The MicroSystemTechnology Congress 2025

The MicroSystemTechnology Congress 2025 took place in the Mercator Hall from October 27th to 29th, 2025. The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Duisburg took advantage of the opportunity and invited 29 interested students to the congress on October 29th, 2025, to hear the keynote address by Dr. Markus Ulm, Head of the Sensor Technology Product Division at Robert Bosch GmbH: "Microsystems Technology: A Success Story and Engine of Innovation for the Future" and to gain an insight into technical congresses.

Afterwards, the group went to the Duisburg campus for an informational presentation on studying engineering, given by Dr. Rüdiger Buß, followed by a shared lunch in the cafeteria. To conclude the day, the group split into two to gain insights into the research work of various disciplines. The topics ranged from fire detection, terahertz radiation, and AI in measurement technology to high-voltage engineering and our high-voltage hall. In addition to a laboratory tour and explanations of the various measuring and testing equipment, led by Jan Weber, the participants were able to admire a real test specimen currently undergoing acceptance testing. This proved particularly exciting for many of the participants, as evidenced by the numerous questions about the equipment and the specimen – how often does one get the chance to examine underground cables and various high-voltage components up close?

To conclude the tour, Martin Kurka demonstrated the department's own Tesla coils, explained their operating principle, and gave a short electronic concert. Furthermore, Chris Fonteyn and Duygu Bilir impressively demonstrated the destructive effects of high voltage and resulting partial discharges in an experiment – ​​the resulting wooden Lichtenberg figures were distributed to the participants as a small memento of the day.

The Association for the Promotion of Engineering Sciences invites the youth of the Alfaruq community, Essen, to visit us

On Monday, October 20, 2025, the Alfaruq Youth, a group of students from the Islamic Center Essen Alfaruq, visited our Department of Energy Transport and Storage at the University of Duisburg, thanks to a collaboration with the Engineering Sciences Support Association. The visit provided an opportunity to gain insight into the work and research topics of electrical engineering in the fields of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and high-voltage engineering.

In addition to an introductory presentation on the history and structure of the university, which highlighted the various levels of the university up to the chair level, guided tours of the high-voltage and EMC laboratory were conducted. The active participation and numerous questions from the attendees made for a very entertaining and informative event. We would like to express our sincere gratitude for this.

During the laboratory tours, which primarily highlighted the research and knowledge transfer activities within the department, various experiments were demonstrated. These experiments showcased the fact that, in addition to the excellent career prospects for a degree in electrical engineering, many extraordinary experiments can be conducted safely with scientific expertise.

For example, Tesla coils were used to demonstrate how high voltage can be generated and how, with skillful manipulation, the resulting electric arcs can even be used to produce music. Furthermore, the creation of Lichtenberg figures in wood impressively demonstrated how destructive yet aesthetically pleasing the effects of high voltage and partial discharges can be.

In addition to an introductory presentation on the history and structure of the university, which illuminated the various levels of the university up to the chair level, guided tours of the high-voltage and EMC laboratory were conducted. During the laboratory tours, which primarily highlighted the research and transfer area of ​​the department, various experiments were demonstrated, exemplifying that in addition to the good career prospects for a job with a degree in electrical engineering, there are also many extraordinary experiments that can be carried out safely with scientific know-how.

SMS Energy (Smart Metering Systems for Energy Networks) is the new research area at the ETS Chair. It has evolved from many years of development work on communication and diagnostics in electrical networks using powerline technology and from the work of the former Power Electronics Department. Both lines of research combine to form a scientifically sound approach to measuring, interpreting and evaluating conditions in electrical energy networks and their components.

On October 3rd, 2025, the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Duisburg-Essen opened its doors at the Duisburg campus as part of the nationwide WDR event “Open Doors with the Mouse”, inviting young and curious visitors to explore the diversity of its research. The Institute for Power Transmission and Energy Storage (ETS) also participated with its own station.

At our booth, visitors could marvel at Lichtenberg figures in wood and experience high-voltage discharges created with a small Tesla coil.
Chris Fonteyn, Thorsten Klauke-Queder, and Duygu Bilir explained in an engaging and accessible way how electrical discharges and electrical treeing processes develop and what physical mechanisms are behind them. The slowly spreading, branching structures of the Lichtenberg figures served as a clear illustration of the dynamics of electrical discharges. ⚡

We would like to sincerely thank all the organizers behind the scenes for their excellent preparation and smooth coordination. It was a fantastic experience – and we’re already looking forward to next year’s event! 🚀

👉 Read the full post from the Faculty of Engineering on LinkedIn: Read on LinkedIn

The International Symposium on High Voltage Engineering (ISH) is one of the most important international conferences in the field of high-voltage engineering. It takes place every two years, alternating between a European and a non-European venue.

ISH is regarded as one of the key platforms of the international high-voltage community. It brings together researchers from universities and research institutions as well as representatives from industry to present their work, discuss shared challenges, and explore new impulses. This close integration of academic and industrial research is what makes the conference particularly valuable.

ISH 2025 covered topics ranging from electromagnetic fields and transients to testing and diagnostic techniques and new insulating materials, extending further to monitoring, asset management, HVDC applications, and smart high-voltage systems, thereby highlighting the broad spectrum of today’s high-voltage engineering.

The Chair of Power Transmission and Energy Storage (ETS), University of Duisburg-Essen, was represented by the contributions of Thorsten Klauke-Queder, Sven Musielak (Spieß), and Oliver Resing:

📌 Thorsten Klauke-Queder, et al. – Equivalent Circuit-Based Real-Time Determination of Conductor Temperatures for Type Testing of AC Power Cables with Integrated Extraction of the Skin Effect Factor

📌 Sven Musielak, et al. – Anomaly and Trend Detection in Powerline Communication Signals for the Condition Assessment of Distribution Network Cables

📌 Sven Musielak, et al. – Quantitative Analysis of Volatile Operation and its Impact on Turbine Generators

📌 Oliver Resing, Holger Hirsch – Condition Monitoring of On-Load Tap Changer Based on Feature Extraction of Vibroacoustic Signals and Motor Currents

Further impressions of the conference can be found in the LinkedIn post by Thorsten Klauke-Queder.

We would like to thank all co-authors and the organizers for an inspiring conference and are already looking forward to the next ISH 2027 in Thessaloniki, Greece.

As in previous years, our EMC laboratory manager, Jan Weber, organized an excursion to the EMC test laboratory EMC-Test NRW in Dortmund for students of the "EMC" and "Introduction to EMC" courses.

The event started with an informative and very entertaining presentation by Dr. Jörg Bärenfänger (not in the picture), one of the two managing directors of the EMC Competence Center.

In addition to an introduction to the company, extensive knowledge on EMC standards, their legal handling, and their interpretation was presented. Following this, laboratory manager Christoph Schwing (3rd from the right in the photo) gave a tour of the testing laboratory.

The testing processes in the laboratory were briefly paused specifically for the excursion. In addition to the presentation and tour of the various anechoic chambers on site, including the recently built, state-of-the-art hybrid anechoic chamber, the large hall with a 10-meter measurement spacing and the laboratory's new mode reverberation chamber, the size of a small construction container, were also visited. In addition to the test rooms, there was also a comprehensive demonstration of the measurement and testing technology. While some aspects were already familiar from the lecture, although they obviously appear completely different in practice, there were also new things to discover here. In the laboratory, everything was accompanied by numerous detailed information, explanations, and anecdotes from Christoph Schwing, who took plenty of time to explain things and answer questions from the participants.

We would like to thank the EMC Test NRW team, especially Dr. Jörg Bärenfänger and Christoph Schwing, for the successful morning (including food and drinks).

We're looking for U!

As a student assistant (f/m/d) to supervise the Power Electronics (summer semester) and High-Voltage Direct Current (winter semester) laboratory internships.

Further information can be found at: "SHK Internship Supervision" announcement.

Or as support in our third-party funded project NExtSTeP.

Further information can be found at: SHK "Social Media" announcement.

As a research assistant (f/m/d) to supervise the Power Electronics (summer semester) and High-Voltage Direct Current (winter semester) laboratory internships.

Further information can be found at: "WHF Internship Supervision" announcement.

Your german skills are welcome.

Jobs at our research project partners:

Eichhoff Kondensatoren GmbH - EMV-Entwickler
Eichhoff Kondensatoren GmbH - PLC-Entwickler