There is a lot going on at Alfons-Goppel-Platz. One car after another pulls into one of the parking spaces and mostly younger students also get off the buses. A stream of people walks purposefully toward the various buildings. But it wouldn’t be a university if there wasn’t research going on here as well. This is what the lecturers and other “good spirits” within the four research institutes at Hof University of Applied Sciences are concerned with. Research is conducted on exciting topics and the results are then published in special journals, congresses and platforms.
Podcasts: Science for the ears
Anne-Christine Habbel, the head of research marketing, and her team make sure that information on these exciting topics is also provided via podcast. A podcast is an Internet-based audio series that can also be subscribed to. Around 40 percent of Germans use this option, and the trend is rising. Under #hierwirdknallhartgeforscht, research topics from the university are presented at regular intervals on a wide variety of external channels.
In the current podcast, you can find out why research is being conducted at the university on the topic of fish. Dr. Harvey Harbach answers Anne-Christine Habbel’s questions about numerous research and environmental education projects and what it’s all about with hydroelectric power, bioplastics, cooking for children and fish in the Hof Zoo. The podcasts are recorded directly at the university.
Hydropower and renewable energy
The intelligent use of resources in the areas of water and energy is also directly implemented in Dr. Harbach’s research topics. Aquaculture requires both resources. In conversation, the topic of hydropower is of particular interest. Although hydropower is known as a renewable energy, it can certainly have a negative impact on the ecosystem. However, Dr. Harbach’s project idea already convinced the funding agency.
European Social Fund supports research on fish
The project NEEWa – “Network for the generation of energy with hydropower in existing water plants” is funded by the European Social Fund with 417,000 euros. The aim of the project is to use the existing potential of existing water plants. The particularity of the project is to install, for example, hydroelectric power in aquaculture and sewage treatment plants, decoupled from the environment, through which water flows. The water flows through these facilities 24 hours a day, and the multiple uses can generate sustainable electricity “on the side.”
The first podcast season covered everything from innovative hospital beds to plastic production from wood to new small-scale biomass plants for electricity and heat generation . The second season, which includes aquaponics is in the works.
Go to the podcast with Dr. Harvey Harbach
