From June 26 to August 1, 2023, a research camp was held at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Involved were 12 participants and 9 supervisors from 7 countries, distributed over 3 projects. Researchers or students with deliberately different technical backgrounds and experience were selected. Thus, the teams consisted of a mix of master and doctoral students as well as postdocs, and the supervisors were composed of younger as well as more experienced professors. What they all have in common is an affiliation with engineering and an enthusiasm for research in the challenging field of nonlinear dynamics of mechanical systems.
Extreme lightweight design makes future technologies vulnerable to unwanted vibrations. Inherent nonlinearities (e.g. damping due to dry friction or plastic material behavior, contact interactions in joints, large deformations, fluid-structure interaction) have to be considered to ensure the safe design and there are numerous concepts which even specifically exploit these nonlinearities. This requires the development of completely new methods for numerical and experimental analysis.
At the research camp, participants learned to take responsibility in multinational working groups and to contribute their innovative strength. The results are published in a peer-reviewed journal for each project and presented at a relevant international conference.
The research camp, which takes place annually at alternating locations (Houston-London-Stuttgart), is a central component of the endeavor to establish an international network for nonlinear dynamics of mechanical systems with a center in Stuttgart. The steering committee consists of Malte Krack (University of Stuttgart), Christoph Schwingshackl (Imperial College London) and Matthew Brake (Rice University Houston). The BWS plus project "Establishing an International Network for Nonlinear Dynamics of Mechanical Systems” is carried out by the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung as part of the Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM program for university students.
About the Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM
The Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM supports the international exchange of students and vocationally qualified people. Since 2001, it has enabled more than 28,000 young people from Baden-Württemberg to gain experience abroad and allowed scholarship holders from other countries to visit Baden-Württemberg. Approximately 1,500 young people receive a Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM each year.
Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM for University Students – BWS plus
With the Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM for University Students – BWS plus, the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung supports innovative joint projects between universities from Baden-Württemberg and their international partners. The programme is endowed with approximately 1.2 million euros annually. Since 2011, more than 130 BWS plus projects have been supported at universities in Baden-Württemberg.
The Baden-Württemberg Stiftung
advocates a vital Baden-Württemberg with a high quality of life for all its residents. It helps pave the way for advanced technological progress, high quality education, and a responsible relationship with fellow human beings. The Baden-Württemberg Stiftung is one of the major foundations in Germany. It is the only foundation which exclusively and above party lines invests in the future of the state of Baden-Württemberg – and thus in the future of its citizens.