As part of the EIP project DeTail (Detection of Tail Biting), the kickoff meeting took place on July 4, 2024 at the Futterkamp Teaching and Research Center, Gutshof, 24327 Blekendorf. The aim of the project is to develop a native dashboard in the form of a web application that can serve as an early warning system for tail biting in agricultural practice based on known early indicators at pen level. With the help of this early warning system, farmers can be made aware of an increased risk of tail biting by their animals and react with appropriate countermeasures. Project partners in the project Dr. Sophie Diers (LVZ Futterkamp), Juliane Ahlhorn (LVZ Futterkamp), Dr. Marc-Alexander Lieboldt (LWK Nds.), Dr. Heiko Janssen (LWK Nds.), Dr. Neele Dierksen (LWK Nds.), Kai Gevers (LWK Nds.), Prof. Dr. Imke Traulsen (CAU Kiel), Prof. Dr. Joachim Krieter (formerly CAU Kiel). In addition, a stable tour took place after the kickoff meeting.

As part of the “First International Conference Universities and Artificial Intelligence Technology” at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Amman 24-25 June 2024 (Jordan), Prof. Dr. Jorge Marx Gómez gave the opening keynote speech on the topic “Beyond data: Federated learning as a bridge between machine learning and data protection”. The conference was attended by top-class participants and attracted great interest from universities from across the region, as well as representatives from industry and politics.

As part of the research project MobiLe II (BMBF-funded), the third evaluation round with the participation of the consortium partners took place on June 13, 2024. This was successfully carried out with an online interview with BeNaMo (Digital Mobility and Social Differentiation, Social Science Research Center Berlin).

On 10-11.6 we met with other LIHYP project partners in Ghent in the frame of LIHYP project meeting. In these two days we discussed about the different work-packages in the project. Oldenburg University (VLBA) is working with Energyhub Emmsland on wp1 and developing the data structure and backend of the LIHYP platform. We presented the status of the development and received feedback of how other work packages can provide the content for the platform. In this meeting it is also discussed about the possibility to include the accounting of the green hydrogen through a blockchain infrastructure.

On June 12th and 13th the "Bremer KI-Tage 2024" of Transferzentrum für KI Bremen.AI took place. School classes, students and companies had the opportunity to inform themselves about developments and trends in the field of artificial intelligence and to expand their network. The VLBA supported colleagues from abat AG as part of the research cooperation and provided insights into the research project on drone-based inventory.

The federal government has launched a “Digital Day“ this year. The TiPP project took this as an opportunity to present insights into the digitalization in pig farming under the leadership of the Lower Saxony Chamber of Agriculture. The focus was on artificial intelligence, blockchain and digital identities. Insights into the DigiSchwein and TiPP projects were provided to demonstrate the application potential of these technologies in pig farming. After the presentations and discussions, the participants also visited the fattening barn at the research station in Wehnen.

The University of Oldenburg, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, organized an interactive information event with the "Entdecker*innentage Mathematik, Informatik und Naturwissenschaften", which was intended to spark interest in university research with a focus on mathematics, computer science and natural sciences, especially among children and young people. The INFRASense research project, which is developing a data-based evaluation of the cycle path network with the active participation of citizens, was also represented at Campus Wechloy. On Friday, May 31, pupils (from year 7) and their teachers had the opportunity to ask the project questions and find out more about the opportunities for participation. On Saturday, June 1, the event was open to the interested public. Among others, committed cyclists and municipal planning staff visited the project to discuss the quality of the cycling infrastructure in Oldenburg and the surrounding municipalities.

Worldiety GmbH, represented by Maximilian Kolde and Christoph Struth, presented the BIQEmonitor as a practice partner, which displays the quality of the cycling infrastructure based on sensor data. The website also makes it possible to provide feedback on the cycling infrastructure and evaluate it. VLBA developed the Radar cycle path in INFRASense, which supplements this data with accident, traffic and cycle infrastructure data, among other things, to provide additional insights into the quality and potential problems of the cycle path network. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the lively interest and the many questions asked, which will inspire further data-based cycling research. 

Das Konsortialtreffen im Haus der Wissenschaft (Braunschweig) des Zukunftslabor Wassers war eine gute zweitägige Veranstaltung, aus der mit verschiedenen Arbeitsgruppen tolle Ergebnisse resultierten.

Am ersten Tag wurden die Teilnehmer herzlich mit einer Tasse Kaffee begrüßt, das eine angenehmen Atmosphäre für den Beginn schuf. Prof. Dr. Kai Schröter und Prof. Dr. Jorge Marx Gómez eröffneten die Veranstaltung mit einleitenden Worten, gefolgt von Dr. Volkan Gizli, der die Tagesordnung vorstellte. Dr. Agnetha Flore gab anschließend eine informative Einführung in die Arbeit des ZDIN (Zentrum für digitale Innovationen).

Ein Höhepunkt des ersten Tages war der inspirierende Impulsvortrag von Prof. Dr. Andrea Cominola, der viele anregende Fragen und Diskussionen hervorrief. Ein Gruppenfoto diente als schöne Erinnerung an die Veranstaltung, bevor eine kurze Pause den Teilnehmern Gelegenheit gab, sich auszutauschen und neue Energie zu tanken, bevor es in die Arbeitsgruppen (Breakout-Sessions) ging.

Nach der Pause leitete Malin Delfs (Vertretung für Dr. Laura Herzog) eine lebhafte Diskussionsrunde ein, die nahtlos in spezialisierte Breakout-Sessions überging. Diese boten den Teilnehmern die Möglichkeit, in kleineren Gruppen tiefer in spezifische Themen einzutauchen. Der Tag fand seinen krönenden Abschluss mit einem gemütlichen gemeinsamen Abendessen, bei dem weiterführende Gespräche und Networking im Vordergrund standen.

Der zweite Tag begann mit einem Workshop, in dem die Kernthemen aus einer vorherigen Umfrage intensiv diskutiert wurden. Hier spielte Malin Delfs wieder eine zentrale Rolle und Dr. Volkan Gizli koordinierte wieder die Sitzungen. Die anschließenden Breakout-Sessions ermöglichten es den Teilnehmern, ihre Erkenntnisse zu vertiefen und konkrete Lösungsansätze zu entwickeln.

Nach einer kurzen Erholungspause wurden die Diskussionen in den Breakout-Sessions fortgesetzt und mündeten schließlich in einer abschließenden Zusammenfassung. Prof. Dr. Jorge Marx Gómez fasste die Ergebnisse des Workshops zusammen und gab einen Ausblick auf zukünftige Aktivitäten des ZDINs. Mit einer herzlichen Abschiedsrede von Prof. Dr. Kai Schröter endete schließlich die Veranstaltung.

Wir danken allen Teilnehmern für ihr Engagement und freuen uns auf weitere spannende Veranstaltungen.

On May 8, 2024, the consortium partners of the TIPP project met for a face-to-face workshop. At the invitation of Böseler Goldschmaus, associated partner of the project, the workshop took place in Garrel. After a presentation of the progress made in the individual work packages, the main topic of documentation obligations was introduced with a keynote speech. Following on from this, the topic was discussed in depth in groups and the possible contributions from TiPP were discussed.  Finally, the participants were given a tour of the plant and were given an insight into slaughtering, cutting and processing.

On 25.04.2024, the VLBA department welcomed 6 schoolgirls from grades 5-8 as part of this year's Girls' Day.

Under the title "Drones & Artificial Intelligence - Insights into the Logistics of the Future", Steffen Meeuw presented the research cooperation between the University of Oldenburg and abat AG. The keynote speech focused in particular on the optimisation of inventory processes through the use of drones.

After the practical impressions, the interested students were allowed to get active themselves: they had to navigate a small drone with programming modules through a set parkour, past obstacles and land it precisely. At the end of the event, the participants were given the opportunity to fly a camera drone over the Campus Haarentor.

The VLBA department would like to thank abat AG for their support in organising the Future Day and wishes the participants every success in their future academic and professional careers.

The kick-off meeting of the HEIBlue (funded through Erasmus+) project took place at the University of Seychelles in the Seychelles on April 23rd - 25th. This event marked the start of an international collaboration aimed at advancing the Blue Economy theme with partner countries (Spain, Portugal, Mauritius, Comoros, Madagascar and Seychelles).

The project group "GENIUS - Generative AI in company-specific applications" was launched during this year's summer semester 2024. The project group is an essential part of the Master's degree program in Information Systems and Computer Science, in which students spend a year together gaining practical experience with the challenges, tasks and processes of larger projects.

The "GENIUS" project group is conducted in collaboration with the long-standing cooperation partner abat AG.  To get to know each other for the first time, a project kick-off of the group took place on April 5 at abat AG in Bremen. For one year, the project group is dedicated to the integration of generative AI in the corporate environment of abat AG. In addition to developing technical and innovative solutions, a particular focus is on organizing themselves within the project and establishing effective workflows.

The students are looking forward to continuing the collaboration and are excited to see how the project will develop over the coming months.

The midterm meeting of the Wärmewende Nordwest project took place on 17 April 2024. The conference took place at CORE in Oldenburg under the motto ‘Wärmewende Mittendrin!’. The focus was on digital support solutions for the heating transition in buildings, neighbourhoods and municipalities. The approximately 75 participants were presented with exciting presentations and discussions by experts from science, business and municipal practice. After the welcome address by Prof. Dr Sebastian Lehnhoff, there was first a presentation by Yannik Beermann from the Competence Centre for Municipal Heat Transition (KWW) on the development of municipal heat planning. This was followed by a networking carousel at the Market of Opportunities, where researchers were able to present their current results and develop new perspectives, ideas and concepts in dialogue with the participants. Prof. Dr. Oliver Opel from Norddeutsche Wärmeforschung, Dr. Peter Lorenzen, Managing Director of Wärmewerk GmbH and Gregor Jaschke from the Competence Centre for Energy Efficiency through Digitalisation (KEDi) contributed further presentations on the opportunities and challenges of digitalisation and the amendments to Section 14 EnWG.
Finally, there was a panel discussion with Eike Bronn (KEAN), Ruth Drügemöller (Oldenburg City Councillor), Jannik Hartfil (EWE Netz), Dr Peter Lorenzen and Birgit Schütte (GSG Energie) on current issues relating to regulation, acceptance, participation, municipal involvement and building management in the heating transition.
The mid-term conference was moderated by Carola Schede, the panel discussion by Matthias Schneider (Treurat und Partner Unternehmensberatungsgesellschaft mbH).

On April 15th, 2024 As part of his disputation, Pajam Hassan defended his dissertation entitled “Big Data Analytics im Supply Chain Risk Management” successfully. Congratulations from the VLBA department.

On April 11th and 12th, 2024, a personal project event took place in Oldenburg, where project partners from various European countries came together to advance Project AI@Smile. Representatives from Spain, Italy, Serbia, Turkey, Greece, and Germany participated. During the two-day meeting, a variety of project activities were carried out, including discussions on past and upcoming key activities and the development of a sustainability framework for the project.

The diversity of the participants was reflected not only in the countries represented but also in the different perspectives and expertise they brought to the table. This diversity proved to be extremely enriching for the discussions and decisions made during the meeting.

The personal interaction allowed participants to engage deeply and get to know their colleagues in the project better. This not only contributed to strengthening team spirit but will also have a long-term positive impact on the project's progress.

Overall, we can look back on two intense but extremely productive days that will contribute to advancing Project AI@Smile successfully and ensuring its sustainability.

The 6th consortium meeting in the Wärmewende Nordwest project took place on March 12 and 13, 2024. The two-day meeting took place at OFFIS in Oldenburg. After the initial get-together, Prof. Dr. Sebastian Lehnhoff welcomed the attendees. The event was moderated by the overall project manager, Christine Rosinger. Over the course of the two days, all six research fields and the two cross-sectional activities were able to present their progress. Topics that were in focus included

• Linking teaching with the project
• Prototype presentations
• Central monitoring and control of buildings with open standards
• Thermal load prediction and CO_2 analysis of a university energy system
• Transformation of existing heating networks
• Municipal heat planning and the agreement of this with the project.
• Data platform for the project
• Public relations activities

In addition to the preparation for the interim report, the upcoming mid-term meeting at the project mid-term was also discussed. The presentations identified further starting points for collaboration across research fields, which will be discussed in the coming weeks. The event was rounded off with joint social activities at the end of each conference day.

Hello students,

Once again this year, we cordially invite you to the Data Challenge 2024 in cooperation with worldiety GmbH. You will face an exciting challenge and work on it as part of a block course (two weeks) during the lecture-free period.

In addition to the ECTS, you can also win something from our cooperation partner, as they will award a prize for the best three teams 1 - 3 overall (€2000 divided between 1st - 3rd place). So why not take part in this Master's event and get ECTS and the prize money.

You will receive all information about the procedure at the information event.

When? 09.04.2024, 13:00 h
Where? A04 3-319 (meeting room of the VLBA) or online for participants of the Emden University of Applied Sciences via https://elearning.uni-oldenburg.de/plugins.php/meetingplugin/room/index/4af74f4eef59a30f07cd93910d76c526/25076fc715915a7a912945028e53e9b6?cancel_login=1).

Greetings
The lecturers

From the 26th to 28th of February, the Partners of NEWW met in Byumba, Rwanda to conduct the first official Career Fair of the project. Joined by Industry Partners from Oldenburg, as well as researchers from the University of Ghana, the main event took place on the 27th at the University for Technology and Arts of Byumba (UTAB). It was a very productive exchange between Universities, Industry Partners and students. The Goal of the event, which will be organized twice per year (once at UTAB and once at the University of Ghana), was to inform students about internships and Job opportunities during or after their graduation as well as an exchange of know-how between industry partners from different countries.

On January 30th and 31st, the kick-off for the groundbreaking KPI4HE project took place at the Yerevan State University (YSU) in Yerevan, Armenia. This event marked the beginning of an international collaboration aimed at defining and implementing key performance indicators in higher education. The participants' list included academics and professionals from prestigious universities, such as the University of Oldenburg, the Dresden University of Technology, the University of Genoa in Italy, and the hosting institution, Yerevan State University.

The kick-off was a complete success and provided a platform for the exchange of ideas, the development of common goals, and the planning of the next steps. The participating universities brought a variety of experiences and perspectives, enriching the dialogue and collaboration. It was an opportunity not only to concretize the project objectives but also to lay the foundations for a lasting partnership between the institutions.

The University of Oldenburg has taken on the honorable task of leading Work Package 1, which deals with the exploration and definition of KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). This task is crucial for the project as it lays the groundwork for developing a robust and effective evaluation system for higher education institutions. The team from Oldenburg brings extensive experience and expertise in this area, making them an indispensable part of the project.

The event in Yerevan was not just a working meeting but also an opportunity to experience the rich culture and history of Armenia. The Yerevan State University, as one of the leading educational institutions in the country, provided the perfect setting for this international exchange.

A highlight of the project will undoubtedly be the meeting at the end of September, where the University of Oldenburg will have the opportunity to welcome the project partners. This will be another important milestone in the collaboration, assessing progress and planning the next steps.

The successful kick-off event in Yerevan has set the course for an ambitious project with the potential to significantly improve performance evaluation in higher education. The collaboration between the involved universities is proof that significant progress can be made through joint efforts and the exchange of knowledge and best practices.

We look forward to the coming months and the further developments in the KPI4HE project with great anticipation. The successful kick-off is a promising start, and we are confident that our collaborative work will lead to innovative solutions and improvements in higher education performance evaluation.

A meeting was held today with Björn Thümler, Member of the State Parliament and former Minister for Science and Culture, and the President of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Jan Müller. The Zukunftslabor Wasser (ZLW) was presented to them. Further suggestions emerged from the exchange, which are to be explored in greater depth in the future as part of continued cooperation.

Presentation on the Zukunftslabor Wasser

On January 8th, 2024 As part of his disputation, MSc Dirk Bendlin defended his dissertation entitled “Data-driven decision-making processes using the example of the data value chain of offshore operations management and maintenance
Wind farms in large projects” successfully. Congratulations from the VLBA department.