Alumni in South America

Aims of the alumni association:

The Alumni Network aims to develop and maintain a relationship between alumni living in Argentina and their Alma Mater, as well as between alumni among themselves. Primarily, the alumni are to be informed about current developments in research, teaching, and effects of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The lifelong learning of the graduates is to be supported by targeted offers. The overriding goal of alumni work is to support KIT in the Argentine and international identity foundation.

Founded: August 2009, Córdoba, Argentina

Number of members: about 40 founding members

Homepage of the umbrella organisation: http://kitalumni.com.ar/ 

Management of the Alumni Club Argentina 

"I have a lot of fun to be with students who were at the KIT."

The exchange year in Karlsruhe was a great and important experience in my life. I studied chemical engineering at KIT in 2002 and 2003. During this time, the castle garden, bathed in the light of the autumn sun, was my absolute favorite place. Today, I am a professor in Argentina myself and director of the "International Office" of my faculty. This gives me the opportunity to share my experiences with students and help them to go to Germany with a scholarship. As president of the Alumni Club Argentina I like to be in contact with other alumni and remember together with them the old times in Karlsruhe. I also like to share these memories with students who want to take the step abroad.

The objectives of KIT Alumni Club Brazil are:

• To promote KIT exchange and cooperation with companies, research institutions and universities in Brazil
• To bring together former Brazilians scholarship holders who have studied or worked in the KIT
• To offer a communication platform for KIT alumni
• To promote social and cultural events of interest to members
• To assist new scholarship holders with information, knowledge and experience
• To expand the scientific and cultural exchange between KIT and Brazil

Contact:

Club formation on 30 March 2008

Twenty-five of about two hundred alumni of Universität Karlsruhe (TH) and Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe living in Chile met for the first time on 30 March 2008 with the University Rector Prof. Hippler, Dr. Martínez on behalf of the International Office and eight other Karlsruhe professors in Santiago at the Heidelberg Center for Latin America to jointly found and accredit the AlumniKaTH Regional Club Chile.

The alumni came from both the north and south of this narrow but very elongated country in order to inform themselves about the new developments at their university and at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Prof. Hippler presented the current developments and was available for questions and discussion. The participants talked about the pride they feel in now belonging to an "elite university". They are enthusiastic that in a country as norm-filled as Germany, seen from Chile, radical structural changes are possible in order to create an institution as promising for the future as the KIT.

Afterwards, a generous reception was held in the garden of the Heidelberg Center for Latin America. The Heidelberg Center is a branch of the University of Heidelberg that is open to all universities in Baden-Württemberg. The reception was not only dedicated to the foundation of the club, but also to the speakers of the expert seminar "Natural Disasters - Disaster Management and Prevention", which took place in Chile from March 31st to April 2nd. The seminar was attended by hundreds of Latin American graduates, former PhD students, guest scientists and other participants from government, research and industry.

The AlumniKaTH-Club Chile sees itself as a platform for social and scientific exchange. Its goals are the support of graduates from Karlsruhe in Chile, exchange of information and cooperation offers with economy and science. Within this framework, the alumni will offer internships in their companies in Chile for good Karlsruhe students. Support is also planned for the current and future cooperation of KIT with institutions in Chile in research and teaching.
 

Aims of the Alumni Association:

• To strengthen the presence of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Chile.
• Start of work in Chile with Chilean students, especially with students of German schools; information events and reports on our experiences at KIT; promotion of distance learning courses of the University's Distance Learning Center (FSZ) at German schools; support of the efforts of the KIT International Office to attract good Chilean students for study visits at KIT.
• Active involvement of graduates in club activities after their return to Chile.
• Development of an information portal on the Internet; establishing contacts with companies in Chile; arranging internships in Chilean companies for KIT students; publishing job offers; finding sponsors for the alumni club in the Chilean economy.
• The network will be filled with life more and more by lectures and leisure events.
   

Contact:

Management of the Alumni Club Chile: 

Prof. Dr. Cristian Bornhardt   Studies: Chemical and Process Engineering (Doctor) Place of residence: Temuco, Chile Contact: cristian.bornhardt∂ufrontera.cl

"The time in Karlsruhe was decisive for my future."

Der Auslandsaufenthalt am KIT war für mich eine schöne, interessante und zukunftsbestimmende Zeit. Damals habe ich Karlsruhe als Studienort gewählt, da der Professor für meinen Fachbereich Lebensmittelverfahrenstechnik weltbekannt war und ich habe den Campus und das nähere Umfeld schnell ins Herz geschlossen. Das Alumninetzwerk begeistert mich, da es Zukunftsmöglichkeiten für unsere Studierenden und jungen Akademiker bietet. Daher empfehle ich den Austauschstudierenden und Absolventen des KIT: „Keep in touch“ mit der deutschen Alma Mater, nutzt Weiterbildungsmöglichkeiten, nehmt teil an den gebotenen Aktivitäten der KIT Alumniclubs.