University Impresses Guests

When it was announced in September 2021 that the city of Zittau would be hosting the 23rd Saxon State Harvest Festival in 2022, it quickly became clear: As a university, we’re going to be part of it! The first step was to coordinate the wide range of participation requests and potential offerings. To this end, a working group was established within the HSZG, consisting of representatives from the relevant faculties—the Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering—the Institute for Process Engineering, Process Automation and Measurement Technology, the LaNDER³ partnership, Environmental Management, and Public Relations. Later, the faculties of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Managerial and Cultural Studies, Social Sciences, and Business Administration and Engineering Management, as well as the Office of Education and the Senior College, also joined the effort. Through a very constructive and dedicated collaboration, the group successfully put together a wide range of HSZG activities for the guests of the State Harvest Festival.

The big day finally arrived on the first weekend in October: Many interested guests of all ages visited the Zittau campus during the festival weekend, tried their hand at our hands-on stations, and learned about research topics and degree programs . “It’s really very impressive what the university is showcasing here,” summed up one visitor after touring the campus. Many children felt the same way and found it hard to tear themselves away from our activities. It was good for parents and grandparents that there was also a pop-up vineyard in Building Z IV, perfectly in keeping with the harvest festival theme.

Over 150 visitors also took the opportunity to take a look inside the high voltage facility. There, they had the rare chance to tour the facilities immediately following the “High-Voltage Engineering” experimental lectures. Many guests showed great interest in the technology and in the degree programs in the field of power engineering.

On Saturday, Thomas Schmidt, Minister of State for Regional Development, toured our campus together with a delegation that included, among others, District Administrator Stephan Meyer, Mayor Thomas Zenker, the Saxon Harvest Queen, and the Saxon Harvest Princess. Despite a tight schedule, the festival’s patron took the time to tour all the stations in Building Z IV. Notably, this was already his second visit to our university that week. In the run-up to the State Harvest Festival, Schmidt participated in the simul+ Innovation Day on the topics of “Energy, Circular Economy, Construction, and Mobility,” which took place on the Zittau Campus. Following the event, the minister appealed to the young people of the region:

Saxony’s Minister-President Michael Kretschmer also made a point of stopping by the university on Sunday for a brief visit. It was a wonderful gesture of appreciation—especially for the many students and staff who took the time this weekend to showcase our university to the public.

The HSZG’s stage program on Saturday evening also received a great response. Under the motto “We Live Science, We Love Music—Science Meets Music!”, Prof. Jens Weber (Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences) and Dr. Clemens Schneider (Fraunhofer IEG Zittau), among others, presented Science Slam entries. There was a science quiz, DJ music, and German-language acoustic music by the band “Audiolyse,” featuring frontman Felix Rothe (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering).

A highlight on Sunday was the HSZG’s participation in the parade in medieval costumes. Around 10,000 people cheered on the various floats along the green city ring. The HSZG gummy bears brought a sparkle to many children’s eyes.