The Environmental Campus Birkenfeld (ECB) (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

: ''Umwelt-Campus Birkenfeld (UCB)'') is a branch of the Hochschule Trier in the state of

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. It is close to the small town of

Birkenfeld Birkenfeld () is a town and the district seat of the Birkenfeld district in southwest Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is also the seat of the like-named ''Verbandsgemeinde''. The town itself has approximately 7,000 inhabitants. Geography ...

in Rhineland-Palatinate, close to the border of

Saarland The Saarland (, ; french: Sarre ) is a state of Germany in the south west of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, and ...

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. There are 2,500 students enrolled in two departments. There are a total of 59 professors teaching in both departments ( ''Environmental Planning / Environmental Technology (Umweltplanung und -technik)'' and ''Environment Business / Environment Law (Umweltwirtschaft und -recht)''). Since the beginning of the academic year in October 2005, only bachelor and master students are being accepted as part of the Bologna process. ECB is structured as a residential campus. It offers education, housing and employment all in one location (this is very rare in Germany). There are eight residential structures that provide housing for 777 students. As is characteristic of a university of applied sciences, the campus is structured so that the students have the opportunity to receive an early introduction to the sciences. Students are encouraged to take part in the research projects underway on campus. Some programs are even designed solely for student participation. One such specialized project is the ''traveling university''. Students have the opportunity to travel to one of a selection of foreign countries to work on a project for a period of two weeks. Typical projects involve renewable energy sources and have been conducted in places as diverse as

Opole Opole (; german: Oppeln ; szl, Ôpole) ; * Silesian: ** Silesian PLS alphabet: ''Ôpole'' ** Steuer's Silesian alphabet: ''Uopole'' * Silesian German: ''Uppeln'' * Czech: ''Opolí'' * Latin: ''Oppelia'', ''Oppolia'', ''Opulia'' is a city loc ...

(

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

) and

Kunming Kunming (; ), also known as Yunnan-Fu, is the capital and largest city of Yunnan province, China. It is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province as well as the seat of the provincial government. The headquar ...

(

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

). Similar future projects will be located in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. Incidentally, ECB is the only University in Germany that uses

Renewable Energy Source Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a Orders of magnitude (time), human timescale. It includes sources such as Solar power, sunlight, wind power, wind, the movement of Hydropo ...

s to generate heat.

History

ECB has a very short history compared with other universities across the globe, however it is just as intriguing. The campus area was originally a

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

that was built as a contingency in the event of a 3rd

world war A world war is an international conflict which involves all or most of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World WarI (1914 ...

. Fortunately, it was never needed. Near this location (

Baumholder Baumholder () is a town in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, in the Westrich, an historic region that encompasses areas in both Germany and France. The town of Baumholder is the administrative seat of the like-named ''Verb ...

) was the 98th General Hospital, established in Neubrücke (a small town near Birkenfeld). The hospital had an area of 440,000 square metres when it opened in 1952. It had 1,000 beds as well as various medical specialty sections: Surgery, dental medicine, orthopedics, radiology, rehabilitation, eye medicine and others. The hospital was open through the 1970s and was closed in 1984 due to operational expenses. In 1994 the US Army finally gave up on the hospital ever being needed and by 1996 the complex was empty.

Environmental campus

In 1996 the ECB was born. The first step was undertaken by the Landrat (county commissioner) of the Landkreis Birkenfeld (Birkenfeld County) Dr. Ernst Theilen. The academic founders were three professors; Prof. Dr. Michael Eulenstein, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hanns Köhler and Prof. Dr. Marott Bronder. They offered the first courses taught at ECB. At first, there was a lot of construction underway on campus. The final phase of construction (Central new building) was completed in 2000.

Study

The attractive features of ECB are the modern methods of teaching, the small class sizes and the international contacts. There are now 2,500 students enrolled from beginning of winter semester 2005. There are 14 Bachelor, 4 Dual Bachelor and 12 Master's degree programs offered.

Bachelor

degrees offered * Applied Computer Science (''Bachelor of Science'') * Bioprocess, Environmental and Process Engineering (''Bachelor of Engineering'') * Bio- and Pharmaceutical Engineering (''Bachelor of Science'') * Renewable Energy (''Bachelor of Science'') * Mechanical Engineering: Product Development and Technical Planning (''Bachelor of Engineering'') * Media Computer Science (''Bachelor of Science'') * Engineering Physics (''Bachelor of Engineering'') * Environmental Economics and Business Management (''Bachelor of Arts'') * Environmental and Business Computer Science (''Bachelor of Science'') * Industrial Engineering/Environmental Planning (''Bachelor of Science'') * Economic and Environmental Law (''LL. B.'') * Study Program "Environment and Technology" * Study Semester "Principles of Sustainable Business" * Sustainable Business and Technology (''Bachelor of Engineering'') The course of study for these degrees differ slightly from those offered in the United States, however, the German accreditation agency AQUAS will accept either.

Dual Bachelor's Degree

* Sustainable Resource Management (''Bachelor of Arts'') * Production Technology (''Bachelor of Engineering'') * Bio- and Pharmaceutical Engineering (''Bachelor of Science'') * Environmental and Business Computer Science (''Bachelor of Science'')

Masters

degrees offered * Applied Computer Science (''Master of Science'') * Bioprocess and Process Engineering (''Master of Science'') * Business Administration and Engineering (''Master of Science'') * Digital Product Development: Mechanical Engineering (''Master of Engineering'') * International Material Flow Management (''Master of Science'') * International Material Flow Management (''Master of Engineering'') * Insolvency and Reorganisation Law (''LL. M.'') * Media Computer Science (''Master of Science'') * Environmental and Business Economics (''Master of Arts'') * Environmental Energy Technology (''Master of Science'') * Business and Energy Law (''LL. M.'') * Sustainable Change (''Master of Arts'')

Research

Although the environmental campus has only existed since 1996, it has already launched a set of institutes and competency centers built around the scientific curriculum. Some of these are already internationally recognized.

Institutes

* IfaS ''Institut für angewandtes Stoffstrommanagement'' (Institute for Applied

Material Flow Management Material flow management (MFM) is a method of efficiently managing materials. The triad of environmental, social and economical orientation makes MFM a tool of high importance in the field of sustainable development and circular economy. Seen ...

) * '
IBT
'' ''Institut für Betriebs- und Technologiemanagement''
Institute for Business and Technology Management
* '
ISS
'' (Institute for

Software Systems A software system is a system of intercommunicating components based on software forming part of a computer system (a combination of hardware and software). It "consists of a number of separate programs, configuration files, which are used to ...

) * '
IMIP
'' Institute for Micro Process

Engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

and

Particle Technology Particle technology is the "science and technology related to the handling and processing of particles and powders." This applies to the production, handling, modification, and use of a wide variety of particulate materials, both wet or dry, in size ...

* '
ZBF
''Zentrum für Bodenschutz and Flächenhaushaltspolitik'' (Centre for Soil Conservation and Territorial Budgetary Policies) * '
BAQI
'' ''Birkenfelder Institut für Ausbildung und Qualitätssicherung im Insolvenzwesen'' (Birkenfeld Institute for Training and Quality Management in Insolvency Management)
IBioPD
''Institut für biotechnisches Prozessdesign'' (Institute for Biotechnical Process Design)
IREK
'' Institut für das Recht der Erneuerbaren Energien, Energieeffizienzrecht und Klimaschutzrecht'' (Institute for Renewable Energy Law, Energy Efficiency Law and Climate Protection Law)

Competence Centers

Fuel Cell A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (often hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) into electricity through a pair of redox reactions. Fuel cells are different from most batteries in requ ...

Centre Rhineland-Palatinate * Competence Centre 'Intelligent microstructured Particles' (KIMP) * Competence Centre eGovernment & Environment * Umberto Competence Center Birkenfeld (UCC) * Centre for Environmental Communication at the ECB (ZUKUC)

Partner universities

* China:

Kunming University Kunming University 昆明学院, founded in 1984, is Yunnan's only comprehensive professional university approved by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. Kunming University has 3 campuses with a total area of 499 mus. T ...

Sichuan University Sichuan University (SCU) is a National university, national National Key Universities, key public university, public research university in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. The university is wholly funded by Ministry of Education of the People's Republic ...

* US:

Midwestern State University Midwestern State University (MSU Texas) is a public liberal arts university in Wichita Falls, Texas. In 2020 it had 5,141 undergraduate students. It is the state's only public institution focused on the liberal arts. History Founded in 1922 as ...

Lander University Lander University is a public university in Greenwood, South Carolina. Campus and housing Lander University is located approximately one half-mile from uptown Greenwood, South Carolina. The main campus sits on 190 acres of land, though this doe ...

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enro ...

, Warren-Wilson College,

Washington University Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

* Brazil: Federal Institute of Goiás IFG

External links

Official Website

Additional links

IMAT - Master in International Material Flow Management

Students' Union
{{authority control Universities of Applied Sciences in Germany Hunsrück Universities and colleges in Rhineland-Palatinate