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Abderrahmen Merioua’s inspiring experience at Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences (THM)

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I’m Abderrahmen Merioua, better known as Abdou. Doctor in Civil Engineering since 2016, I worked as a professor-researcher before joining CESI La Rochelle in January 2022, as a professor and academic supervisor in the field of Construction & Civil Engineering.
My areas of expertise include structural calculations, strength of materials, and construction work management. My role at CESI is to teach undergraduate and civil engineering courses. I also supervise apprentices to ensure that their training is aligned with their professional goals.
In November 2023, I had the opportunity to participate in an academic mobility at THM University, in Germany, as part of the Erasmus program for CESI teaching staff.

The goals of this collaboration

My traineeship at THM had several goals:

  • Language reinforcement: Although German is the main language at THM, I took advantage of this immersion to improve my English skills, a language that is commonly used in knowledge exchanges.
  • Getting to know the research laboratory: I explored the THM research laboratory, which houses materials-based projects, and attended fascinating presentations presented by doctoral students. I also visited the building materials educational laboratory, which inspired me to deepen my knowledge of breakthroughs in research and techniques for characterizing building materials.
  • Prospects for collaboration: I then started reflecting on possible collaboration between CESI and THM in the field of Construction & Civil Engineering, a similar program already existing in the IT sector.

On-site projects

During my academic stay, I took part in several knowledge exchanges and discovered work in progress at the THM research laboratory. This gave me ideas for possible collaborations around the evolution of building materials and characterization techniques.
I was warmly welcomed by Murielle Volk and her colleagues from the international department, as well as by professors such as Prof. Kummel, Prof. Kern, Dr. Baier and Ms. Beckmann.
The language barrier, which I initially feared, was not an obstacle in the end, because everyone spoke excellent English, thus making knowledge exchange fluid, whether at the university or in the city of Giessen.

Differences between CESI and THM

Overall, the educational approaches at CESI and THM are similar, with a common goal: to provide students with the skills needed to solve complex problems.
However, I’ve noted that active learning is more emphasized at CESI while at THM the project-based approach is more common in certain civil engineering specialties.
Both institutions also offer work-study training in construction & civil engineering, which opens up great opportunities for knowledge exchanges between our schools.

Future partnership between professors and researchers

This partnership is not limited to professors; according to THM’s international department, it also aims to include students in the near future.
In my case, the knowledge exchange went very smoothly, especially thanks to the existing program in the IT sector, which facilitated contacts. The next step will be to welcome THM professors or researchers, especially on the La Rochelle campus, to introduce them to our teaching methods. This will allow them to get to know our training programs and meet our students to better understand their expectations. This initiative would help strengthen the relationship between both institutions and explore new ways of collaboration, particularly in the field of construction & civil engineering.

I strongly encourage my colleagues to apply for an Erasmus Staff Mobility traineeship in order to strengthen academic partnerships with partner intstitutions and open up new opportunities for collaboration.

Abderrahmen Merioua