Research Fellow Corinna Harmening from the from Department of Geodesy and Geoinformation at the TU received the first IntCDC Mobility Grant which is part of the IntCDC International Research Programme. We asked her about her experience to give fellow researchers more insight on the programme.
How did you learn about the IntCDC International Research Programme? Which is your home university and which institutes on both sides are involved in the exchange?
I learned about the IntCDC Internatinal Research Programme through Prof. Volker Schwieger (IIGS), who is involved in the Cluster and who is a project partner of my research group. My home university is TU Wien, where I work at the Department of Geodesy and Geoinformation in the Research Division Engineering Geodesy. As may be expected due to the aforementioned connection, the Institute of Engineering Geodesy (IIGS) is involved in the exchange from the Stuttgart side.
What do you hope to achieve from the IntCDC International Research Programme, personally and scientifically?
From a scientific point of view, I hope that my time in Stuttgart will give me insight into interesting research. Furthermore, I am looking forward to fruitful discussions, which - hopefully - will form the basis for future collaborations. From a personal point of view, I hope to get some distance from the daily routine in order to sort out thoughts and to develop new ideas.
Tell us a a bit about your research focus and how the exchange programme contributes to your research?
My main research focus is on the acquisition of spatio-temporal data by means of terrestrial laser scanners, the subsequent modelling of the acquired point clouds by means of enhanced B-spline models as well as the development of new strategies to perform a laser scanner-based deformation analysis. The exchange programme enables me a one-month-stay in a research group that deals with very similar research topics as I do and, therefore, enables an intensive exchange of ideas with the group members. Additionally, the exchange programme gives me the opportunity to develop completely new ideas as well as to pursue new and interdisciplinary paths by means of initiated cooperations with other partners that are involved in IntCDC.
What are the links between your research and IntCDC?
The first link between my research and IntCDC is the application of laser scanning in order to monitor the fabrication and construction processes newly developed within IntCDC. A second link is my knowledge regarding geometric free form modelling, being one of the basics of computational design.
How do you like Stuttgart, what is a personal highlight?
I enjoyed Stuttgart very much, although I look forward to seeing Stuttgart without (or at least with less) construction sites and with less rain someday. ;-)
My first personal highlight was the hospitality: I felt very welcome and well integrated from the very beginning. Being a geodesist, the second personal highlight was my bicycle tour from Stuttgart to the Residence Palace Ludwigsburg along the bease line Solitude-Allee of the "Württembergische Landesvermessung".
What are your recommendations for an IntCDC International Research Programme, what is important to know as a researcher?
I recommend an IntCDC exchange programme to everyone who is interested in the aims of the cluster: It is a perfect opportunity to make new contacts, develop new ideas and find time for things that often get lost in everyday life. Finally, the (almost) most important thing to know is that - if you are also staying in Büsnau - buses only stop there when you indicate that you would like a ride by standing near the street. Coming from Vienna, it was more than one time, that I only saw the back lights of a bus I intended to take. ;-)
Thank you Corinna Harmening, it was a pleasure having you at IntCDC!
The IntCDC International Research Programme facilitates international collaboration and exchange of researchers on a scientific level. Funding and scholarships are provided for an invitation to incoming researchers from the cooperating institutions to participate in research stays. In addition, the programme offers outgoing IntCDC researchers the opportunity to collaborate with our international partners.
Further Information (application and deadlines):
IntCDC International Research Programme and the IntCDC Mobility Grants