October 2026
We’re glad you’re here, dear first-year students! In our “For the Start of Your Studies” section, you’ll find useful information about Freshman Week, helpful resources, and everything that can make your transition to college easier. Feel free to stop by!
Bridges can develop dangerous internal damage long before any signs of it are visible on the outside. Researchers at the Chair of Structural Engineering are working on new methods to detect such changes at an early stage.
Today, the coordination team of the Master's programs Computational Engineering and Subsurface Engineering welcomed around 50 international students to our faculty.
From a research project to a multi-award-winning startup: Dr.-Ing. Phillip Schönfelder and Benedikt Faltin, members of the Department of Computing in Engineering, founded the company blixdata together with Nick Schlichting. Using artificial intelligence (AI) developed in-house, the startup converts scans of construction plans into digital, editable 3D models in a matter of seconds.
Discovering science, asking questions, conducting experiments: On September 25, 2026, the “Geistesblitz” science festival made its debut in downtown Bochum. Across five themed areas at seven locations, visitors had the opportunity to meet researchers, engage in discussions, and get hands-on with various interactive activities.
Want to know what to expect during Freshman Week? Here you’ll find the schedule for Freshman Week, which begins on October 12, 2026, for the Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering programs.
The “Ruhr-Universität” stop on the U35 line will continue to be bypassed. During the closure, the faculty can be reached on foot via the “Lennershof” stop.
September 2026
On Tuesday, September 22, 2026, the BreakING team held its next fireplace evening in the bentonite laboratory of the Chair of Tunnel Engineering, Pipeline Engineering, and Construction Operations. The guest speaker was Dr.-Ing. Janine Pfetzing-Micklich, executive director of the research facility “Center for Interface-Dominated High-Performance Materials (ZGH).”
As part of the “Sino-D-A-CH Center for Smart Civil Infrastructure in Shanghai,” two candidates were selected for a scholarship and are now traveling to the Chinese partner university to complete their master’s theses.
Yesterday, Subsurface Engineering student Ali Shabbir, who is the first to travel, received a comprehensive travel kit from the Dean’s Office Director, Dr. Christoph Baer. There, he will work on his master’s thesis titled “Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical Characterization and Constitutive Modeling of Aquifer Soils for Geothermal Energy Applications” (advised by Prof. Merita Tafili / Ruhr University Bochum and Prof. Liu Fang / Tongji University).
Have a safe trip and a successful, exciting stay ahead!
Since September 1, 2026, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Helen Bartsch has headed the Chair of Steel and Lightweight Construction in the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering. To mark her start at RUB, she spoke with the PR team about new technologies, sustainable construction, her plans for research and teaching — and why steel construction is far from having reached its full potential.
December
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Last update: 2026/10/09 | 11 am
