Chair sponsorships for the Nusselt lecture hall in the Mechatronics Learning and Application Center

More than ten years ago, the KIT Foundation initiated a fundraising campaign for chair sponsorships for the planned construction of the new Nusselt Lecture Hall on the South Campus of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The response was overwhelming: around €90,000 from over 130 donors was donated to finance the new lecture hall seating. In view of the growing importance of interdisciplinary cooperation, the idea was born to establish a complete Mechatronics Learning and Application Center (LAZ) at KIT. The aim was to give students a hands-on experience of the entire product development cycle - from the idea to the market launch.

The ambitious project was further developed with the support of the state of Baden-Württemberg and additional funding partners from industry. The result is a six-storey innovation center at KIT. The focus is on project-based learning in a lively environment in which students, teaching staff and industry partners can develop, experiment and grow prototypes together. Equipped with a fully functional makerspace, special project work areas and flexible collaboration spaces, the Learning and Application Center Mechatronics (LAZ) enables hands-on learning and interdisciplinary problem solving in the STEM subjects - and beyond.

The LAZ is now almost complete and is expected to be officially opened this year. At the end of January, plaques with the names of the chair sponsors were attached to the backrests of the lecture hall chairs. They visibly remind visitors of the generous contributions of the many donors and the associated philanthropic commitment to supporting young scientists.