There is no better way to spark enthusiasm for science and engineering than by giving students a glimpse into real-world technology.

As part of our University Technology Centre (UTC) partnership with Rolls-Royce, we recently took 15 Bachelor students on a two-day excursion to Rolls-Royce Dahlewitz — a truly unique opportunity to witness jet-engine assembly and testing up close.

Seeing these engines in person is impressive in every sense: a perfect blend of precision engineering and large-scale machinery. The students’ feedback was overwhelmingly positive — and the fascination for aerospace technology was tangible.

The UTC connects three TU Darmstadt institutes with Rolls-Royce:

• Simulation of Reactive Thermo-Fluid Systems (STFS), TU Darmstadt (my institute) and Reaktive Strömungen und Messtechnik (RSM), TU Darmstadt (Prof. Dreizler) on combustion,

• Gasturbinen, Luft- und Raumfahrtantriebe (GLR), TU Darmstadt (Prof. Schiffer, Michael Börner) on turbine, compressor, and fan research.

Our shared goal is to generate scientific knowledge that enables genuine innovation for future CO₂ reductions.

Many thanks to Thomas Dörr, Miklos Gerendas, and the Rolls-Royce team for the exceptional insights, and to Manuel Helferich for the great organization!