pro8 2025

Finding solutions to technical problems is the task of engineers. Every year, students studying for a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics or Engineering Management are challenged with a new technical problem in the pro8 project organised by the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics at FH Aachen. This comes from a different company each year and the technical problem is a real-life one. Fresh ideas are collected and the unbiased rethinking sometimes provides impetus for practical solutions. The company guarantees the students valuable insights into professional practice and can present itself as a potential employer to the next generation of engineers. Two groups of pupils from Aachen schools also take part in the project, gaining insights into university life which can be groundbreaking for their future career choices.

Prof. Kristian Arntz, Head of the pro8 project and Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics at FH Aachen, found a cooperation partner for pro8 this year who is happy to strengthen the bridge between academic education and practical research and helps to develop young talent: CERN, the European research organisation known for its gigantic particle accelerator facilities.

The problem that the students had to solve this year was, in simplified form, something like this: How can you, for example when carrying out maintenance work on a technical enclosure, replace a component in the smallest possible space as efficiently as possible without damaging the sensitive new replacement part? And the question, even if it sounds quite trivial, turns out to be very complex. The materials used must be resistant to radioactivity. The radioactivity, in turn, means that all handling when replacing the components must be carried out remotely. The working space in the accelerator station is also very narrow and limited. Damage to the new replacement modules (so-called VAX modules) due to collisions with other system elements must be avoided when lowering them into the target position. As the working space is narrow, it is not possible to use many different tools or tools of all sizes. It must also be ensured that the electrical circuits of the VAX modules can function and transmit signals after lowering. And to make the whole thing even more complex, the components are not positioned horizontally in the tunnel, but at a very slight angle - something which proved crucial for solving the problem. In addition, a sequence plan had to be drawn up describing the lowering process.

The students only had one week to solve the technical problem. They worked in groups that were "well mixed" on the basis of previously completed personality tests. Sounds like stress and trouble? Not if the team works well together and discussions are conducted objectively. During the project week, students from the Aachen Catholic University (KatHo) studying social work made sure of this. They were well prepared for this task in a coaching seminar they attended beforehand. In pro8, they were assigned to each group as team coaches who looked after social interaction and the distribution of work within the group. There were also technical coaches to ensure that the technical solution is feasible and that the technical framework conditions are adhered to. These are either students from a higher semester or Master's degree programme studying in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics.

Only in a team can large projects be successfully completed under time pressure. The aim of the pro8 project is also to teach future engineers important social skills so that they learn the basis for successful teamwork at an early stage of their studies. "This not only increases their success during their studies, but also prepares them well for their future careers," says Prof. Arntz.

Because the pro8 project of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics at FH Aachen serves all these different facets of a good engineering education and is a great joint project between universities and companies, it was honoured with the German Employer Award for Education at the German Employers' Day (DAT) in Berlin in 2022.

The winning team with the best solution was selected by a jury and a direct vote by the audience, which consisted of all students and employees of the faculty involved in the project, CERN, the coaches from the Catholic University of Applied Sciences and ANTalive as the school's project sponsor. Group 10 won: Congratulations to Aloysius, Christopher, Elyes, Joël, Johannes, Leonard and Marius!

CERN has invited the winning team and project leader Prof. Arntz to visit the research centre in Switzerland, where they will be able to see part of the huge particle acceleration facility, which will definitely be very interesting. Do time accelerators actually already exist?