Climate change and biodiversity loss are among the most pressing challenges of our time. In order to develop effective solutions for urban areas, the University of Stuttgart is launching a new teaching format called “SciWalK – Science Walk Climate Change and Biodiversity.” Students can now register via C@mpus.
Designing the climate-resilient cities of tomorrow
Master's students from the fields of architecture and urban planning, civil engineering, environmental engineering, and electrical and information technology are working together to develop solutions to combat the effects of climate change and promote greater biodiversity in urban areas. Learning is based on the principle of peer learning: students take on the role of experts in their field and pass on their knowledge to others. Using real-life case studies, students learn how to critically reflect on sustainability strategies, analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of measures, and develop sustainable concepts based on this.
The module runs for one year and focuses on interdisciplinary and project-based collaboration. “SciWalk combines theory and practice across disciplines, giving students a genuine opportunity to help develop solutions to socially relevant challenges,” says Claudia Lüling, research assistant at the Institute for Acoustics and Building Physics (IABP) and a member of the eight-person teaching team. “That's exactly what sustainable teaching is all about.”
Living sustainability in everyday university life
In practice, this means that students will be “walking” around with measuring backpacks during the summer semester to study the urban climate in Stuttgart. Their backpacks contain the result of their project work from the winter semester: A microclimate measurement tracker they developed themselves. The students evaluate the collected data in order to understand the urban building physics mechanisms of urban structures and identify areas for structural adaptation measures. Social aspects and the promotion of biodiversity are integrated into the design work from the outset.
SciWalk is more than just a teaching module. Here, sustainability is not only taught, but also lived. Our students are thus shaping the livable city of tomorrow," says Professor Manfred Bischoff, Vice President for Research and Sustainable Development.
Register now and help shape the future
SciWalk will start in the winter semester 2025/26 and is open to all students in the above-mentioned fields of study. You can now register via C@mpus. With this course you can earn six ECTS credits. The teaching project is funded by the Foundation for Innovation in Higher Education. In addition to the Institute of Acoustics and Building Physics, the Chair of Climate-Adapted Building and Design (IBBTE) [de], the Institute of Smart Sensors (IIS), and the Institute of Spatial and Regional Planning (IREUS) are also involved.
More new developments in teaching
The winter semester will also see the launch of the inter-university “BWIdee Education and Competition Format” – a key competency course for which students at the University of Stuttgart can earn three ECTS credits and a certificate. A digital lecture series on ecological, economic, and social sustainability is followed by an ideas competition. In interdisciplinary teams, students from various universities in Baden-Württemberg turn their own sustainable ideas into reality. There are great prizes to be won in a final pitch in front of a jury of experts.
You can now register via C@mpus. A teaching format at the Hochschule der Medien in Stuttgart, funded by the State Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Energy.
| Contact | Claudia Lüling, University of Stuttgart, Institute for Acoustics and Building Physics, phone: +49 711 685 60414, email |
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Jacqueline Gehrke
Online Editor