➀ The Ernst-Abbe-Hochschule Jena (EAH Jena) is establishing an endowed professorship for 'Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI)';

➁ The professorship aims to improve the transparency and comprehensibility of decisions made by AI systems through innovative methods and tools;

➂ The professorship will focus on interdisciplinary research and education, involving various fields such as healthcare, social services, and business administration.

The University of Heilbronn offers two 'Studium PLUS' models: 'Studium PLUS Education' and 'Studium PLUS Deepened Practice', allowing students to earn two professional qualifications in approximately five years, including an IHK-certified vocational qualification and a bachelor's degree.

Students can gain practical experience during the semester break by working in companies. Over 50 partner companies and around 20 courses in technology, business, and information technology are available to interested students.

Students who have already started the 'Studium PLUS Education' program, such as Raphael Klumpp, find that the cooperative study model is the ideal combination of theory and practice, providing excellent career opportunities upon graduation.

➀ The Daimler and Benz Foundation launches the funding format 'Ladenburger Horizonte' to focus on research collaborations between German and African institutions in selected regions.

➁ The new funding measure addresses the growing scientific and political significance of African countries.

➂ Two research projects are selected to address urgent social challenges on the African continent.

➀ Madhuparna Datta from Cadence Design Systems has joined the UK Electronics Skill Foundation (UKESF) board as a Trustee.

➁ She has over 25 years of experience in the semiconductor industry and is currently the Application Engineer Director at Cadence.

➂ Madhuparna brings extensive expertise and a commitment to inspiring young people to pursue electronics, particularly addressing the gender imbalance in the sector.

➀ Professor Christian Waldschmidt of the University of Ulm has become a new member of the German Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech).

➁ He is an internationally recognized expert in high-frequency technology and conducts research on antenna and radar systems as well as satellite communication.

➂ Waldschmidt supports acatech with his scientific expertise in fulfilling their social mission: scientific policy advice.

➀ The article introduces free-to-use Circuit Design Calculators for Engineers and Students.

➁ These calculators simplify complex equations, saving time and effort in circuit design.

➂ It lists various calculators including 555 Timer, Ohm's Law, Voltage Divider, LED Series Resistor, and more, all available for free use.

The University of Esslingen has launched a new two-year project called 'suppleMINT' to enhance the attractiveness and feasibility of its MINT (Mathematics, Informatics, Natural Sciences, and Technology) study programs. Funded by the Science Ministry with nearly 160,000 euros, the project aims to deepen the technical study foundations for students in the first two semesters. It includes a supplementary semester for students who have completed the first or second semester, followed by a pilot phase expected in the summer semester of 2026. The project aims to increase academic success and prevent dropout, particularly for students on the second educational track.

The RWTH Aachen has once again demonstrated strong performance in the latest THE-Rankings by Subject. The university is highly ranked in its core disciplines, achieving global rank 36 in Engineering Sciences and rank 60 in Computer Science. In the field of Natural Sciences, RWTH Aachen is placed in the world's top 100. In the Medical & Health category, the university improved significantly, moving from rank 243 to 166 last year and now to 149, entering the top 150 universities globally. This is the best ranking achieved by RWTH in this field. The results show that the efforts made under the Excellence Strategy to advance RWTH in life sciences are bearing fruit.

Oliver Zielinski, Director of the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW), has been appointed to the German Science and Humanities Council (WR) on February 1, 2025. Zielinski's research focuses on the environmental physics of marine ecosystems, particularly in the field of autonomous sensor systems and marine observatories. He emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary research and the transfer of scientific findings to society.

➀ Kaiserslautern University is offering two distance learning programs, Electrical Engineering M.Eng. and Process Technology M.Eng., aimed at professionals seeking to further qualify in the technical field with a focus on flexibility.

➁ Graduates are qualified for leadership positions in companies.

➂ The programs are designed for four semesters and begin each winter semester, with a blended learning approach that includes self-study, online teaching, and on-site presence days.

➀ According to a survey by Statista Consumer Insights, degree students in emerging economies are more likely to be learning online.

➁ In South Africa, 21 percent, in India 19 percent, and in Brazil 12 percent of students said they had done so in the 12 months prior to the survey.

➂ The preference for online education in emerging economies could be due to the limited availability of suitable programs nearby, a fragmented higher education landscape, or the need to work while studying.

➀ The Additive Academy of Fraunhofer IAPT is offering a two-day compact course on March 25-26, 2025, providing a quick introduction to the basics of Additive Manufacturing (AM) and advanced skills for designing complex components.

➁ The course is aimed at researchers, product designers, manufacturers, business developers, and other management levels.

➂ The training covers current trends, applications, standards, cost models, and focuses on design for additive production, including lightweight construction, functional integration, productivity improvements, and waste reduction.

➀ Rajguru Electronics has introduced ADIY's Uno R3 Beginners Kit, a comprehensive package for electronics and Arduino beginners.

➁ The kit includes 18 essential items such as an ADIY Uno DIP R3 board, sensors, relays, LEDs, and more.

➂ It is designed to provide a solid foundation for learning basic Arduino programming and sensor interfacing, suitable for hands-on projects.

➀ The program 'QualifyING' is initiated by three universities in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) to qualify immigrant engineers for the local job market.

➁ The program includes theoretical and practical training, covering topics such as DIN standards, time management, and presentation skills.

➂ Examples of participants like Ahmad Al Kejji and Olena Prykhodko show how the program helps immigrants integrate into the German workforce.

➀ The FH Kiel team has developed an interactive mathematics practice platform called mintSH to help reduce dropout rates in STEM programs.

➁ The platform offers over 2,000 practice problems from applied mathematics fields including engineering sciences, computer science, and inductive statistics.

➂ During the pilot phase, about 850 STEM students from three universities in Schleswig-Holstein used mintSH, receiving positive feedback from both students and teachers.

➀ The state government of Rhineland-Palatinate is funding the establishment of a new bachelor's program in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence at Hochschule Koblenz with two million euros.

➁ The program will focus on robotics applications and artificial intelligence/informatics, filling a gap in the current educational offerings in the region.

➂ This initiative aims to support digital transformation in the economy and foster technological innovation by qualifying professionals in these fields.

➀ Academician Huang Ru has ceased to serve as the President and Deputy Secretary of the Communist Party Committee of Southeast University;

➁ Huang Ru is a female Hui ethnic Chinese born in November 1969, from Nan'an, Fujian Province, a member of the Communist Party of China, with a doctorate in science, a professor, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and an academician of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World. She is a member of the Central Committee of the 20th Party Congress.

➂ Huang Ru has a bachelor's and master's degree from the Department of Electronic Engineering at Southeast University, and a doctorate from the Department of Computer Science and Technology at Peking University.