TU Dresden and argentine university develop international laser course for students

In cooperation between TU Dresden and Universidad Nacional de Cordoba (Argentina), the first international course on "Laser Micromachining and Surface Functionalization" took place in April 2021. About 40 students and PhD students from different countries, including Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, Germany and Venezuela participated in the four-week event. The program consisted of lectures by laser experts and practical exercises to introduce the participants to the fundamentals and applications of laser-based technologies. All students who performed the final oral examination at the last day of the course received a certificate of participation, which is recognized as a course credit and as a qualification for PhD programs.

Andrés Fabián Lasagni, Professor of Laser-Based Methods for Large Area Surface Structuring at TU Dresden and co-organizer of the course is pleased with the success of the event: "Last year, due to the COVID pandemic, we were forced to apply new technological concepts for teaching. One of the few positive aspects of this unusual situation is that we can reach students all over the world and share with them our knowledge in relevant scientific topics. We also wanted to use this opportunity to recruit future candidates for programs of the DAAD as well as the Alexander von Humboldt foundation, for example for future postdoctoral positions." For Lasagni, the initiative was also a matter of the heart: "Especially in South America, there are not many universities that specialize in laser topics in teaching and research. I was born in Argentina and work with some universities in Argentina, Brazil and Chile. Because of my background, I felt the need to share my knowledge with them."

Co-organizer Professor Gustavo Ariel Pino, from the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, is also enthusiastic: "We are very pleased with the performance of the students during the international classes. For many, it was the first time they come in contact with the given research topics. All the undergraduate and graduate students, whether from engineering or even physics, showed great interest and we hope that the many ideas and the discussions that arose will lead to their own research projects."

Following the pilot project, Professors Lasagni and Pino are already making plans for long-term collaboration: "We hope to offer this course again next year. It opens up international exchange and cooperation opportunities with Latin America. This action will allow us also to show what are we doing at the Technische Universität Dresden together with other partners from the DRESDEN Concept alliance“, Lasagni concludes.