German universities of Applied Sciences face declining student numbers and a growing shortage of skilled professionals in technical fields, prompting institutions in Bavaria to increasingly recruit international students, many of them from India. While this strategy stabilizes enrolment and supports national goals for securing a future workforce, it also introduces substantial challenges for teaching staff, administration, and students alike. Many incoming students bring competency profiles shaped by non-European higher-education systems, often marked by a strong emphasis on reproductive learning and limited experience with independent research, critical reflection, and scientific writing. High expectations of German master’s programs, combined with linguistic and cultural barriers, contribute to lower retention rates among international students and create additional burdens on teaching staff.

Drawing on experiences from four international master’s programs at Ansbach University of Applied Sciences, the paper analyses typical difficulties and evaluates measures designed to improve integration, academic success, and study conditions. Programs composed almost exclusively of Indian students tend to reproduce culturally homogeneous learning environments, which limit intercultural exchange, hinder discursive teaching formats, and reinforce established learning habits. In contrast, heterogeneously composed cohorts show better interaction, stronger language development, and improved academic performance. To counteract homogeneity, targeted interventions such as international poster sessions, mixed laboratory groups, and joint courses between German- and English-taught programs were introduced with positive but context-dependent outcomes.

Major challenges arise in the areas of scientific practice, rule compliance, and the unreflected use of AI tools, often rooted in a lack of prior exposure to principles of good scientific practice. The university responded with measures such as training units on academic integrity, adapted assessment formats emphasizing transfer performance, and workshops on literature research and academic writing. Additional structural factors such as particularly limited access to affordable local housing, negatively affect class attendance. Attempts to mitigate this included schedule adaptations to public transport and the introduction of block courses with mandatory practical components.

The paper concludes that successful internationalization requires more than English-language programs. It demands comprehensive support structures, including language training, intercultural competence development for staff, and institutional services tailored to international students’ needs. Given the intensive advising workload, smaller learning groups and recognition of international teaching efforts in workload models are essential. Only through sustained institutional commitment, adequate resources, and openness on all sides can internationalization efforts translate into improved learning outcomes and long-term integration.

• Vor dem Hintergrund sinkender Studierendenzahlen und des Fachkräftemangels in den technischen Berufen in Deutschland, rekrutieren die Hochschulen in Bayern zunehmend Studierende aus dem Ausland. Dabei stoßen die angebotenen internationalen Studiengänge besonders bei Studierenden aus Indien auf großes Interesse. Andersartige Kompetenzprofile aus dem außereuropäischen Bachelorstudium in Kombination mit sehr hohen Erwartungen der Studierenden an ein Masterstudium in Deutschland führen zu enormen Herausforderungen bei allen Beteiligten. Förderlich für den erfolgreichen Studienverlauf ist es, Maßnahmen zur Gruppendurchmischung zwischen ausländischen und deutschen Studierenden wie internationale Postersessions und gemeinsame Studienangebote zu implementieren. Darüber hinaus ist es erforderlich, Regeln der guten wissenschaftlichen Praxis klar zu kommunizieren und deren Befolgung einzufordern. Nicht zuletzt ist die Stärkung der Sprachkompetenz ein Schlüssel für ein erfolgreiches Studium.

The exponential rise in global plastic consumption, coupled with its heavy dependence on fossil fuels, has resulted in severe environmental and ecological consequences—ranging from greenhouse gas emissions to widespread marine pollution. In response, bioplastics derived from renewable sources have emerged as a promising solution, particularly those synthesized from algae. This study explores the potential of algae-based bioplastics—produced from macroalgae (e.g., Ulva lactuca) and microalgae (e.g., Chlorella, Spirulina) - as a sustainable and circular alternative to conventional plastics. Owing to their rapid growth, high biomass yield, and non-reliance on arable land, algae offer distinct ecological advantages over traditional biomass sources like corn or starch. The research examines the types of algal bioplastics, key production processes, and the integration of genetic engineering techniques to enhance yield and biodegradability. It also addresses scalability, economic feasibility, and degradation by-product limitations. Furthermore, the study evaluates policy and regulatory frameworks that support the development and adoption of bio-based materials. The findings suggest that algae-derived bioplastics reduce reliance on fossil resources and align with circular economy principles by offering biodegradable, renewable, and low-impact alternatives. As global environmental concerns intensify, algae-based bioplastics may play a vital role in reshaping the future of sustainable materials and reducing plastic pollution at scale. 

Engineers and scientists, i.e. STEM educated persons, are seen as strong drivers for technology and knowledge-driven growth and productivity in the high-tech sector including ICT services. However, since 2020 there has been a decline in the absolute number of new entrants to STEM courses.

In 2023, the Federal Statistical Office of Germany reported that 6.5% fewer students had enrolled on STEM courses in Europe. By contrast, countries in the Arab world and East Asia were able to significantly increase the proportion of STEM graduates.

A variety of measures are needed to make STEM attractive to students. This paper explains a package of measures to systematically familiarize children and young people with STEM and thus allay their fears of studying science and engineering. Over the past eight years, the Faculty of Engineering at Ansbach University of Applied Sciences has developed a concept in which participants from pre-school age to high school graduates are addressed with all their senses in age-appropriate laboratory experiments. The Ansbach model for promoting STEM acceptance begins with children of pre-school age by playfully awakening their natural curiosity. In child-friendly experiential spaces at the university, children experience themselves as researchers. In workshop topics from the fields of microbiology, food technology, and molecular biology, which become increasingly complex with the level of education, pupils are introduced to engineering and scientific issues in an age-appropriate way. It is always about experiencing science with all the senses and thus opening up not only a cognitive but also an emotional awareness for STEM.

To reduce the heavy time burden on individual members of the university, the measures are coordinated within the faculty and realized with the involvement of as many faculty members as possible in a modular way resulting in approximately four to six person weeks to attract 400 pupils per year.

ABSTRACT

Biomimicry is a new science that examines natural models, takes inspiration from them, and imitates designs or processes to solve problems and create innovations. Thus, it creates a field of work that aims to produce products that are functional, sustainable, do not harm the environment, and are economical and durable, taking nature and its cycle as an example. Biology and design work go hand in hand with biomimicry applications to develop products using living organisms such as algae, bacteria, and fungi. Algae are photosynthetic organisms in almost all ecosystems, including various aquatic environments and land. Algae are classified as macroalgae or microalgae according to their size and morphological characteristics. Microalgae are microscopic, primarily unicellular, or simple multicellular, and prokaryotic or eukaryotic. Many microalgae can adapt to extreme conditions such as a wide range of temperatures, salinities, pH values, and light intensities. Microalgae convert carbon dioxide into valuable biologically active compounds through solar energy. Thus, they constitute one-third of the total biomass worldwide and contribute 50% of atmospheric oxygen. Secondary metabolites may consist of 50-70% protein and more than 10- 30% lipids and vitamins, in varying amounts depending on the species. Microalgae form a central basis for achieving sustainability. They accomplish this by reproducing rapidly, producing important products, and accumulating lipids and carbohydrates as storage materials to produce biofuels.

The functional properties of microalgae have directed the attention of researchers, engineers, and architects from different disciplines to investigate the use of microalgae for sustainability. Designers have begun to use microalgae, influenced by their life processes, functions and physiological structures in nature, to serve as a sustainable solution. These include creating oxygen-rich areas, producing, and developing transparent roof and exterior coating systems that can be used to help regenerate urban environments, biodegradable pigments for textile prints, lighting, biofilms and fillers. The focus of this study is to underline how microalgal systems can be used in industrial and technological applications by modelling microalgal systems through biomimicry applications and bioengineering. Thus, we aim to reveal how a versatile contribution can be made to sustainability using microalgae in biomimicry designs.

• Sinkende Studierendenzahlen im MINT-Bereich stellen ein Problem für die Hochschulen und die Gesellschaft dar. Die Ursachen liegen u.a. darin, dass sich die Schülerinnen und Schüler den MINT-Anforderungen zunehmend nicht gewachsen fühlen oder diese wenig attraktiv finden. Beidem kann durch zielgruppenspezifische Angebote an den HAWs begegnet werden. In der Fakultät Technik der Hochschule Ansbach wurde im Verlauf der letzten acht Jahre ein Konzept entwickelt, in dem Teilnehmende vom Vorschulalter bis zum Abitur altersgemäß in Laborversuchen mit allen Sinnen angesprochen werden. Das Maßnahmenpaket besteht aus verschiedenen Präsenzangeboten vom einfachen spielerischen Experimentieren für Vorschulkinder bis hin zu Vertiefungsworkshops und Schnupperangeboten für Teilnehmende aus den Oberstufen. Um die hohe zeitliche Belastung der einzelnen Hochschulangehörigen zu reduzieren, werden die Maßnahmen fakultätsintern koordiniert und unter Einbeziehung möglichst vieler Fakultätsmitglieder realisiert.