It’s adapt or die in Germany, says lecturer

Braam Visser (34), a lecturer at the Department of Electrical Engineering, is the first staff member to participate in the Nuffic capacity building programme. Braam left South Africa on 1 February for the University of Aachen in Germany, where he has already started with his doctorate.

As part of the Nuffic capacity building programme, TUT is obliged to send eight staff members abroad, four for PhD studies and four for M Tech studies. The programme pays for tuition, international travel, books and accommodation.  As part of his PhD, Braam is doing research on a vehicle that can run on either fuel or batteries. 

Braam says the Germans' approach to foreigners is basically "adapt or die", especially when it comes to communication. “I urgently need to enrol for a German language course to master the language,” he says.  “They value excellence and place a strong emphasis on the responsibilities and cooperation of students. If students do not excel, they are not afraid to confront them.”

Braam says the Germans love cake and that he has already baked some of them a traditional milk tart; another skill he had to master.

He will spend the whole of 2009 at the University of Aachen and will return to TUT in 2010. He will finish his doctorate at the University in 2011.