The Faculty
150 Years Faculty 5, Georesources and Materials Engineering
Earth Systems Interactions, Sustainable Resource Development, Advanced Circular Economy and Material Science and Engineering for a Better Life - these are the research topics the Faculty of Georesources and Materials Engineering is currently working on. A long way that one of the oldest faculties of RWTH Aachen University has successfully completed in the last 150 years.
In 1870 the Faculty of Metallurgy was one of the founding faculties of the "Royal Rhenish-Westphalian Polytechnic School" in Aachen. In 1880 the Faculty was expanded as the "Department of Mining and Metallurgy and Chemistry", at a time when the extraction of raw materials in the Aachen region was at its peak. At that time there was no talk of a shortage of raw materials and ecological compatibility, of sustainability or recycling. In the course of the decades, the Faculty made constant adjustments to the latest developments and requirements in research and teaching. This development is already reflected in the name changes---in 1940/41 the Faculty was renamed "Faculty of Mining and Metallurgy". In 1986 it was expanded as the "Faculty of Mining, Metallurgy and Geosciences". In 2004 the current name "Faculty of Georesources and Materials Engineering" was finally introduced.
Georesources such as energy raw materials, metallic and mineral raw materials, water, soil and underground storage space have been and continue to be decisive foundations of life for societies and their economies. The source of our prosperity lies in the almost unlimited availability of raw materials and energy---and a very good knowledge of how to use them in industrial production processes and in private use. Mankind is faced with the challenge of achieving socially acceptable, environmentally compatible, and economically viable production and supply of energy, raw materials and products for all. The social development in recent years is constantly raising new questions about aspects such as sustainability, resource protection, and environmental compatibility. This also includes the sustainable and environmentally compatible production of materials such as metals, glass and ceramics, and their use in products. High-performance materials for a wide range of applications, for example for mobility, energy, and medicine, play a key role in the present and in the future.
The Faculty of Georesources and Materials Engineering meets this ever-increasing complexity of requirements through broad networking with companies and research institutions worldwide, knowledge and technology transfer, but also through internationalization and digitalization in teaching. The rapid developments in a highly technological and networked world require highly qualified engineers who are able to carry out industry-related research and thus provide usable innovation impulses. Students benefit from a practice-oriented education in which current technical, as well as social issues, are incorporated through multi-layered research and development work. The use of digital methods such as virtual reality, augmented reality, training simulators and serious games are just as much a part of this as English-language master's courses or transnational study programmes, which are carried out in cooperation with various other European universities and open up excellent career opportunities for students.
Today, the Faculty of Georesources and Materials Engineering consists of three divisions: "Geography and Geosciences", "Mineral Resources and Raw Materials Engineering" and "Materials Science and Engineering". With their joint engineering, natural science and social science know-how, the Faculty covers the fields of georesources and raw materials and materials technologies in a multidisciplinary approach. Due to this wide range of topics and the resulting professional diversity, the faculty is well-positioned in research and teaching to meet future challenges and opportunities.