Not only particles are accelerated here, but also careers: As a major research center near Geneva, CERN is a top international address for physical findings. At this renowned institution, Richard Jung was the first student from Fachhochschule Dortmund to have the opportunity to crown the practical part of his Master's thesis with his own experiments.
Richard Jung spent several months intensively investigating and documenting how sensitive a new type of chip ("GateMate A1 FPGA" from Cologne Chip AG) is to radiation. "In principle, the aim was to find out What can the chip withstand and how does it compare with other chips?" In order to research this experimentally, he dealt extensively with radiation effects and their impact on electronic components.
"It really was a unique opportunity, not only to gain access to CERN, but also to be able to carry out experiments there myself," says the 27-year-old looking back. He has Prof. Dr. Michael Karagounis from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering to thank for this special highlight of his studies, as he made the relevant contacts and supervised his final thesis. Richard Jung initially studied at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and then continued his studies at the Faculty of Information Technology.
Experience gained, contacts made
"My time at CERN definitely left a lasting impression on me, I was able to gain a lot of practical experience and made exciting contacts in this research-intensive environment," reports Richard Jung.
While he was still compiling the results of the experiments for his final thesis after his return, his career entry was already in the offing. "As a software development engineer, I'm currently working on the control of rolling mills and the effects of the relevant physical processes, for example pressure and temperature." The understanding of technologies and the associated physics continues to be very useful for him. Dealing with these topics during his studies was "definitely worth it".
Background
Cologne Chip AG is the only company in Germany to design and market FPGA logic components. "It is thus making an extremely valuable contribution to Germany's technological sovereignty," says Prof. Dr. Michael Karagounis. These components are funded by the Federal Ministry of Business Studies and Climate Protection (BMWK) and by the EU in connection with "Important Projects of Common European Interest" (IPCEI).