Classes like to use the last week of a school year to look around outside of school at what study and job prospects there are after school. This was also the case for an 11th grade class of the Vocational School Center for Electrical Engineering Dresden (BSZ ET Dresden) on July 6, 2023. For one school day, they visited the "Friedrich List" Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences at TU Dresden together with their teacher.

The faculty had prepared two thematically different workshops to give the students a broad overview of transport studies at TU Dresden and its relevance in times of climate and traffic change. The university day began for the students with a lecture by Konstantin Thieme, who works as a program manager at the faculty in the area of study program development. He gave the students information about the transport and traffic studies, the study programs and about the faculty itself.

First part on electric drives and railroads, laboratory guidance and battery trains

This was followed by the first 90-minute workshop. A team from the Chair of Electric Railsways had prepared three different stations on the topic of "Shaping the traffic turnaround - modern electric vehicle drives". Luise Wottke, a research assistant, started the workshop with an association quiz. With this quiz, the class tested their prior knowledge on the topic of "Electric Trains". For each letter of the alphabet, the students had to find a word related to the topic of electric railroads. Luise Wottke then compiled the results and added other important terms or players (e.g. companies).

At the second station, the participants went to the laboratory of the professorship. This is where laboratory engineer Jochen Kriesel works. With the help of a laboratory-owned current collector, which are usually located on top of electric trains, he answered questions about how an electric locomotive works, how driving it is made possible and what problems there are currently with electric railroads. He also compared and evaluated Germany's railroad system with those of other European countries and talked in general about the use of energy in electric railroads.

The third station dealt with current developments in electric rail travel. In the future, battery-operated trains are to enable green and electric travel even on lines that do not have a continuous overhead line. This is to be achieved by means of rechargeable batteries. Johannes Strohhäcker, another research associate at the chair, used Lego bricks to demonstrate the differences between a diesel-powered train and a battery train. He also discussed what needs to be changed on the trains, on the routes and on the infrastructure in order to convert routes from diesel operation to battery trains. Among other things, charging stations for the batteries are needed on the track or at stops.

Second part on air transport of the future and the challenges for stakeholders

Impressions of the workshop of the eleventh grade of the BSZ ET Dresden at the TU Dresden

The first part of the workshop was organised by a team from the Chair of Electric Railways (from left): Luise Wottke, Michael Kriesel and Johannes Strohhäcker.

© Andrea Surma

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Impressions of the workshop of the eleventh grade of the BSZ ET Dresden at the TU Dresden

Laboratory engineer Jochen Kriesel showed the students a real pantograph in the chair's laboratory and answered questions about how an electric locomotive works, how it can be driven and what problems there are currently with electric railways.

© Andrea Surma

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Impressions of the workshop of the eleventh grade of the BSZ ET Dresden at the TU Dresden

The second part of the workshop on aviation and radio technology was organised by Kati Ahnert (l.) and a colleague from the Chair of Air Transport Technology and Logistics.

© Andrea Surma

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Impressions of the workshop of the eleventh grade of the BSZ ET Dresden at the TU Dresden

In a practical exercise, radio communication between pilots and air traffic controllers was staged. The students' task consisted of five interactions or radio contacts.

© Andrea Surma

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The second workshop after noon focused on air traffic. Dipl.-Ing. Kati Ahnert from the Chair of Air Tranpsort Technology and Logistics gave the students an overview of the topic and also discussed the studies of air transport and logistics at TU Dresden. She also briefly summarized how flying an aircraft is possible at all.

This was followed by a practical part for the class. The aim was to give the students an impression of the important interaction between different players in air traffic using communications technology. In concrete terms, radio communication between pilots and air traffic controllers was staged as a practical exercise. The students' task consisted of five interactions or radio contacts: 1. registering with air traffic control to clear the flight route, 2. "request start up and push back", 3. requesting taxi clearance and 4. registering with the tower and obtaining takeoff clearance. The fifth and final call involved checking in with radar and clarifying climb procedures.  

In order to make current and future air traffic safe, efficient and resource-saving, traffic engineers trained at TU Dresden also deal with the users of the traffic system and learn to understand their working methods. Interactions between users are of particular interest. This insight was also exciting for the students by means of the exercise. Together they mastered the task and learned a lot of new things.

A lot of new information, full heads and, for one or the other, perhaps also the inspiration for future transport and traffic studies at TU Dresden - with these impressions, the students of the BSZ ET Dresden left the building of the "Friedrich List" Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences in the afternoon. The accompanying teacher was "very enthusiastic about the offers and topics of the faculty". She wants to come back next year with more students.