Students develop innovative strategy for waste separation in the dormitory!

Students develop innovative strategy for waste separation in the dormitory!

On September 16, 2025, an innovative interdisciplinary teaching project was presented at the Technical University of Ilmenau, which deals with waste separation in student dormitories. In this context, communication students designed a comprehensive strategy to inform and motivate their fellow students regarding the correct separation of waste. It wasn't just about imparting knowledge; The main goal was to actively promote sustainable behavior among students, such as tu-ilmenau.de reported.

The course, which is part of the Klima-N research initiative funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, focused on practical solutions for greater sustainability on campus. Abdur Rab Khan, a master's student in media and communication studies, highlighted the practical relevance of the project. In this context, he described the challenge of developing a functioning communication strategy and implementing it in a real environment as particularly valuable.

Interdisciplinary collaboration

The “Engineering Meets Communication Science” project combines knowledge from empirical media research and political communication as well as product and system development. Students from different disciplines came together to conduct a stakeholder analysis to better understand the needs of dorm residents. Prof. Jens Wolling, head of the EMPK department, praised the students' commitment and reiterated the value of interdisciplinary collaboration for greater sustainability, as well myscience.de determines.

The students not only developed a communication strategy, but also a concept for a machine for automatically recognizing types of waste. This practical teaching project was designed in the winter semester 2024/25 and successfully implemented and evaluated in the summer semester 2025.

Practical implementation and education for sustainable development

The concept of education for sustainable development (ESD) was made practically tangible as part of the project. The initiative has several goals, including addressing real-world social problems, integrating diverse perspectives, promoting communication, and strengthening students' self-efficacy. These goals are designed to actively involve students in the learning process, as in bne-nordhessen.de described.

In addition, the aim is to inspire further interdisciplinary collaborations in order to sustainably improve teaching in the study programs involved. The findings from this teaching project will flow back into future teaching practice and could serve as a model for similar projects at other universities.

Overall, the project shows how university education can function as a real-world laboratory for social change. It not only increases students' awareness of sustainable issues, but also provides valuable practical experiences that are essential in the modern educational landscape.