Project Weeks
Whether sustainability, digitization, artificial intelligence or entrepreneurship: many of the most pressing issues of our time transcend disciplinary boundaries. The project weeks therefore create a framework in which students and teachers can work across disciplines, curricula and locations on issues and projects that particularly interest them. In multidisciplinary teams, they not only expand their disciplinary expertise, but also strengthen their interdisciplinary skills.
Call: Project Weeks 2024/25
Teaching staff at TUM can apply for the project week funding in the winter semester 2024/25 until April 30, 2024. For the first time, project weeks may be offered all semester long.
All information about the Project Weeks for teachers can be found on the Project Weeks wiki page (staff login).
There you will also find an overview of FAQ about the Project Weeks (staff login).
Teachers staff can contact Nina Grote if they have any questions about the Project Weeks: nina.grote@tum.de, +49 89 289 22818
Project Weeks 2024: Highlights
Project Weeks in the winter semester 2023/24
In this project, participants will engage in the development of innovative software leveraging Artificial Intelligence to provide real-time assistance and support to learners during self-paced study with pre-recorded online lectures or lecture slides. The primary goal is to enrich the overall learning experience by seamlessly integrating advanced technology (LLMs) into the educational environment. This software aims to deliver immediate answers to student questions during studying, mirroring the interactive nature of traditional classroom settings.
Contact: Enkeleda Thaqi and Anna Bodonhelyi, TUM School of Social Sciences and Technology
TUMonline module no.: 0000004467
Period: January 8–19, 2024
The successful inclusive settings from the TUM School of Medicine and Health are to be further developed and made transferable across departments and schools in order to creatively promote health-related and interdisciplinary work and learning at TUM. The grassroots concept of collaborative, participatory approaches to teaching and learning describes a positive and purposeful way to deal with current societal challenges, for example as a result of the war in Ukraine.
Through the participatory involvement of experts – people who deal professionally with crisis situations as well as those affected – TUM students from different disciplines jointly create solutions to health-related problems. Creative design thinking methods, role and perspective changes, and learning tandems are important elements of this living teaching.
The collaboratively developed health-promoting solution strategies, especially from the areas of mental and physical health, are developed and disseminated. The students, who are recruited from master's and bachelor's degree programs at TUM, not only acquire theoretical knowledge about innovative solution formats, they also actively shape and apply them.
Contact: Dr. Daniela Schwarz, TUM School of Medicine and Health
For: Bachelor and master students from all disciplines and schools
TUMonline module no.: 8100330000
ECTS: 2
Period: January 8–12, 2024
Over a period of 11 weeks, students from the fields of Medicine, Sport & Health Sciences, Computer Science and Engineering will develop instrumented test procedures to record the sensorimotor function of people with neurological diseases and validate them on case series of patients. The Project Week aims to develop sensor-based (instrument-based) acquisition procedures that can be used in a mobile (i.e., non-laboratory) manner. These will be validated not only clinically, but also using behavioral data from the CiO Living Lab and observational data from everyday life collected by wearables. In addition to young, healthy adults, case series of persons with neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, will be used for development and validation.
Contact: PD Dr. Friederike Schmidt-Graf, TUM School of Medicine and Health
For: Students from all disciplines and schools, especially Medicine, Sports Science, Health Science, Computer Science, Human Factors Engineering, and Neuroengineering
ECTS: 4
Period: January 8–12, 2024
This module offers participants from all backgrounds an overview of current issues in behavioral economics and their application to current societal or environmental challenges and gives them the opportunity to examine one topic in more detail. Emphasis is put on aspects of choice architecture, nudging/green nudges, herding, and further phenomena of behavioral economics and their application in a real world case.
Contact: Martina Wayand, TUM School of Management
For: Master students from all disciplines and schools
TUMonline module no.: WI001284
ECTS: 6
Project schedule : Kick-off 17.10.2023, getting to know the customer MTV München von 1879 e.V. 31.10.2023, Project Week 8.–12.01.2024, deadline for submission of the project report 31.01.2023
Even after completing their master's degree, many students do not have a precise idea of operational processes and cultural peculiarities of industry and have only limited knowledge of how and where they can best apply their skills. Graduates often have the idea that positions in research and development are the most suitable for them, while they are frequently unfamiliar with the structures of SMEs - often hidden champions. The project week aims to fill these gaps and strengthen knowledge about SMEs and offer participants an insight into the practice of SMEs.
Contact: Prof. Oliver Hayden, TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology (1000plus@cit.tum.de)
For: Bachelor students of the 5th and 6th semester and Master students
ECTS: 2
Period: January 8–12, 2024 (Project Week at the SME)
Registration at 1000plus.cit.tum.de until November 30, 2023
Welcome to the future:
Our living conditions and society will change radically in the next 20 years. To create a livable future, we need people who develop creative and visionary solutions and then implement them. In short – entrepreneurial and design competencies. These are precisely what this module is about: Focus for an effective problem definition; courage to initiate change; imagination to develop and articulate ideas; and action to take an idea forward toward implementation.
Course participants engage with the question: How will we live in 2044? A fictional future scenario (based on scientific forecasts) illustrates what our world might look like in 20 years. The Impulse Symposium, which precedes the Project Week, offers inspiration and insights to stimulate imagination for this future scenario. During the Project Week, participants work in small teams to develop a practical solution to a real-world societal problem they encounter in these scenarios, learning to apply design and entrepreneurship methods. Participants are encouraged to use generative AI tools to illustrate the solution scenarios they create and use prototyping to articulate their vision.
Participants will reflect on and integrate their newly acquired skills after the project week. And perhaps most importantly, developing entrepreneurship and design competencies is fun – and leaves you hopeful and confident to be able to actively shape major social transformations.
Core elements:
- Impulse Symposium on December 14, 2023, 9.30 a.m. – 12.30 p.m., Vorhoelzer Forum, TUM Main Campus.
- Project Week from January 8–12, 2024, daily 9.30 a.m. – 4.00 p.m., Vorhoelzer Forum, TUM Main Campus.
- Revision and feedback on January 25 & 26, 2024; individual appointments via Zoom.
- Presentation on February 1, 2024, 9.30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., TUM Entrepreneurship Research Institute Garching.
- Reflection (to be submitted individually)
You can find more information about the course in this flyer (PDF, 2 MB).
Contact: Prof. Anne Tryba, TUM School of Management; Prof. Annette Diefenthaler, TUM School of Engineering and Design
For: Master students from all disciplines and schools
ECTS: 6
Registration: Via TUM Online (Module: MGT001410S).
The ecological and climate crisis that we are facing today demands that we think and work differently and, in particular, that we teach and learn differently. We cannot solve these issues alone and have to learn not only the processes but also the language by which to communicate with other disciplines. To value our resources and to value the greater ecology of our cities, we have to work in interdisciplinary collaborations that see the aesthetic question as deeply tied to the technical and the ecological. Being resource-conscious, for example, demands that we consider the role of structures (Tragwerk) not only as a means for a building to stand but also as the expressive identity of it. It also demands that we think about the lifespan of a building and the separation of the different systems that would allow us to more responsibly care for a building over the years. Moreover, it requires that we rethink the question of building technologies and how we achieve comfort in buildings through natural or passive means. These are all concepts that require a close relationship between engineer and architect.
The “Constructing Logics: Towards an integrated architectural design” Project Week will allow students to have a focused and in-depth investigation into the integration of structural engineering and climate-responsive design. Taking their semester project as a reference, students will design and build a large-scale physical model during the week that will explore the following:
1. The role of structural engineering in shaping the experience and atmosphere of the space through exposed structures.
2. The integration of daylight into the space by natural means.
3. The integration of natural ventilation and passive heating/cooling measures together with the structural design.
4. The relationship of these technical measures as architectural opportunities in designing the space, the façade, and the functional relationships in a building.
Contact: Romy Karbjinski, TUM School of Engineering and Design
For: Bachelor students of Architecture
Period: January 8–12, 2024
The Project Week “Development of Data Analysis Tools and Communication Strategies to Address Harmful Online Content” will be conducted as a partnership between the Chair of Public Policy, Governance and Innovative Technology, the TUM Think Tank and the Meldestelle REspect! as an external partner organization. The goal of this project is to teach students how to appropriately complete a data analysis and review online take-down requests for actionable insights. These insights will then be disseminated to the public via communication campaigns.
Contact: Brittany Engle, TUM School of Social Sciences and Technology
For: Students of all disciplines and schools
Project schedule: kick-off event 09.11.2023, self-study phase 01.12.2024–31.12.2023, Project Week 8.–12.01.2024, final data analysis and creation of the communication plan 13.01.2024–31.03.2024
In-context learning, also known as conditioning on input-label pairs (prompts), has shown great potential to improve the capabilities of large language models (LLMs) for downstream tasks. In this project, students will explore how to adapt LLMs to new tasks using contextual learning techniques without requiring parameter updates. Several benchmark datasets will be used to illustrate the effective use of prompts in achieving desired outcomes, such as mathematical problem solving, answering questions based on common sense, and sentiment classification. The course has two main objectives: (1) To gain expertise in state-of-the-art contextual learning techniques to improve model performance; (2) to identify and address existing challenges, develop innovative solutions to further increase the efficiency of contextual learning. At the end of this project, participant:s will have a comprehensive understanding of contextual learning and its potentials in advancing large-scale language models.
Contact: Yao Rong, TUM School of Social Sciences and Technology
For: Bachelor and master students from all disciplines and schools
TUMonline modul no.: 0000001827
Period: January 8–12, 2024
Vacuum cleaners, furniture, books, cell phones, cars, gummy bears, shoes: things are everywhere. Human life takes place in a “world of things” and is constantly conditioned by it. Yet we rarely think about it. What actually is a thing? What makes it special? Can things be systematically categorized? To what extent do things determine our lives – our behavior, our thoughts, our moods, our relationships with other living beings and with ourselves? Do things exist independently of people? Or as Ernst Bloch puts it: “What do things 'do' without us? What does the room we leave look like?”
In the seminar we will discuss philosophical texts by various authors who think about things from different perspectives. The aim is to get to know various approaches and apply them to concrete things. In particular, the aim is to raise awareness of the social and political implications of technical developments.
In this way, we learn to reflect on everyday things, to look at them in a way that is detached from familiar perspectives and to explore their conditionality and ambiguity.
Contact: Dr. Fred Slanitz, Kontextlehre Wissenschaft ⋈ Technologie ⋈ Gesellschaft
For: Bachelor and master students from all disciplines and schools
ECTS: 3
TUMonline module no.: CLA20720
Information and registration: www.sot.tum.de/wtg/projektwochen/
The foundation seminar “Ecologies of Building” focuses on the architect's role. As architects, we possess the capacity to design systems with impact in the built environment. Within interdisciplinary teams, we'll create prototypes that drive a sustainable transformation of the TUM Campus Schragenhofstraße. In collaboration with the Institute of Sustainable Mobile Powertrains, we envision a bottom-up campus transformation via holistic design and architectural solutions.
We explore turning the campus into a flexible research area. We consider changes to the institute's architecture opening to partners in academia and industry. We address smart energy management bridging the gap between energy transition and mobility, showcasing a comprehensive approach.
In mixed teams of students and TUM experts, we develop scalable prototypes during a Design Sprint. We build on the micro-grid concept, allowing the institute to be self-sufficient and a pioneer in merging mobility and energy. Expert inputs contribute to this, acting as a foundation. Those experts share practical knowledge during Design Sprints, mentoring student teams. They support us in theme selection, manufacturing 1:1 prototypes, and validating future scenarios. By Design Sprints we translate prior analyses into forward-looking circular strategies for the TUM Schragenhofstraße Campus development.
For more information on the seminar, visit https://www.arc.ed.tum.de/en/and/teaching/archiv/ecologies-of-building/ .
Contact: Victoria Schweyer, TUM School of Engineering and Design
For: Master students of all disciplines and schools
TUMonline module no.: ED120053
ECTS: 3
Period: January 8–12, 2024
In the project "Engineering of an enzyme for the conversion of sugars from biomass hydrolysates", students from the modules "Enzyme Engineering" are to optimize an enzyme from the class of dehydrogenases by various, state-of-the-art methods in order to change its substrate specificity. This brings together students from Garching and Straubing from a total of five courses of study. The optimization of the enzyme should make it possible to convert sugars such as glucose or xylose from biomass hydrolysates into valuable chemicals. the overriding goal is to feed different sugars into the same synthesis pathways to produce a homogeneous product from an inhomogeneous raw material. The amplification of DNA and production of protein variants to be tested is dependent on the use of bacterial cells (E. coli). In order to guarantee an implementation period of one week, staff members of the department will therefore carry out the corresponding preparatory and follow-up work.
Saturation mutagenesis as well as singulation of the resulting variants will take place in advance. During the project week, the DNA of these variants will then be isolated, IVTT reactions and activity screening will be performed. Production of individual improved variants and their characterization will also take place during the project week. For random mutagenesis, mutagenesis as well as screening via FADS will take place during the project week. The correct mutagenesis conditions will be determined in advance by members of the department. After screening, the DNA of the positive clones will be isolated, variants separated and DNA prepared for sequencing. The results of the sequencing will be discussed with the participants after the actual project week. The production and characterization of the improved variants will be carried out by members of the department.
Contact: Dr. Enrico Hupfeld, TUM Campus Straubing
For: Students of Biological Sciences from different locations and different degree programs
Period: January 8–12, 2024
The interdisciplinary project “FEM for FSI with Open Source Software” deals with the challenges of coupled phenomena in nature and technology and their numerical simulation with FEM. Internationally recognized experts give insight into the latest innovations in research and high-performance computing as well as into the implementation of different solution strategies for FSI in the open source software Kratos Multiphysics. In the project work, students are immersed in this numerical environment and solve various challenges from the field of fluid-structure interaction in interdisciplinary teams.
Contact: Dr.-Ing. Ann-Kathrin Goldbach, TUM School of Engineering and Design
For: Students from all disciplines, especially from the TUM Schools of Natural Sciences, Life Sciences and Medicine and Health.
TUMonline module no.: BGU32022
ECTS: 3
Period: January 8–12, 2024
At this hackathon, 12 teams will compete in challenges to develop analysis models around footbal based on spatiotemporal player and ball data of Bundesliga matches.
The results will be evaluated by experts from science, professional football and the sports industry. The three best teams will be invited to SportsInnovation 2024 in Düsseldorf, where they will compete in the finals for prize money of up to 2,000 euros.
Contact: PD Dr. Daniel Link, TUM School of Medicine and Health.
For: Master students of Sport Science and Computer Science
ECTS: 5
Period: January 8–13, 2024
This course offers an interdisciplinary setting in which the participants develop their own videogame concept (no programming required) — it is therefore aimed at all students, e.g. from the STEM sciences, Games Engineering and the School of Social Sciences and Technology.
The students will be introduced to the social science-perspective on a selection of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) topics as well as the creative potential of video games for reflection, e.g. worldbuilding, storytelling and decision-making. Based on these inputs, the students develop their videogame concept thematizing a STEM topic while enabling the creative potential of games to integrate societal and ethical aspects.
Students can either present their concept and receive ECTS or actually program the game after the Project Week to receive 5 ECTS. Registration for the corresponding module via TUMonline is required.
Contact: Clara Valdés Stauber, TUM Center for Culture and Arts
For: Bachelor and master students from all disciplines and schools
ECTS: 3 or 5
TUMonline module no.: SOT63201, SOT65201
Information and registration: www.sot.tum.de/wtg/projektwochen/
Cutting mats, cutter knives, glitter sponges, glue sticks – all of these will be used in this course. Now it's time to get down to business and get creative!
This course teaches the basics of graphic design, not only to give participants a better understanding of how to create prints, but above all to enable them to use these tools themselves. To this end, introductory input is first given on typography, formal language and the use of grid systems, for example, and then what has been learned is immediately put into practice on site. At the end of each lesson, the results produced in class are discussed together in order to convey a greater understanding of the teaching content and cultivate a professional vocabulary.
Contact: Clara Valdés Stauber, TUM Center for Culture and Arts
For: Bachelor and master students from all disciplines and schools
ECTS: 3
TUMonline module no.: CLA31212
Information and registration: www.sot.tum.de/wtg/projektwochen/
The course “Impact for Future and Extreme Environments” (IFF EE) offers a new program for Master's students from all disciplines who want to make a positive impact on our challenged world through field research, hands-on experimentation, creative artistic exploration, and consideration of local site conditions and culture. With its highly site-specific approach, IFF EE aims to respond to current and future global challenges through research by design, fine-tuned site-specific strategies, and active fieldwork in remote locations that are particularly affected by emerging phenomena related to climate change, biodiversity loss, urbanisation, and more.
The semester focus and fieldwork this year will take place in the Alps to explore how the melting of permafrost in mountain regions and the associated new dynamics and realities caused by an increasing number of landslides and rockfalls might translate into socially relevant and progress-critical innovations.
Contact: Julian Krauss, TUM School of Management
For: Bachelor and master students from all disciplines and schools
ECTS: 6
TUMonline module no.: MGT001346S
Period: January 8–12, 2024
In this TUM-accredited course students learn in five intensive days why and how to develop life-centric business ideas through applying an entrepreneurial mindset and innovative methods – always considering the triple bottom line. While working on a challenge from a partner in an interdisciplinary team they will develop first business idea concepts and pitch them at the end of the event. The participants will get practical insights, useful templates and tools, constant feedback and opportunities to reflect on their learnings. It is a great opportunity for students to get out of their comfort zone, get to know new people and to develop an entrepreneurial mindset.
Contact: Juliane Schuster, UnternehmerTUM
For: Students from all disciplines and schools
Period: January 8–12, 2024
Registration at utum.typeform.com/sprint-23w
In the course, we will work in groups to create mappings of selected places in Neuperlach that are oriented towards the common good. Together, circular uses of exemplary buildings (conversion, re-use, multiple and multiple use of existing buildings) and circular practices of people (repairing, exchanging, storing, etc.) will be recorded and presented.
The course ties in with the EU research project “Creating NEBourhoods Together” in Munich-Neuperlach. The overarching goal of the New European Bauhaus (NEB) is to design environmentally friendly, beautiful, sustainable neighborhoods that contribute to the implementation of the European Green Deal. In the "Circular Neuperlach" sub-project, the Chair of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building is working on “circular neighborhoods”. By this we mean neighborhoods in which resources are used in a circular way and thus contribute to climate and resource neutrality.
The work is carried out in heterogeneous student teams from different disciplines. In an interdisciplinary exchange, different approaches are to be incorporated into joint presentations of circular uses and practices for exemplary buildings in Neuperlach. Experts will support the Project Week with keynote speeches and discussion rounds. The chair intends to incorporate (partial) results of the students' work into the research work. Language of instruction is German.
Contact: Carsten Schade, TUM School of Engineering and Design.
For: Master students of all disciplines and schools
TUMonline module nr.: 000004348
ECTS: 3
Period: Individual research until 08.01.2024, Project Week 8.–12.01.2024, Revision and feedback on 22. and 23.01.2024 at the Munich campus, Presentation in Neuperlach on 29.01.2024
There are already tools to support professional writing and augmenting the abilities of humans to get the best of both worlds, but there is still room for improvement in terms of education. Scholars receive only limited feedback for their essays or creative writing since teachers do not have the time to annotate texts in detail. That's where AI comes in handy. We aim to create a tool that supports students throughout the writing process by giving them timely feedback and proposing alternatives. To build this tool, we need an infrastructure which collects and structures essay data. The students set up an app specifically designed for data collection as well as ways organize it efficiently.
Contact: Kathrin Seßler, TUM School of Social Sciences and Technology
For: Bachelor and master students from all disciplines and schools
TUMonline module no.: 0000002247
Period: January 8–19, 2024
The project shows students how problems from medical diagnostics can be solved with technological approaches, using the development of a device for hearing screening as an example. The project is interdisciplinary between medicine, engineering and a commercial enterprise (SME). Students will learn about the thinking and requirements from these fields, including important aspects of medical device approval and commercial exploitation. The project schedule includes an introduction to the required basics, a field trip to the medical technology company PATH MEDICAL (Germering near Munich). The following two days consist of practical content on mechanical and electrical design, rapid prototyping (3D printing), and software development. Here, the students are to concentrate on a part in which they can optimally apply their previous knowledge. On the last day, the participant:s will perform measurements on their hearing with the resulting system and are expected to develop project ideas and business models for start-ups.
Contact: Prof. Werner Hemmert, TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology
Für: Students registerered in one of the following modules
- Module to be developed: „Audiologie“ from medicine (Prof. Wimmer)
- Entwurf von sicheren medizinischen Geräten und Baugruppen (Dr. Gleich)
- Neuroprosthetics (Prof. Hemmert)
- Zulassungsverfahren und Qualitätsmanagement in der Medizintechnik (Dr. Oswald)
Period: January 8–12, 2024
Imagine Earth were to be completely destroyed. But you could create a new civilization - in a distant galaxy. How will people dwell there? How will they live, how will they organize their routines and how will they interact with each other? We approach these questions about the future in a creative way, firstly by creating new worlds (“creare”) and secondly by using creative skills: Discovering connections, seeing the big picture, thinking processually and cooperating across disciplines. Painters, video artists, writers, theater makers and musicians will inspire us with their projects and impulses to engage in artistic perception and work in order to create visions of human life and display them in extraordinary presentations.
Contact: Clara Valdés Stauber, TUM Center for Culture and Arts
TUMonline module no.: CLA21901
ECTS: 2
Period: January 8–12, 2024
The development and implementation of technologies, solutions of engineering problems do not only enclose technical and scientific challenges, but also social and normative ethical conflicts. Without bearing in mind social-normative and ethical engagements, engineering science projects often prove to be less successful with regard to their concrete implementation. Conversely, however, it can also be said that social science theories and philosophical-ethical positions easily fail if they do not take into account the specific scientific conditions (possibilities and limits) within their solution strategies. An interdisciplinary discourse is necessary, so there is a benefit not only for both parties of discourse, but especially the realization of more successful implementation of solution strategies would be possible.
With regard to the problem diagnosis outlined above, this course will bring together different groups of students with different faculty affiliations and competences in order to complement and mutually test their competences, i.e.: two different groups of experts e.g. of engineering and social sciences meet each other to complement their competences by means of case studies. The goal: every mixed group have to develop models of solution strategies regarding one special case study given by the seminar and extant them in a final presentation and open discussion.
Contact: Dr. Fred Slanitz, Kontextlehre Wissenschaft ⋈ Technologie ⋈ Gesellschaft
For: Bachelor and master students from all disciplines and schools
ECTS: 3
TUMonline module no.: CLA31601, CLA30606
Information and registration: www.sot.tum.de/wtg/projektwochen/
Our project aims to employ VR technology and AI in the creation of an innovative educational platform, enabling students and global audiences to conceptualize, develop, and engage with immersive experiences centered around Arts and Cultural Heritage. Focusing initially on Bavarian beer heritage, the platform's breadth will extend to encompass the diverse cultural aspects of Bavaria and other global cultural heritage topics.
The scope of our project is not limited to Bavarian beer heritage; it will also encapsulate other vital aspects of Bavarian cultures, such as traditional cuisine, festivals, architecture, and crafts. The platform is built with adaptability in mind, allowing the integration of additional cultural heritage themes, such as:
- Exploration of historical and architectural marvels of castles and palaces
- Investigation into local folktales and legends
- Immersion into the rich traditions of Bavarian music and dance
According to UNESCO, integrating technology into education, particularly in areas related to cultural heritage, fosters a better understanding of cultural diversity and encourages mutual respect among different cultures. Our project is aligned with this notion, positioning itself as an important tool in the development of educational technologies. With the aid of VR/AR technology, our platform aims to communicate intercultural knowledge in a more immersive and accessible way, bridging the gap between different cultures. This innovative approach not only enhances the learning experience but also promotes a deeper understanding and appreciation of global cultural heritage.
Contact: Carrie Lau, TUM School of Social Sciences and Technology
For: Master students of Games Engineering and Computer Science
Period: January 8–19, 2024
Lifestyle factors such as nutrition, physical activity (PA), and sleep are all of paramount importance for lifelong human health and well-being. Their measurement remains challenging under free-living conditions, but the advent of modern sensors, wearables and smartphone technology has revolutionized how we can track our lifestyle and connect them with long-term health. In recent years, research and technology has further advanced automated detection of nutrition, PA, and sleep.
In this interdisciplinary project, we aim to provide students from a wide range of backgrounds (e.g., health & sport science, medicine, nutrition, computer sciences) with a project-centered introduction to this cutting-edge topic. In the 4 ECTS, English-language course, students will learn both theoretical underpinning of different approaches and conduct self-devised experiments, in which they will collect and analyze their own data. Possible experiments involve lifestyle challenges (e.g., dietary change, disruption of habitual sleep cycle, exercise) and will be conducted as group projects (e.g., 4 students per group).
To maximize student engagement, we use both synchronous and asynchronous approaches. As part of their project, students will be familiarized with a broad range of sensors and wearables that can be used to automatically detect eating behavior, PA, and/or sleep, including continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), accelerometry-based approaches, and video-based solutions, which will be integrated and analyzed using advanced computing and statistical approaches. Students will further have access to use laboratory-grade methods (e.g., indirect calorimetry, EEG, bioelectrical impedance analysis) for validation.
After completion of the project week, students will submit an extended research abstract (1,500 words excluding references, including one figure or table) summarizing their small-scale pilot study. Consistent with open science principles, students will also make their (anonymized) raw data, statistical analyses, and code available on a private GitHub repository. The entire project week will conform with data protection uidelines and will be registered in TUM’s data management system.
Contact: Prof. Karsten Köhler, TUM School of Medicine and Health
For: Students from all disciplines and schools, especially from Medicine, Sports and Health Sciences, Nutrition, Computer Science
ECTS: 4
Period: January 8–12, 2024
The objective of this project is to develop a generative model that can create comic illustrations from text descriptions. We aim to address the time-consuming and costly process of traditional comics illustration creation by using machine learning algorithms to learn from existing comics. The project will involve building a dataset of text-image pairs by extracting dialogue and illustration descriptions from “Dilbert” comics, then using transfer learning and text-to-image generation techniques to create a text visualization model. The model will be evaluated through both automatic and human evaluations.
Contact: Dr. Zhao Zilong, TUM School of Social Sciences and Technology
For: Bachelor and master students from all disciplines and schools
TUMonline module no.: 0000001518
Period: January 8–19, 2024
Tangible Design Technologies for Learning present an opportunity to broaden participation in STEM+C contexts and to introduce challenging concepts to students at an early age through the design of personally meaningful projects. The design of effective Tangible Technologies for Learning requires competencies at the intersection of educational sciences, computer science, design, and educational technologies.
This Project Week examines research in Tangible Design Technologies in relation to how people learn and has a special focus on designing new tangible computational experiences that support learning in STEM+C fields by building on state-of-the-art learning theory. It is designed as a student-centered project-based learning experience, where participants will tinker and design with the latest construction kits (e.g., electronic textiles, Chibitronics paper circuits, and Playtronica) through guided activities in heterogeneous small groups and conduct a final project. The project week is accompanied by relevant research in the area of Tangible Design Technologies for Learning (see section 3 for examples). Overall, students will be empowered to reflect on the design of educational technologies for impacts on learning outcomes and participation and to recognize underlying assumptions of learning in educational technologies.
Contact: Prof. Dr. Anna Keune, Prof. Dr. Tilman Michaeli
For: Bachelor und master students of all disciplines and schools
ECTS: 3
TUMonline module no.: 0000003247
In group work, you will be designing and constructing a resource-efficient, sustainable mockup of a structure made of bricks, timber, and clay. Thereby identifying and incorporating certain cross-disciplinary boundaries. This will include the calculation and design of dimensions, manufacturing processes, or design impact assessments. Various materials and machines will be provided at the 1:1 Design Factory of the TUM where the construction of the mockups will take place.
In preparation, you will already acquire the necessary background knowledge of the individual topics in group work during the winter semester 23/24 and present your findings to your peers.
Contact: Dr.-Ing. Karl Martin Heißler, Dominik Merk, TUM School of Engineering and Design)
Further information: www.cee.ed.tum.de/hbb/lehre/projektwochen/
For: Bachelor students (5th Semester or higher) and master students of all disciplines and schools
TUMonline module no.: BGU51011
ECTS: 3
Period: January 8–12, 2024 + two input lectures (one each in October and November)