Module package: Engineering for Health

Start your studies with a comprehensive welcome experience designed to provide national and international Master’s students with scientific, organisational, and social orientation from day one. The Entry Module fosters collaboration among peers from diverse cultural backgrounds and introduces key research topics and specialisations in biology and biotechnology at TU Braunschweig.

During the Welcome Week, students develop research ideas and advance projects by formulating hypotheses and selecting appropriate experimental methods (professional and methodological competence). They participate in academic exchange with international peers and guest lecturers, enhancing their intercultural communication and collaborative skills (intercultural competence, networking). Working in mixed, multicultural teams, they practice presenting and discussing scientific topics effectively (social and personal competence).

To fill gaps in practical experience, the Alignment Internship offers a hands-on laboratory crash course. Students gain confidence and proficiency in core techniques, including molecular biology, microbiology, cell biology, biochemistry, and bioprocess engineering. They also learn to analyse experimental results and draw scientifically sound conclusions.

Unravel the global effects of climate change on waterborne infections and drinking water safety using databases and bioinformatic tools for molecular epidemiology (BacDive, BRENDA, SILVA). Explore pathogen ecology, diagnostic methods, infection routes, and control strategies.

Upon completing this module, students understand the local and global implications of a changing climate on public health. They will be able to isolate infectious agents from water samples, characterise them microbiologically and bioinformatically, and develop evidence-based recommendations for risk mitigation. Working in international peer groups, students also design, document, and present a biomedical research project, culminating in a detailed written report.

Embark on a microscopic journey through host–pathogen interactions: Explore cytoskeletal dynamics, autophagy, intracellular signalling, bacterial toxins, pathogen mimicry, various model organisms, and novel treatment strategies such as phage therapy.

By the end of this module, students can explain key mechanisms of pathogen entry, intracellular survival, and host-cell manipulation. In hands-on lab courses, they use cell and tissue culture systems or model organisms, apply molecular and genetic techniques, and conduct fluorescence microscopy to investigate infection biology questions. Students will gain the skills to independently plan, carry out, and analyse experiments, and to present their research findings in a scientific context.