2009-10 - Professor Kind, you are the manager of the Institute for Thermal Process Engineering of the University of Karlsruhe. What is the focus of your activities?
It is our mission to focus on science, teaching and research. With regard to science and teaching it is our ambition to train and promote our student such that our graduates are among the best in Germany and even in Europe and we are able to meet these requirements to a large extent. In research we deal with a broad range of tasks in the fields of distillation, crystallization and drying. In this field we are the technological leader with our measuring processes.
What is your impression of the current development of universities and in particular in the engineering faculties?
Fortunately the number of freshmen with 250 to 300 students strongly increased, however, after 2012 I expect a significant decline. The number of doctoral students is still too small so that numerous postgraduate vacancies cannot be occupied and for this reason we have to at least postpone important research projects. Another topic is the start of the bachelor and master degree courses and we have high expectations with regard to the use of synergy effects resulting from the association of the university and the nuclear research centre to the "Karlsruher Institut für Technologie" (KIT) (= institute for technology of Karlsruhe).
For many years you have visited the research and development centre of GEA Wiegand GmbH with a group of students once a year. What is it that prompts you to do so and why is it GEA Wiegand GmbH you have visited?
Every year again we are glad to receive the invitation of your company to visit the research and development centre. At the end of the 6th semester we can give our students a first impression of practice and based on your numerous semi-industrial pilot plants we provide them with important information. In distinction from a visit of a large scale plant in the chemical industry the students can collect direct experiences with process-technological plants, even thanks to the competent support provided by your employees in your research and development centre.
Research and Development Center GEA Wiegand GmbH, Karlsruhe