The Winter School in Kenya took place in Kakamega from February 25th until March 5th, 2023 as the counterpart to the Summer School in Brandenburg in September 2022. At that time, students and lecturers from MMUST visited us. This time, 10 students from all departments, as well as 2 lecturers and 2 academic staff visited the Kenyan university.
The 3 projects started during the Summer School 2022 and continued throughout the semester (Portable, App-supported Telemedicine Case, Mobile Solar Box and App-supported Biodigester) entered their final work phase, were completed and finally presented at the Winter School.
During the Winter School (at 33°C!) and in the sunshine, the students successfully completed the last steps of their project work and put all the papers together. The final colloquium in front of a Kenyan audience and the subsequent handover of the projects was a highlight of the trip. Of course, the THB professors were also busy and offered lectures for all interested parties at the university in Kakamega. In his workshop, Prof. Dr.-Ing Peter Flassig illustrated the complex topic of modelling, test planning and design optimisation with the help of paper planes, where all participants were able to actively participate. Prof Dr Thomas Schrader shared his knowledge with the university’s budding doctors and physiotherapists in the form of a lecture on tele-physiotherapy.
Of course, a winter school abroad is not just about getting to know the educational institution, but also about getting to know the country, the culture and the people. Many evenings were spent together, enjoying typical Kenyan specialities providing an insight into local customs and traditions. Shopping in the marketplaces on the bustling streets of the city was of course a must. Nature also had a lot of interesting things in store. One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to the Kakamega Forest National Reserve, a nature reserve with rainforest. During a guided tour along the winding paths, everyone learnt a lot about the local flora and fauna. The long walk through the humid climate of the forest was rewarded with a wonderful, far-reaching view over the country. And there were also a few impressions on the way back – the last few kilometres showed why the rainforest is called a rainforest, as a tropical storm rolled in. One species in particular, which was seen during the excursion to the ‘Kisumu Impala Sanctuary’, left a lasting impression. Some of the fruit was stolen from their hands when a few monkeys crept out from between the free-roaming zebras and impalas.
If you would like to find out more about the trip, you are welcome to take a look at the trip diary in the media centre of the Department of Engineering, read the THB press release about the project or the report from our partner university.
Our thanks go to all those who made this trip possible, but above all to our partner university and our sponsors, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).