The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Europa-Park in Rust share more than just geographic proximity. A profound bond between science and hands-on engineering practice is evident in this partnership, and this was recently experienced by 350 first-year mechanical engineering students from KIT.
Between Tradition and the Future: A Longstanding Partnership
For over a decade, Europa-Park has been offering KIT's mechanical engineering freshmen a unique start to their academic journey. And who better to introduce these budding engineers to the marvels of technology than Germany's largest amusement park, where technology and imagination coalesce? A partnership that might seem unconventional on paper but has proven to be quite captivating in practice.Roland Mack, the visionary owner of Europa-Park, is himself a graduate of Karlsruhe's educational system. An engineer by training, shaped by his time at the Technical University of Karlsruhe, the precursor of KIT. It's this personal connection that laid the foundation for this collaboration.
Inspiration Through Practice: Europa-Park as a Living Textbook
During the students' welcoming ceremony in the grand Berlin Ballroom, Dr. Volker Klaiber, Director of Europa-Park, emphasized the significance of hands-on experience, stating: "Europa-Park is not just a place of entertainment but also a showcase of engineering in action."And Prof. Dr.-Ing. Kai Furmans, Dean of the KIT Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, stressed how invaluable it is to complement theoretical knowledge with such tangible experiences. The foundation established during their studies greatly benefits from such real-world examples.
