Video Series: »Tell Us Your Lautrer Math Story!«

»I have the feeling that I can be of use. What can be better than that? Also, doing what you love to do at the same time: for me, that's mathematics.«

Between strong coffee, dedicated project work, exciting online meetings and new algorithms – ARD alpha Uni accompanied our colleague Dr. Tobias Seidel in his everyday life at Fraunhofer ITWM. In projects, he supports companies from the chemical industry in making technical processes more energy-efficient or in getting the most out of gemstone cutting. As a mathematician, he also takes on challenges in quantum computing.

Tobias is a Lautrer (Kaiserslautrer) fast starter and, even though he comes from Freiburg, has long had close bonds to Kaiserslautern as a maths location: He studied mathematics at the RPTU from 2011 to 2016, was a Felix Klein scholarship holder during his Bachelor's and Master's studies, then did his doctorate with us until 2019 and has been a full member of staff in the division »Optimization« since 2020.

This short report makes one thing clear: even at the beginning of their careers, mathematicians change the world a little bit for the better – in line with our motto »Mathematics for a Good Future«. ARD alpha Uni s a format of the editorial department »Wissen und Bildung aktuell« of the Bayerischer Rundfunk.

A detailed report is also available on the German Website of ARD alpha Uni.

»The location Kaiserslautern is of course especially interesting for mathematicians.« In addition to our institute, this is also due to the excellent teaching in the department of »Mathematics« at the RPTU Kaiserslautern. The university also supports students during their doctoral studies.

PhD students at Fraunhofer ITWM are also involved in real research projects from the very beginning, but at the same time they have enough time for their dissertation. By linking the doctoral thesis to concrete industrial problems, the PhD students gain practical experience in addition to academic expertise. In the latest video, Maxime Krier and Firoozeh Aga give insights into their Lautrer math story and on the topic of »Doing a PhD at Kaiserslautern«.

»I think the bridge between science and business is totally interesting«, says Milena Röhrs in her Lautrer math story. She is currently a math student at the RPTU. The Fraunhofer ITWM was an important location factor for her to start her studies in Kaiserslautern. In addition, the performance of the university's department in the relevant rankings. She also has a job in the field of mathematics besides her current studies, working for Prof. Dr. Bernd Simeon in the Department of Mathematics.

This Lautrer Math Story is told by Daniel Krüger, whose math career has been connected with our institute from the very beginning. He is now studying for his Master's degree in »Financial and Actuarial Mathematics« at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern and works as a student assistant in the department »Financial Mathematics« at Fraunhofer ITWM.

Two female mathematicians tell us what it is like to work as a mathematician at our institute or to study in Kaiserslautern – as a mathematician in a rather male-dominated subject. Firoozeh Aga, PhD student at Fraunhofer ITWM, and Milena Röhrs, math student at RPTU Kaiserslautern, give an insight into their Lautrer math story.

In the kick-off video of the series »Tell us your Lautrer math story!« we introduce the first great math minds. There's also an opportunity to get to know the site better.