Action!
The University has a lot to offer even away from the lecture halls
No matter whether you prefer to tinker with cars, help refugees or stage a play: the University has a lot to offer even away from the lecture theatre and the library.
Paradise for amateur inventors and DIY enthusiasts
Whether you want to build a USB sound card or make a birthday present for your gran, the FabLab at FAU is the place to go. Anyone can use the high-tech workshop and professional equipment. You don’t even need any special skills, just an idea and a willingness to learn.
The FabLab team – most of them students at FAU – will show you how to work the machines and plan how best to implement your project. Workshops are held for anyone who would like to get a grasp of the basics before getting down to the hard stuff – from courses in soldering for beginners or those with more experience to designing 3D objects.
The equipment in the FabLab includes a laser cutter, several 3D printers, a vinyl cutter and a CNC milling machine, to name just a few. Many students who visit the FabLab are students at the Faculty of Engineering. After all, the computer programmes and tools give them the perfect opportunity to apply what they have learnt in lectures – and learn something new at the same time. However, the Fab- Lab team hopes to be able to encourage creative users as well. A sewing and embroidery machine is available for textile projects. There is no charge for using the FabLab or advice from the student experts. All that needs to be paid is a small contribution towards materials used and machine run time.
Junior consultant opportunities while you study
If getting involved in projects in talent development, financial management, process optimisation or providing consulting services to regional and international companies is your thing then you are perfect for the Junior Consulting Team e.V. (JCT), the student consultancy service run by FAU and Nuremberg Tech.
JCT acquires consultancy projects and forwards them to its members. The young entrepreneurs then form teams and tackle the projects independently. Clients include both start-ups and well-established corporations listed on the German Stock Exchange or DAX. Past JCT projects include competitive analysis, organising innovation workshops and marketing consultation in sectors as diverse as its members’ backgrounds. Physicists, economists, computer scientists or mechanical engineers – JCT unites experts from a number of fields with a wide range of different perspectives. JCT looks for new dedicated students to join them at the beginning of each semester. Why not apply?
Doctors for teddy bears
Teddies with toothache, cuddly tortoises with a sore tummy or dolls with a broken arm: medicine students organise the teddy bear hospital once a year in the Schlossgarten at FAU for cuddly toys who are not well. Over three days, medical students at FAU treat the cuddly toys children bring, helping children get used to going to a doctor through play. The patients are examined carefully, given plasters and bandages and sent back home to recover after visiting the pharmacy.
Several stands are available where the young visitors can try their hand at being a doctor themselves: putting on a bandage, taking an x-ray or assisting in the operating theatre. The cuddly toys can even go for a check up to students studying dentistry in Erlangen, showing children how to keep their teeth clean and healthy.
https://blogs.fau.de/tbkh/ (German)
Volunteering for refugees
Students at FAU have set up the Refugee Law Clinic Erlangen-Nürnberg (RLC). They advise asylum seekers preparing for their hearing as part of the asylum process. The non-profit association has over 70 members, most of whom are students. Nevertheless, the RLC team would welcome even more volunteers. You can get involved in various different areas, for example providing advice, organising events, public relations or translation. Members meet regularly to get to know each other, chat and share ideas on the first Wednesday of the month at 7.30 pm at La Pasión in Halbmondstraße, Erlangen. www.facebook.com/RLCErlangenNuremberg (German)
Pitstop
Get a feel for racing with the Octanes from High-Octane Motorsports, a student group that takes part in the Formula Student every year. These summer events see the Octanes travel to races across Europe and pit themselves against teams from other universities on a variety of tracks. But the races are actually the smallest part of the project. Before they even reach the race track, the Octanes have to finance and build their own cars. In addition to the classic race car, there is also an autonomous version. As well as needing tech-savvy students to help with the construction, the team also needs members who can handle sponsorship, marketing, and the business plan – which, incidentally, also gets a score in the Formula Student. With that in mind, students from any faculty are welcome to join the group, share their knowledge and learn.
Aaaand… cut!
Whether you are interested in research, production, or working as a presenter: with funklust, FAU’s campus media, you can try your hand at professional radio and television. For example, you can get involved in the live programmes recorded in the studio directly above E-Werk or you can prepare a radio feature to be broadcast at a later date. Or you can take a camera and produce video reports or interviews. You can then have a go at editing the clips. If you are more interested in online journalism, you can help keep the funklust website up to date and add multimedia content and background reports to the audio and video clips. Funklust offers lots of opportunities for gaining experience in journalism.
Facebook: funklust
Instagram: funklust.de
On the international stage
(Image: Priya George)
Discussing current political issues with delegates from different countries and making decisions about draft resolutions are tasks normally reserved for high-level diplomats, but students from universities around the world, including FAU, get to do this too at the National Model United Nations Conference (NMUN). You could be there at the negotiations in New York City representing a country in various bodies, specialised agencies and committees of the UN. Preparations for various model UN conferences within the framework of the interdisciplinary FAUMUN project start at the beginning of the winter semester. You can learn about negotiating strategies or how to write a captivating speech for a large audience. You will also find out about the United Nations, gain specialist knowledge about the country you’re representing and gain key skills which will also stand you in good stead in your future career. Applications for the FAUMUN programme must be submitted by 1 July.
Everything theatre
Every summer ‘ARENA…of the young arts’ brings modern international theatre to Erlangen. For one week the city becomes a stage where young talents present their productions, with performances ranging from drama, dance and physical theatre to readings. The performances and the locations are unconventional and experimental, which has earned ARENA fame beyond the city. However, the majority of the event managers are not full-time employees but FAU students. Each year, they put on a great festival which has become one of the highlights of the cultural calendar. The students are not just involved with the organizational side of the event which has been running for 20 years: each year ARENA produces a piece with a group from the previous year that premieres at the next festival. The ARENA team is always looking for new members. If you would like to get involved, you can get in touch via www.arena-festival.de (German).
There are also a wide range of student initiatives at FAU that you can take part in:
www.stuve.fau.de/gruppen (German)
An online guide to starting at FAU
Congratulations! You’ve decided to study at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. That’s a great choice! Plus, you’ve just found the perfect companion to show you around: Our magazine frisch! an der FAU can tell you (nearly) everything you need to know about our university.
You can find more articles from the frisch! on this website.