Diplomacy
Signing of the contract (Source: FH Aachen)
Partnership for three decades
When mathematician Prof. Dr. Gerhard Dikta from the Jülich campus of FH Aachen first worked as a guest professor at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee (UWM) in 1988, he probably wouldn’t have imagined that this initial contact would eventually evolve into a partnership spanning three decades between the two universities. A dual-degree program at the master’s level allows students to obtain degrees from both institutions.
Both students and faculty have taken advantage of the opportunity to spend part of their academic careers at the respective partner university. “The collaboration with the University of Wisconsin offers fantastic opportunities for our students,” says Dikta, who teaches at the Department of Medical Engineering and Technomathematics at FH Aachen. “They can earn an American degree, and for many of them, there’s the possibility to finance their stay in the USA through tutoring.” UWM also benefits from well-trained students in the dual bachelor’s program in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, who quickly adapt to new areas and excel with their programming skills, says Prof. Dikta. He himself has been a guest professor at UWM several times in the last 30 years and has been an Adjunct Professor at the Department of Mathematical Sciences at UWM since 2004.
As part of the close collaboration between the Department of Medical Engineering and Technomathematics at FH Aachen and UWM, Prof. Dr. Vince Larson recently spent a year as a guest at the Jülich campus. He gave lectures in the master’s program in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science and supervised students in their master’s theses. This was already Professor Larson’s second guest stay in Jülich.
FH Aachen students have consistently had positive experiences in their exchange with UWM. Cornelia Brämer and Gitte Kremling enthusiastically recount their stays on the other side of the Atlantic. Both are currently pursuing their doctorates at the Department of Medical Engineering and Technomathematics at FH Aachen and fondly remember their time in Milwaukee, which brought them many academic insights and enriched them personally. Cornelia Brämer participated in the dual-degree program, and Gitte Kremling in the PhD program. “I was impressed by the friendly and straightforward nature of the people in America, who welcomed us warmly, and I quickly felt very comfortable at the University of Wisconsin,” reports Cornelia Brämer, also highlighting the opportunity to attend lectures in other areas of mathematics, such as topology, which were not offered in this form at FH Aachen. Through FH Aachen’s close cooperation with UWM, she, like Gitte Kremling, had the opportunity to work there as a research assistant. “It was a great experience to give a small lecture myself,” says Gitte Kremling, who emphasizes the personal relationships with professors, especially Vince Larson
Prof. Dikta’s initial stay in Wisconsin was funded through an exchange program between researchers from UWM and Justus Liebig University Giessen. This laid the foundation for successful joint research projects. After his appointment at FH Aachen in 1993, he continued the collaboration, now supported by both FH Aachen and UWM. Based on this, the first graduates in Technomathematics with an FH diploma were admitted to UWM, followed by obtaining a PhD degree there. Depending on the academic focus of the PhD thesis, supervision was conducted in Jülich or Milwaukee. The excellent results of these first graduates eventually led to the establishment of a dual-degree program at the master’s level.
Prof. Gerd Dikta, Gitte Kremling, Prof. Dr. Vince Larson, Dean Prof. Dr. Torsten Wagner (from left) Photo: FH Aachen / Jochen Goeser
“We were very well received there.”
The cooperation agreement between FH Aachen and UWM was signed in March 2014 in Milwaukee. The FH delegation was led by the former rector, Prof. Dr. Marcus Baumann, and also included the former dean of the Department of Medical Engineering and Technomathematics, Prof. Dr. Volker Sander, and of course, the initiator of the cooperation, Gerhard Dikta. Part of the agreement is the creation of a scholarship program for exchange students, which helps them avoid the significant tuition fees.
In 2017, the first students completed their degrees as part of the Dual-Degree Program: Rica Wedowski, Cornelia Krome, Ines Larissa Siebigteroth, Vera Loeser, and Thomas Rößler spent a year at the university on the shores of Lake Michigan as part of their master’s studies in Technomathematics. They report that their study experience in the USA was fantastic. “We were very well received there,” the students say, noting that personal support helped them overcome various challenges. They had to navigate the differently structured US higher education system.
Milwaukee, with over 570,000 residents, is the largest city in Wisconsin and is located on the western shore of Lake Michigan in the northern United States. Known for its beauty and green spaces, the city offers various recreational opportunities, from canoeing and beach activities in the summer to cross-country skiing in the winter. UWM is just a few blocks away from the lakeshore and has produced notable alumni, including former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir and Hollywood actor Willem Dafoe. More at uwm.edu
Furthermore, FH Aachen has been part of the so-called Magellan Network for 25 years, a unique exchange program among European universities. The network currently includes 17 US universities in states such as Missouri, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Ohio, Texas, Kansas, South Dakota, and Utah, as well as some universities in Mexico, South Korea, and Costa Rica. Originally limited to business schools, the network had 5 European and 8 US partners. Now, it comprises 14 European and 20 non-European universities. Students and lecturers from almost all disciplines now participate in this free exchange program. The program’s special character is based on the long-standing personal relationships between the partners.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, FH Aachen is the only member of the Magellan Network. As a founding member, along with dedicated partners in the Euregio region and Finland, the network was established with the firm belief that genuine intercultural understanding can only be achieved through personal exchange and that this exchange must be affordable for students. More at https://www.magellanexchange.org/partners/
The first graduates of the Dual-Degree Master's program (Source: FH Aachen / Arnd Gottschalk)
The first graduates of the Dual-Degree Master's program (Source: FH Aachen / Arnd Gottschalk)
