"University Open House"

Visitors came from all over Saxony, Brandenburg, and the Berlin area. Among them were numerous prospective students who had made a special trip to see for themselves the conditions for studying at the Zittau campus.

About 250 prospective students took advantage of the university’s open house to learn in detail about the academic opportunities and study conditions, particularly in the STEM programs.

The president, Professor Friedrich Albrecht, opened the “University Open House.” He noted that the university, with its diverse and forward-looking range of programs, aims to offer career prospects especially to young people in the region. “As a university, we are interested in retaining young, intelligent people—both for local businesses and as the next generation of researchers for the university itself at our various campuses,” he said. He also encouraged the young visitors to take full advantage of the offerings in the event program.

The short lectures offered, and especially the numerous lab tours covering engineering, the natural sciences, computer science, and economics, drew great interest. Prospective students also took full advantage of the opportunity to talk directly with students from the various degree programs and discuss what everyday student life is like at their university.

This year, too, the organizing team had come up with a wide range of activities. As part of the introductory lecture, the university’s new video podcasts—created by students from the Zinzendorf Gymnasium in Herrnhut with support from the Lions Club Görlitz and the Saxon Training and Testing Channel (SAEK) in Görlitz, were presented and awarded prizes.

For anyone who wanted to get involved, the “MINT Mobility Trail” was available for the first time. The Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, and the Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences invited participants to join in and test their knowledge at various stations. At the end, every participant received a trail pass.

First-hand information was also available at the KIA (Cooperative Study with Integrated Training) booth in Zittau, where numerous interested high school students gathered. The KIA staff and KIA students from the university’s training workshop were happy to answer questions about this now very popular form of vocational training. Next door, at the university’s apprenticeship training booth, visitors could gain insight into the practical training required to become an “Electronics Technician for Devices and Systems.”