Material Assessment Lab
In order to connect teaching, research and practice and to make them tangible, a Material Assessment Lab (MAssLab) will be established at the Institute for Anthropogenic Material Cycles in the next two years. The MAssLab will be an interactive learning and encounter space where students and researchers can deal with the topic "Circular Economy" in a study-, project- and subject-oriented - but above all practice-oriented - way. The MassLab focuses on the interaction with secondary raw materials - i.e. raw materials that have already been extracted from nature and can be used a second time, e.g. after recycling - and recyclable product systems.
To this end, a secondary materials database - the CirculateD - is being set up as the centerpiece. For a haptic experience, secondary raw materials will be presented as exhibits. On the other hand, a digital information platform is being set up. Via this, as in a digital textbook, all essential material systems are explained and provided with essential information as well as virtual insights into the life cycle of raw materials. Above all, the technical possibilities of recycling will be demonstrated. Thus, it will be possible to experience secondary raw materials with all senses in our MassLab.
The database will be made accessible to students as well as researchers. For the students, we will enable a direct link to lecture contents by means of exhibits from practice, which will also be used in the lectures. They should make product and material cycles visually and haptically tangible. The exhibits are presented in the MAssLab and provided with explanatory background texts on their origin, chemical and physical properties, possible processing technologies, and possible uses as secondary raw materials in the product cycle. Thus, lecture and exercise contents can be deepened, repeated and discussed in learning groups. The database and exhibits are to be structured according to material flows and enable the tracing of complex product cycles and recycling chains.
In addition to learning integration at ANTS, ongoing research projects will also have a place in MAssLab. This will give students and visitors an insight into existing research tasks and the perspectives of our scientific work. In addition, current our project results can be discussed with the research community and other interested parties in order to address the right research questions. Thus, the MAssLab also serves as an interactive working, learning and meeting space for research and teaching.
We are looking forward to an intensive implementation phase and even more to welcoming you soon as guests in the MAssLab. Whether as students or research partners, we are sure to create a space for discussion and exchange.