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The Overseas Immersion Programme (OIP) is a highlight for most TUM Asia final-year undergraduates. Students spend three to five months at the home campus in Munich, Germany, taking in many new experiences while completing their Bachelor Thesis. In this issue, the DIGEST team catches up with six Bachelor students to learn more about their time in Europe.
We are really happy to hear that you are settling in well in Germany! Can you give our readers an insight to your experience in Germany thus far?
Shieh Ying: I have to say that the study experience in Germany has been a fulfilling journey thus far. Being able to work with industry-sized lab facilities has enhanced my understanding of the various concepts learnt in Singapore. The TUM professors and PhD students explain the theory of the experiments during pre-lab sessions to simulate our thinking for the experiments itself, which is a different learning experience for all of us.
How are you adapting to the culture and lifestyle in Germany? Tell us more about the enjoyable experiences you had so far.
Shieh Ying: In Germany, you will find that beer, butter pretzels and sausages are the common favourites amongst locals. The Germans particularly value punctuality, and you are expected to be on time for all your lab classes. As the culture here promotes work- life balance, shopping malls and supermarkets are usually closed on Sundays. However, you can plan day trips within Germany or travel out of Munich over the weekend to nearby countries that are easily accessible by Flixbus or even Deutsche Bahn trains.
Tell us more about your Bachelor Thesis and it’s relevance to our environment.
Shieh Ying: My thesis requires me to analyse the performance of the NiAlOx catalyst using the carbon dioxide methanation reaction which requires a catalyst that is reactive at low temperature and would be selective to methane. Methane is being used as a fuel in industries for electricity production. By converting carbon dioxide into methane, it helps to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and reduce global warming.
Now that you are coming to the end of your Bachelor studies, what are some of your thoughts looking back on your journey here in TUM Asia?
Shieh Ying: I am thankful for the opportunity to be part of the Student Management Committee as I had the chance to interact with my fellow schoolmates as well as to acquire new skills such as event planning. I am also grateful for a bunch of wonderful friends who made university life so much easier. Last but not least, I am fortunate to be able to learn from TUM professors who had flown in from Germany to share their experiences and knowledge personally with us. University life at TUM Asia has been very fulfilling for me and I would not trade this experience with anything else.
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Shieh Ying studied in the Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering with the Technical University of Munich. She studied in the Singapore branch campus (TUM Asia) and spent five months in Munich, Germany to complete her lab courses and thesis at the home campus of the university.
To read the full interview with Shieh Ying, it was first published in our DIGEST newsletter (Jan 2018). View the e-newsletter here >>
TUM Asia administrates the TUM Bachelor degrees together with the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT). GCE ‘A’ Levels, Polytechnic Diploma and international qualification holders may apply for the TUM Bachelor degrees. Find out more about the programmes offered >>
Interested students may apply for the TUM Bachelor of Science programmes from January to March every year.
Applications are accepted at our partner university’s admission site: https://admission.singaporetech.edu.sg