Young transport researchers from Europe presented current research work at the "Rising Stars Scientific Symposium" (rail sector) in Dresden at the end of 2021. The invitation was extended by the "Friedrich List" Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences of TU Dresden.

In order to achieve excellence in research and teaching, the networking of highly qualified young scientists is an important element for the "Friedrich List" Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences at TU Dresden (TUD). For this reason, the faculty invited young researchers to a "Rising Stars" Workshop at the end of last year, funded by the Henriette Herz Award of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Within the pilot project SCAFFOLDING*, international young researchers from the fields of transport and mobility will be supported by active recruitment and promotion of their work between January 2021 and December 2022.

18 European top young researchers (including 5 women) presented themselves and their research work on 25/26 November 2021. The participants came from TU Delft/Netherlands, the University of Birmingham/UK, Linköping University/Sweden, the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm/Sweden (KTH) and ETH Zurich/Switzerland. Six young researchers from the TU Dresden's transport sciences department took part with presentations.

On the first day, a scientific symposium of the "Rising Stars" took place, where the invited researchers presented their work and projects. The second day included individual visits to TUD facilities and professorships as well as a "Rising Stars Career Session". This focused on topics particularly relevant to the early stages of an academic career, including an overview of possible career paths at TU Dresden.

The main topics of the symposium were railway operations and railway infrastructure. Specific topics concerned:

  • the digitalisation and automation of railway traffic planning and dispatching
  • the modelling and artificial intelligence for the railway operation of the future
  • the development of innovative inspection and maintenance methods
  • behavioural modelling of the railway infrastructure and its components
  • capacity- and cost-saving maintenance.

The format of the "Rising Stars Workshops" is to be used in all academic units of TU Dresden in the future as an instrument for recruiting and creating visibility after successful testing.

The 2-year pilot project SCAFFOLDING* is led by Prof. Dr. Regine Gerike ("Friedrich List" Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences, TUD) and Prof. Marc Timme (Center for Advacing Electronics dresden - cfaed and Institute for Theoretical Physics, TUD).

Research at the "Friedrich List" Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences

At the "Friedrich List" Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences, research is being conducted together with partners inside and outside TU Dresden on automated and networked mobility as one of the future topics in the field of transport and as part of its Cluster of Excellence development.

The 20 professors of the faculty and their teams develop numerous research projects around transport and mobility - technical, social, psychological, geographical and with a clear focus on safety as well as sustainability and climate protection. Research on railway technology, railway infrastructure and railway operations is one of the long-standing research pillars at the faculty.

SCAFFOLDING-Principle

*The SCAFFOLDING principle is an instructional approach that allows students to experience student-centered learning for a more efficient learning process. These supports may include resource, compelling task, templates and guides, and/or guidance on the development of cognitive and social skills. Instructional scaffolding could be employed through modeling a task, giving advice, and/or providing coaching.

These supports are gradually removed as students develop autonomous learning strategies, thus promoting their own cognitive, affective, and psychomotor learning skills and knowledge. Teachers help the students master a task or a concept by providing support. The support can take many forms such as outlines, recommended documents, storyboards, or key questions.

Prof. Regine Gerike

Chair of Integrated Transport Planning and Traffic Engineering
"Friedrich List" Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences, TU Dresden
E-Mail: regine.gerike@tu-dresden.de

Prof. Marc Timme

Center for Advancing Electronics (cfaed) and Institute for Theoretical Physics
TU Dresden
E-Mail: marc.timme@tu-dresden.de