When professors are newly appointed to the civil engineering department, they usually not only have a doctorate but also several years of relevant professional experience. This enables them to bring their own contacts and networks with them, from which the students also benefit directly. Not only do the professors talk about their professional experience in their courses, they also use their contacts to carry out concrete study projects in cooperation with companies or public authorities or to provide topics for final theses from practical experience. In addition, there are many lecturers who come directly from practice and can give students an insight into sometimes highly specialised professional worlds.

In the field of geotechnics, an intensive link with practice is provided by the geotechnical seminar, which has been held for over 30 years in cooperation with the Institute of Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Stuttgart, the Association of German Engineers VDI, Working Group Civil Engineering, the Association of Consulting Engineers VBI, State Association of Baden-Württemberg, and the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Engineers. Within the scope of this geotechnical seminar, specialists working in practice give lectures on current topics of foundation engineering and tunnel construction on four dates per semester. The course is directly integrated as a cooperation in the teaching of the master course Geotechnics/Tunnelling of the HFT as well as in the geotechnical lectures of the University of Stuttgart and is attended by students of both universities as well as by engineers working in practice. The open discussion round following the lectures promotes not only the practical relevance but also the exchange between students of the HFT and the University of Stuttgart as well as with representatives from companies, engineering offices and administrations.

Geotechnical seminar

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Heiner Hartmann is an active member of the Technical Committee of the Güte- und Informationsgemeinschaft für Nagelplatten e.V (GIN). This committee advises on the technical boundary conditions, design and execution of structures made of nailplates in Germany. He advises from the scientific point of view of a test engineer for structural engineering specialising in timber construction. He heads the working group on the stability and design of nail plate structures and is the main editor of the associated information publication (volume 100 S), which has to be adapted to the technical boundary conditions in approx. 5-year intervals. In addition, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Heiner Hartmann is a member of the Technical Committee of the Studiengemeinschaft Holzleimbau e.V. and reports there on the work of the sub-committee "Cluster Holzbau".

Wood construction

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Peter Baumann is actively involved in the DWA regional association of Baden-Württemberg e.V. as deputy chairman and advisory board member in the further training and technical supervision of the wastewater systems of the almost 1,000 municipalities. Specialist excursions and the opportunity for practice-oriented dissertations can thus be offered according to requirements. In addition, students often receive special conditions for participation in specialist events, in some cases even free of charge.

Sewage plants