In December, 25-29 in Hexter (Germany), the working meeting of the participants on the project «Harmonising water related graduate education / WaterH» within the framework of the European program ERASMUS + was held . The meeting was attended by representatives of 10 universities from 7 countries: the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, SHEI ‘Ukrainian State University of Chemical Technology, “NTU” Kiev Polytechnic Institute “, Cherkasy State Technological University, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn (Olsztyn, Poland) , University of applied Sciences of Eastern Westphalia-Lippe (Hexter, Germany),  University of “Jaffna” (Jaffna, Sri Lanka), Peradeniya University (Peradeniya, Sri Lanka), Shandong University of Architecture and Construction (Shandong, China), Qingdao Technological University (Qingdao, China).

Participants in the meeting at the University of Applied Sciences East Westphalia-Lippe

Vice-president for pedagogical and international work of the University of Applied Sciences East Westphalia-Lippe, prof. Burkhard Wrenger and project coordinator from the University of Applied Sciences East Westphalia-Lippe prof. Joachim Fettig welcomed the participants of the meeting.

After the opening of the meeting, German colleagues organized a presentation of the research and student laboratories of the University, providing training for students in the disciplines “Water Treatment”. They showed laboratory and mock-up plants used in laboratory practice and allowing to simulate various conditions for discharging sewage, water purification, hydraulic engineering structures, etc.

Welcoming speech of the project coordinator, prof. Joachim Fettig, University of Applied Sciences East Westphalia-Lippe

The main issues discussed at the meeting:

• Administrative issues (financing, contracts, reporting, procurement of equipment, etc.)
• Current student mobility in the countries envisaged by the project: results and problems.
• Curriculum development.
• Cooperation with enterprises. The organization of new contractual research with enterprises.
• Internal / external communications for the project.
• Participation in joint research and publications: international conferences and journals.
• Teaching lectures on the developed courses within the project: how to conduct training and how to use the results of the project.
• Experience in student mobility in Sri Lanka in the summer of 2016
• Planning for students and teachers mobility for 2017
• Visiting the exhibition “Water Berlin”.

When discussing the first issue of the meeting, a report on the project for 2016 was presented and showed the degree of implementation of the planned types of work: students and teachers mobility, development of training courses, purchasing of the equipment, etc. The mobility of students and teachers depended solely on the executors of the project, so the degree of their implementation was the highest. Problematic was the purchase of special equipment provided by the project. This was connected with the need to sign various documents in different ministries of the participating countries for duty-free purchase of goods. Nevertheless, these issues were mostly resolved during 2016 – early 2017.

Laboratory work of sewage system modeling

Laboratory work on flotation water purification

On the issue of student mobility, a preliminary plan for summer training courses in Norway was announced on 18.06-08.07.2016. Also, it was suggested that Ukrainian universities prepare information on students or graduate students heading for annual training in Germany and Poland on October 1, 2017. In addition, there were the first results of the internship of five Polish postgraduate students in Ukraine, which began on March 2, 2017 in three universities:  Ukrainian State University of Chemical Technology, NTU “Kiev Polytechnic Institute”, Cherkasy State technological university.

It was also interesting to know the impressions of the students of the University of Applied Sciences East Westphalia-Lippe about the organization of student mobility in the summer of 2016 by the University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka) and about their experience of communication in such a multinational group.

Students of the University of Applied Sciences East Westphalia-Lippe about their impressions of the trip in the summer of 2016 at the Universities of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka)

As usual, a lot of time was spent on filling the training courses, analyzing what had already been done, distributing lectures from other courses for the project participants. In addition, the results of a survey of teachers participating in the project on ways to improve the quality of teaching were presented-lecturing and the ability to interest students in the subject of the lecture.

 On the issue of participation in joint research and publications Rector of USUCT Oleksandr Pivovarov proposed to organize and conduct an Advanced Scientific Workshop within the framework of NATO’s New Security Challenge Program “Science for Peace and Security”. After the discussion, the participants from USUCT were instructed to prepare a concrete proposal for participation in the NATO program.

The last two days were devoted to the visit of the International Exhibition “Water Berlin”, where the international companies presented the most advanced developments in the field of water treatment.

Exhibition “Water Berlin”

In between the discussions of working issues, German colleagues conducted an interesting tour of the old city and the Principality-Abbey of Corvey.

Old Town, Hexter