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© Lisa Westphal

Update on the ide3a scholarship holders
Update on the ide3a scholarship holders 2560 1920 ide3a

ide3a is very happy to announce that several of its scholarship holders have started their stay abroad at the host universities. Some of them have been there for a while, some have just recently started. All students receive funding to work on their thesis projects at the respective host university and are supervised by two ide3a supervisors, at home and at the host university.

Topics range from data mining and machine learning, leak detection, urban water demand modeling, model-based risk assessment to the exploration of blue-green infrastructure and a comparative approach of water sensitive city jouneys. The scholarship recipients come from a variety of disciplines and operate in an interdisciplinary context that is in line with ide3a’s understanding of mobility and research.

At the moment, three TU Berlin students are at NTNU in Trondheim, Norway. Three students from Politecnico di Milano are at TU Berlin and we are already looking forward to welcoming another scholarship holder in Berlin in December.

©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.

ide3a at LNDW 2022
ide3a at LNDW 2022 2560 1920 ide3a

ide3a was represented with a booth at the Long Night of Science (German: Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften, LNDW) at TU Berlin on July 2nd 2022. The LNDW is an established annual event where scientific institutions present themselves to the public. Also this year, many interested people of all ages came to see what is being researched and worked on at the university.

The contribution of ide3a was to present its serious game “ConnectiCity”. The game is a multi-layered digital, open source, serious game to enable scenario analysis, simulation, and optimisation of urban critical infrastructure systems. In the laboratory of the Department of Smart Water Networks and Fluid System Dynamics alone, where ide3a had its booth, the organisers counted 422 visitors. The ide3a team was very pleased with how much interest people showed for their presentation and received a lot of positive and motivational feedback.

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.

Applications for ide3a scholarships 2022 are open
Applications for ide3a scholarships 2022 are open 2560 1523 ide3a

**ATTENTION**: We have extended the deadline for applications until 19 June 2022 – Only for those topics that we have not received applications yet.

As last year ide3a offers interested and qualified students the opportunity to write their Master/Bachelor thesis with a DAAD-funded scholarship for a research stay at a partner university and joint supervision. There is a total of 12 topics students from the involved universities can apply for. Students from TU Berlin can apply for one of our partner universities: NTNU Trondheim (Norway), DCU Dublin (Ireland), or Politecnico di Milano (Italy) while students from the aforementioned universities have the opportunity to apply for a scholarship at TU Berlin.

Students of all subject areas depending on the topic can apply for DAAD-funded scholarships to write their thesis at one of these universities starting from the summer semester 2022. The duration of the stipend for your stay abroad is expected to be three months with the option to extend it, if there are capacities.

What do you gain from this?

• Equipment, knowledge and supervision: The best of both universities!
• Internationalisation of your research profile and international experience
• Support with the administrative procedures
• DAAD-funded scholarship with monthly payments and a lump sum for travel expenses

How do you apply for a scholarship?

  1. Please read through the provided descriptions of the topics carefully and decide on the topic which appeals to you the most. Please consider that only students of the two involved universities can apply for each topic.
  2. Prepare the requested documents in one PDF and complete the form accordingly.
  3. If you are selected you will be informed and receive further instructions within 3 weeks after the deadline. We kindly ask you for your patience.

The documents required for applying are the following. Please upload them in one single Pdf-File at the end of the application form.

• Letter of motivation (maximum 1 page)
• CV (maximum 2 pages)
• Bachelor certificate for Master students and/or current transcript of records
• Letter of recommendation of a professor of your home university is desirable but not required
• Current enrollment certificate

An overview of the offered topics are presented in the following table. Respective links will guide you to the application form which also contains further information:

Partner universities Title of the Thesis Degree Type
NTNU + TUB Linking water demand with sewer networks:
feasibility and applicability		 B.Sc.
NTNU + TUB Decision support for water distribution system
DMA/PMA creation		 M.Sc.
DCU + TUB Real-time monitoring, analysis and prediction of
traffic flow anomalies using graph neural net-
works in a cloud based simulation environment		 M.Sc.

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.

©Bea Meyer

Smart City Hackathon 2021 concluded
Smart City Hackathon 2021 concluded 1836 657 ide3a

The ide3a network is proud to announce its first successfully hosted hybrid Smart City Hackathon which has taken place at the Technische Universität Berlin from the 1st till the 3rd of December 2021.

© Bea Meyer

Following strict COVID-19 safety measures a total of 69 students of more than 15 nationalities representing four of the ide3a partner universities have come together at the TUB and in the world wide web. The students formed eleven teams to face a jury proving their acquired expertise from the attendance of previous ide3a schools in a field of their choice from several field subjects related to the water, energy and infrastructure sector while being guided by their assigned mentor. To ensure COVID-19 safety measures the teams were assigned a room each while participants as well as staff members were required to undergo daily testing.

Nikhil Chaudhary, Climate-KIC ©Bea Meyer

The jury consisted of TUB ide3a professors and ambassadors, professor Paweł S. Hachaj from the Institute of Water Engineering and Water Research at the Cracow University of Technology as well as the research associate Morgan K. Geldenhuys from the department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Technische Universität Berlin. To increase the excitement of the participants for their subject field of choice the Smart City Hackathon featured Nikhil Chaudhary as guest speaker who emphasized the importance of sustainability in his talk about the Climate-KIC (Knowledge and Innovation Community) which is an EU initiative working to accelerate the transition to a zero-carbon and resilient world by enabling systems transformation.

After three days of intensive research and working the teams hack4future, TITANS and Resilient Edgers emerged as winning teams and were rewarded prizes, amongst other things a digital hand shower. The ide3a network would like to congratulate the winning teams again and thank every single student for their participation wishing every student a successful onward journey in their education!

©Lisa Westphal

2nd year ide3a conference recapped
2nd year ide3a conference recapped 1382 333 ide3a

On 5th October, 2021 the second annual ide3a conference took place. Just like last year, ide3a members from all five partner universities gathered online to recap what has happened in the project throughout the year and to discuss current projects. In the main session, the ide3a coordination team presented the highlights of the previous year: first 13 ide3a scholarship holders at TUB and DCU, ide3a research assistants winning the Science Slam and successfully finished winter schools Smart Sensing, Smart Buildings and Smart Cities, just to name a few things.

After a short break, ide3a members gathered again for break-out sessions divided according to the three e’s of ide3a: e-learning, e-research, and e-mobility. Each session had its own presenter and the main topic. After the presentation, a fruitful discussion between our international partners followed. In the e-learning session, ide3a e-learning analyst Margaux Huth introduced the discussion about Blended Learning and the serious game. In the e-research session, prof. Andrea Cominola talked about the development of the serious game ConnectiCity. Ines Schwarze led the e-mobility session, where she talked about EWP – Erasmus Without Papers and problems related to mobility between partner universities.

All in all, the 2nd annual ide3a conference was a success. We hope to be able to organise the 3rd conference in person next year!

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 ().

© ide3a 2021
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