compared to the last years: The course will have no workshops this time and the exams will be less time-consuming. That is why the students will be awarded 3 ECTS instead of the former 6 ECTS.

The lecture series will be conducted fully online this year.

This lecture series will outline and discuss the latest advances on the digitalisation of critical urban infrastructures. Lectures will be given by various experts from academia, industry, and the policy-making sector, with main focus on water networks, energy grids, sensor and communication networks, mobility, and urban planning.

The overarching goal of the course is to identify and communicate synergies and dependencies between the different sectors and topics, along with discussing them. Each lecture will be of (approximately) 1-hour duration, followed by a discussion among the students and with the lecturer (for live presentations only). As part of the open knowledge material of this course, podcast episodes with interviews of the expert are made available from previous versions of the course. Parts of the lectures will be provided as recorded videos from past editions of the course.

After completing this course, students will be able to draw conclusions and predict forecasts for the future of critical urban infrastructure, as well as present and discuss these ideas. The course will also be an opportunity for students to connect and build relationships with students from other fields and universities.

For international students: You will be awarded a certificate after completion of the Course. Please contact your study track coordinator individually to check if and how the CID course can get the credits recognized.

For TU students: Students from the following study tracks at TU Berlin can accredit the course as Wahl-Pflicht-Modul:

Computational Engineering Science (Informationstechnik im Maschinenwesen) (M. Sc.)
Maschinenbau (M. Sc.)
Patentingenieurwesen (M. Sc.)
Physikalische Ingenieurwissenschaft (M. Sc.)
Planung und Betrieb im Verkehrswesen (M. Sc.)

We are looking forward to conducting this course with interested students from all partner universities. If you are interested in participating please follow the link below and register for the CID course.

Register here!

on air: the CID Podcast
on air: the CID Podcast 1865 916 ide3a

The ide3a network is proud to present the CID podcast. The CID podcast series is a production created as a part of the ide3a project and the associated lecture series “Critical Infrastructure & Digitalization” (CID).

The CID podcast provides not only an overview of digital and technological transformations in different urban infrastructure systems such as water, energy or mobility but also valuable insights into the different research areas of the interviewed experts. The series is featuring David Bermbach, Andrea Cominola, Rita Maria Ugarelli, Sangyoung Park and Monica Vitali.

Urban water systems are increasingly pressured by a growing number of challenges, such as water scarcity, pollution, ageing infrastructure etc. Digital transformation of the water utilities can play a crucial role in improving the resilience of these critical infrastructures. In our interview with Prof. Dr. Andrea Cominola (Chair of Smart Water Networks -Technische Universität Berlin) we go on a journey around the globe to see where water utilities are currently standing in the process of digitalisation.

While digital technologies bring great opportunities, it is important to talk about the downsides as well: critical infrastructures are increasingly popular targets of physical and cyber attacks. STOP-IT is a pioneering research project focusing on developing solutions to protect the water infrastructure against such threats. Prof. Rita Ugarelli (Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering – Norwegian University of Science and Technology) is one of the lead scientists of this exciting project. In our second podcast we learn about how such cyberphysical attacks look like, and we also discuss the importance of educating professionals in the water sector to be prepared to deal with such challenges.

Another industry facing various challenges and opportunities in the age of digitalisation is the mobility sector. In the third episode of the CID podcast our guest is Prof. Dr. Sangyoung Park (Chair of Smart Mobility Systems – Technische Universität Berlin) who specializes in the electrification of the transport sector while also tackling the question of how to enhance the safety of vehicles by means of digitalization and connectivity. Prof. Park helps us get a better understanding of the numerous trends influencing the transport industry, from electric vehicles, through autonomous driving to shared mobility.

In podcast no. 4 starring Prof. Dr. David Bermbach (Chair of Mobile Cloud Computing – Technische Universität Berlin) we continue our journey in the field of sustainable urban mobility. If you also believe that a bicycle is one of the best means of transport to get around a city, this episode is for you! Prof. Bermbach tells us about the biggest challenges and most important tasks the sector must face to transition towards more sustainable solutions. We also get to know SIMRA, an app developed by Prof. Bermbach and his team, aiming to increase safety in bicycle traffic. (If this is a mission close to your heart, you can also become part of the project by installing the app on your phone.)

Data centers play a major role in our every day life enabling a level of comfort and accessibility to a huge amount of data which wasn’t imaginable 30 years ago. However, the same data centers are notorious for their high power consumption. With the climate crisis in sight, the demand for more energy-efficient data centers is growing stronger. In our final podcast episode with Prof. Monica Vitali (Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering – Politecnico di Milano) we explore the future of cloud computing and imagine how a sustainable data center could look like.

All interviews were moderated by Dóra Hegyi (Chair of Smart Water Networks – Technische Universität Berlin) and edited by Bea Meyer (Central Institution Scientific Continuing Education and Cooperation – Technische Universität Berlin). The entire ide3a team would like to thank Dóra and Bea, as well as the experts for this amazing collaboration. All the podcasts are independent entities and can be listened to in any order.

© ECDF/PR/Felix Noak

ide3a Smart City Hackathon 2022 concluded
ide3a Smart City Hackathon 2022 concluded 2470 1475 ide3a

The ide3a Smart City Hackathon 2022 took place at the ECDF from the 30th of November to the 2nd of December, 2022. The in-person event concluded the Smart Sensing and Smart Cities schools, which were held online during this Winter Semester. The two schools focused on the digitisation of urban critical infrastructure across the water, mobility, and IT sectors and are taught by experts from different faculties of the TU Berlin and international guest speakers from some of the ide3a partner universities NTNU, DCU, PoliMi, PK, and Hasso-Plattner-Institut (HPI). This year also featured guest speakers from the University of Western Australia, the University of Hong Kong, Friedrich Alexander University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and companies such as Ramboll and Form Follows You. The program included lectures and practical trainings on topics related to digital sensors, open data, distributed IT systems are explored, as well as how they relate to governance and relevant stakeholders.

During the hackathon, 50 students from TU Berlin (TUB), Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and Politecnico Di Milano (PoliMi), who attended the two Smart Schools, joint forces to solve one of four challenges related to the different sectors introduced over the past weeks. Challenges for this year included blue-green infrastructure placement, privacy of smart meter data, resilient edge computing, and urban mobility monitoring. ide3a was pleased to have Dr. Aurel von Richthofen – Cities Team Leader, Arup (Semantic data for the next generation of Universal Digital Twins) and Ana Chubinidze – Founder and CEO, Adalan AI (AI Governance and ethics) on board as keynote speakers. The Jury members were Sangyoung Park (Assistant Professor of Smart Mobility Systems, TU Berlin), Betül Özdemir (Open Data Officer, Berliner Senatsverwaltung für Inneres, Digitalisierung und Sport), Morgan Geldenhuys (Entrepreneur in the digital health sector), and David Steffelbauer (Hydroinformatics Group Leader, Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin).

For the students, it was a great opportunity to come together in Berlin to unleash their creativity in finding solutions to smart city challenges, while leveraging the knowledge acquired with our online courses. The goal was to put their new knowledge and tools into action, build some viable prototypes and most importantly work together in international and multidisciplinary teams. In addition to the work, ide3a also offered a social programme, for example yoga classes in the morning, a visit to a typical Christmas market at the banks of the Spree river and a sightseeing tour. At the end of the ide3a Hackathon, all groups presented their work to the assembled participants and received detailed feedback from the jury. Finally, the best team with the name “404” who worked on the challenge BGI (blue green infrastructure) placement was awarded an Arduino board and prototyping kit.

Copywrite all pictures: © ECDF/PR/Felix Noak

©Markus Fischer

Registration closed: Smart Sensing & Smart Cities Schools
Registration closed: Smart Sensing & Smart Cities Schools 2126 1417 ide3a

For the third time ide3a is hosting its winter schools this year. We are inviting all students from our partner universities to participate. If you are interested please follow the registration link below.

The Smart Sensing School focuses on digital measurement techniques used in urban critical infrastructure. During the Smart Cities School students will learn to outline and discuss latest advances in digitisation and urban innovation at the city scale, including open data, distributed IT systems and how they relate to governance and relevant stakeholders. Participants from both schools will than come together to Berlin for the Smart City Hackathon where they will be challenged in international teams to solve current problems of critical urban infrastructure.

Dates

Smart Sensing School (Online): 5th – 7th & 12th – 14th October 2022
Smart Cities School (Online): 2nd – 4th & 9th – 11th November 2022
Smart City Hackathon (Berlin): 30th November – 2nd December 2022

***The hackathon is mandatory for all participants of the schools and will take place in person in Berlin if possible depending on the evolving COVID-19 situation. ide3a will provide funding for all foreign participants of the hackathon to cover travel and accommodation expenses.***

Credits

After attending both one school and the hackathon students will be awarded 6 ECTS and receive a certificate. Please enquire in advance about the form in which the course can be credited to your degree programme: the best way to do this is to contact your study programme coordinator or examination office.

For TUB students: The following Master study tracks have enlisted the Smart Sensing course as “Wahl-Pflicht-Modul”: Computational Engineering Science, Maschinenbau, Patentingenierwesen, Physikalische Ingenierwissenschaften, Planung und Betrieb im Verkehrswesen. The Smart Cities course is part of the curricula of the Master study tracks Physikalische Ingenierwissenschaften and Planung und Betrieb im Verkehrswesen. All other study tracks the courses can be accredited as “Freie Wahl” or as “Zusatzmodul”.

Registration and further information

If you are interested to join one of these courses, please follow this registration links below. You will find more detailed information on the content of the courses and the registration form. After the end of the registration period we will inform all students whether they have been accepted to the course (mid-September). We are looking forward to all participants!

Registration for Smart Sensing School + Hackathon here.

Registration for Smart Cities School + Hackthon here.

Registration period is from August 22nd to September 13th 2022. It is now closed.

CID-Workshop in Berlin
CID-Workshop in Berlin 2126 1417 ide3a

Between May 17th and 19th around 30 students from PoliMi, NTNU, HPI and TUB met in Berlin for a 3 day workshop. The event was organized as part of the lecture series “Critical Infrastructure & Digitalization (CID)” organized by ide3a.

© Bea Meyer

On Day 1 a workshop on “Simulating Urban Storm Water Systems and Green-Blue Infrastructure” was conducted by ide3a ambassadors Siling Chen, Florian Brokhausen and Dóra Hegyi. The workshop was followed by a campus tour at TU Berlin and a get-together.

The testing of our prototype of the serious game “ConnectiCity” was the start of Day 2. The students played the prototype and gave us helpful feedback on the further development of our game. The Regenwasseragentur Berlin gave the participants of the CID course a three hour tour through the area of Rummelsburg. The area was designed and constructed in the 90s and is a showcase for various green-blue infrastructure measures such as green roofs and bioswales.

© Markus Fischer

A workshop on “Urban Storm Water Systems and Green-Blue Infrastructure” on Thursday concluded the event and all students headed back home. We appriciated the opportunity to hold an in-person event to meet the students while having an otherwise online-course. That way the students from the partner universities can participate in the lecture series without coming to Berlin each week.

Register now for lecture series “Critical Infrastructure and Digitalisation” 2022
Register now for lecture series “Critical Infrastructure and Digitalisation” 2022 3639 1846 ide3a

**ATTENTION**: The registration is now closed.

For the second time, ide3a is hosting its lecture series “Critical Infrastructure and Digitalisation” for students from all partner universities (TU Berlin, NTNU Trondheim, DCU Dublin, PoliMi Milano, CUT Cracow, HPI Potsdam). Lectures will take place every Tuesday from 3:15 to 4:45 p.m. during the upcoming summer semester starting on April 19 until July 19, 2022 and will be held in English. The exam deadline is August 7, 2022.

In addition to the weekly lectures, we are aiming for a three-day in-person event from May 17 to 19, 2022 in Berlin, which will include two workshops and a field trip. Students from outside Germany will receive funding by ide3a for travelling and accommodation costs. However, this will only be possible if COVID regulations allow it at the time. Otherwise, we will resort to last year’s fully digital format. Furthermore, there is going to be a second workshop (digital only) on June 21 and 23.

The lecture series provides an overview on the digital and technological transformation of different sectors of urban critical infrastructure. These sectors include water networks, energy grids, sensor and communication networks, as well as mobility. Within each topic we are paying special attention to the way sensor and open data networks can enable a shift toward new ways of monitoring, operating, and managing these systems efficiently and sustainably. Additionally, the goal of the course is to identify and discuss the synergies and inter-dependencies between the different sectors and topics.

Experts from different faculties of TU Berlin and guest speakers from the ide3a partner universities will present cutting edge research projects, lessons learned, challenges and visions.

The lectures will be completed by two practical workshops. The overall grade for the ‘Critical Infrastructure and Digitalisation’ course is composed of 3 assignments: (1) individual weekly quizzes, (2) a final group report and (3) an individual reflection video. Previous experience in programming is an advantage but not necessary. We will make sure that at least someone in each group has programming skills.

This course awards 6 ECTS if all lectures and the exam are completed. Please note that students from our partner universities must take care of crediting the course in their home university. We will help in that process by providing the necessary information and documentation.

The registration is now closed.

Please note that the motivation part will not be used for the selection of students but (1) to make sure we are dealing with real people and to (2) get to know more about the expectations of our participants to prepare for the course.

Registration for Smart Sensing and Smart Cities Schools + Hackathon: Now closed
Registration for Smart Sensing and Smart Cities Schools + Hackathon: Now closed 1200 675 ide3a

***Registration is now closed***

In the upcoming winter semester, ide3a is offering two schools on the topic of critical urban infrastructure systems including a hackathon for students from all our partner universities: Smart Sensing, Smart Cities and Smart City Hackathon. Each school will have two intensive three-day sessions spread over the course of two weeks. These three days include lectures from various ide3a international lecturers in the morning, practical tutorials and group work in the afternoon with the ide3a ambassadors. Moreover, social activities will take place virtually. Students will be able to attend only one of the schools but will receive access to the material of the other in preparation for the hackathon.

The Smart Sensing course deals with the latest advances on digital measurement techniques in the broad field of critical urban infrastructure. These include water flow/pressure metering, IoT (Internet of Things) sensors for water and energy applications, simulation of virtual sensors and sensor networks architectures, and processing of sensor data. The technical content on new digital technologies will be coupled with content on the relevance of smart sensing techniques for better monitoring and resilience of interconnected critical urban infrastructure (e.g., water networks, electricity grid, sensor networks).

In the Smart Cities course, students will be able to outline and discuss the latest advances in digitisation and urban innovation at the city scale, including open data, distributed IT systems and how they relate to governance and relevant stakeholders. Students will learn what the current research challenges in developing smart cities and empowering smart citizens are, and how they relate to sustainable, smart and inclusive urban development. The scope of this course extends, at a larger scale, the content of the “Smart Sensing” course.

***The hackathon is mandatory for all participants of the schools and will take place in person in Berlin if possible depending on the evolving COVID-19 situation. ide3a will provide funding for all foreign participants of the hackathon to cover travel and accommodation expenses.***

After attending both one school and the hackathon students will be awarded 6 ECTS and receive a certificate. Please enquire in advance about the form in which the course and the 6 ECTS can be credited to your degree programme: the best way to do this is to contact your programme coordinator or examination office.

For TU Berlin students: For most study tracks the courses can be accredited as “Freie Wahl” or as “Zusatzmodul”. For the master in “Engineering Science/Physikalische Ingenierwissenschaften” both courses are now a “Wahlpflichtmodul”. Master students from “Transportation Planning and Operation/Planung und Betrieb im Verkehrswesen” the school “Smart Cities” can be accredited as “Wahlpflichtmodul”.

Dates

Smart Sensing School: 13th – 15th and 20th – 22nd October 2021
Smart Cities School: 3rd – 5th and 10th – 12th November 2021
Smart City Hackathon: 1st – 3rd December 2021

Info and Registration

The schools include both synchronous (e.g. live virtual lectures) and asynchronous activities (e.g. videos on demand). In line with the blended format, the aim is to hold a hackathon in Berlin in addition to the virtual schools. Together with students from other countries, participants in the hackathon are challenged to solve specific content-related problems in group work.

Please use the registration form below to sign up for one of the two schools and hackathon, and insert your preference, if you would like to be considered for the other school. You have the option to indicate the other school as your second choice in case there is no free place in your preferred school. Note that in the selection process we take into account a balanced participation from the different partner universities as well as the education level. Master students are prioritised, followed by PhD and Bachelor students. The registration is open until 1st October and students will be notified whether they were accepted until 4th October 2021. For the second school, the registration period might be extended.

We look forward to receiving your application and to welcoming you as a participant of our schools!

Registration is now closed

Open position for a game developer/designer
Open position for a game developer/designer 2560 1707 ide3a

You are a university graduate in Computer Science or specialised in software development, UX design, game development, game design or another similar disciple and looking for a job in Berlin? The ide3a team is looking for a new member in a part-time position for co-design and co-development of ConnectiCity, a multi-layered digital, open source, simulation tool/serious game that enables scenario analysis and simulation of urban critical infrastructure systems under heterogeneous social, technical, and climate scenarios.

ide3a is an international and interdisciplinary project funded by DAAD. In a team that includes 5 research assistants called “ide3a ambassadors”, e-learning experts, researchers work on the topic of “Critical Infrastructure & Digitalisation”. ide3a aims to implement the topic in traditional research-based study programs, combined with gamification mechanisms and short courses, accessible internationally by the ide3a partner universities and supported by digital education platforms and open knowledge tools.

The tasks for this position include (i) creative co-design and implementation of ConnectiCity, (ii) collaborative testing in a learning environment, and (iii) further development based on testing.

The position comprises 80 working hours/month and is paid according to salary grade E13. The contract is of fixed duration until March 31st, 2023. Since we are a very international team, English is the working language. Knowledge of German is an advantage but not mandatory.

Required qualifications:

  • Successfully completed an academic university degree (Diplom, Master or equivlalent) in Computer Science, or specializations in software development, UX design, game development, game design or other relevant disciplines
  • Good programming skills in Python or Java
  • Excellent communication skills, teamwork skills, proactive behavior, and commitment
  • Passion for games/video games/game design
  • Very good written and oral language skills in English – at least C1 level
  • Preferable: prior experience of working in an international or multi-disciplinary team
  • Preferable: prior experience in the development and use of serious games in education
  • Preferable: Prior experience in building graphical user interfaces
  • Preferable: Prior experience with simulation and co-simulation
  • Preferable: good written and oral language skills in German
  • Knowledge of critical infrastructures, engineering, urban development is an asset

Link to the job advertisement: more information about the job can be found here.

Application deadline: 1st October, 2021.

How to apply: Please send your application in English with the reference number and the usual documents (cover letter, CV with final grades, certificate of university degree) by email to Prof. Cominola ().

Save the Date: ide3a schools + Hackathon 2021
Save the Date: ide3a schools + Hackathon 2021 2560 1640 ide3a

Photo credit: Fotis Fotopoulos (@ffstop) on Unsplash

As the new semester is nearing its start, we would like to announce you this year’s ide3a winter schools.

Some novelties have been implemented since last year’s schools based on students’ feedback. This year, there will be two schools: Smart Sensing and Smart Cities as well as a hopefully in-person “Smart City Hackathon”.

Each school will have two intensive three-day sessions spread over the course of two weeks. These three days include, lectures in the morning and tutorials in the afternoon as well as social activities. Students will be able to attend only one of the schools, but will receive access to the material of the other in preparation for the Hackathon. The Hackathon is mandatory for all participants of the schools. One School plus Hackathon will be awarded 6 ECTS.

The tentative dates for this year’s schools are as follows:
Smart Sensing School: 13th – 15th & 20th – 22nd October
Smart Cities School: 3rd – 5th & 10th – 12th November 
Smart City Hackathon: 1st – 3rd December

More information about the contents of our schools as well as registration deadlines will be announced soon. Please subscribe to our student newsletter to not miss the beginning of the registration!

Survey on the impact of COVID-19 on higher education in Europe
Survey on the impact of COVID-19 on higher education in Europe 1200 630 ide3a

As part of the ide3a project, we are conducting the first Europe-wide survey on the impact of COVID-19 on higher education. The aim is to establish an overview of which teaching formats will be preferred in post-pandemic scenarios, and to explore the factors which shape related attitudes.

The results of the survey will be used as a base for different teaching formats within ide3a and related research on their ability to foster international mobility. For more information or questions you may have, feel free to Prof. Andrea Cominola or ide3a research assistant Margaux Huth.

ide3a is looking for participants – both on the student level as on the teaching staff side.

Participate now and share this survey with your colleagues and students – among all participants we will give away three one-year Blinkist subscriptions! If you want to help us by sharing your experience follow the link below.

Particpate in our survey here.

© ide3a 2021
latest news on
Enter your
text here