Visual Computing at Saarland University

Students

Some Visual Computing Students Introducing Themselves.

	Some facts about me... My name is Silvano Galliani and I am 27 years old. I come from Milan where I studied Computer Science at the University of Milano-Bicocca.
	Why are you studying Visual Computing? I have always been interested in image processing and computer vision, so I discovered this specialized master that can be studied entirely in English. The study program offers a wide choice of different topics, giving a solid theoretical basis for the research in the area. The famous institutes collaborating such as MPI, DFKI made me think this was the right choice for me.
	What do you like here? I like the accuracy and the quality of lectures, often covering the most recent discovering in the research. Furthermore the professors are friendly and they always find the time to answer my question. I also enjoy the highly international atmosphere, it's very common to have daily contact with people from all over the world. That means a constant cultural and linguistic exchange among students.

	Some facts about me... My name is Kai Uwe Hagenburg. I am 24 years old and I am by birth a Saarländer. I hold a Bachelor degree in Computer Science done at the Saarland University. Together with my studies in the VC master's program, I am also studying in the Computer Science master's program.
	Why are you studying Visual Computing? I am studying VC, because not only is it a nice special qualification, but I have always liked working with digital images and have been fascinated by computer generated animations. As I have experienced these things in my youth only playfully, studying VC finally helps me understand them.
	What do you like here? First, the great working environment, i.e., lots of different departments that are researching on the cutting edge of today's technologies, e.g. real-time optic flow methods or real-time ray tracing, and lots of additional researching institutes, e.g. DFKI, MPII, MPISS. Also, I like working as a Student Programmer in the Mathematical Image Analysis Group where I am working on a barbecue animation which will be a test sequence for visual computing algorithms. Furthermore, I like the nice and friendly surroundings, as the Saarland region is one of the most beautiful regions in Germany and offers one of the finest delicacies, namely the "Schwenker". The Saarland also has nice weather and a great old town which are fabulous, especially in summer.

	Some facts about me... My name is Harriet Bach, I am 28 years old. I studied Computer Science at the University of Applied Sciences in Zwickau and worked for 3 years at the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics in Kaiserslautern.
	Why are you studying Visual Computing? I started studying computer science and took a lot of lectures from the fields Image Processing, Computer Vision, Computer Graphics and Artificial Intelligence. As I heard about the new master program and as I realized that my lectures fit to it, I decided to participate in the new master programme, because it is more specialised, since I already have a degree in computer science.
	What do you like here? I like that the university has an excellent reputation for computer science. The lectures are very interesting and the (assistant) professors are very qualified.

	Some facts about me... My name is Alexander Löffler, I am 27 years old, and I am originally from Karlsruhe in Germany. My main Interests within Computer Science are: Interactive Computer Graphics, Virtual Reality, Visualization, Object-Oriented Software Design.
	Why are you studying Visual Computing? First of all: VC fits my fields of interest quite perfectly. I would like to work in a position later that combines research and application in the industry. Thus I'd like to fill personal gaps of knowledge not covered by my former University of Applied Sciences (UoAS) education in mathematics, scientific methods, theory in general. Furthermore, I might want to do PhD studies afterwards, which would be virtually impossible with "only" a UoAS degree. At least in Germany. Additionally, the location of Saarland University was perfect for me, I didn't have to move at all.
	What do you like here? VC is pretty much the only German program focusing on the visual parts of Computer Science with a strong technical emphasis. Other similar programs (e.g. Universities Koblenz/Magdeburg) would have too many "creative" aspects for me, I think. From my personal point of view, the "implicit minor" to fill personal gaps of knowledge is very attractive and useful. Also, the young program of study allows to influence its further development a little, which is always interesting.

	Some facts about me... My name is Dorotea Dudas. I am a 27 years old Croatian with a diploma in mathematics and computer science.
	Why are you studying Visual Computing? It happened that I was basically studying Visual Computing before Visual Computing studies existed, so when the studies were actually offered I made my studying of VC official. At this point I have taken majority of the courses offered for VC and am currently writing my master thesis (area is vector field visualization). Also, I will probably start another thesis to also obtain a Master of Computer Science degree (as it was originally intended) (but only if I find a PhD position).
	What do you like here? After finishing the studies in 2003 (in 4 years, 10 months) as the best student of my generation (also with couple of awards), one of the professors asked me if I wanted to go to Germany and study, and after about one and a half seconds of deep considerations I agreed to do so. The thing I like about the studies here in Germany is having so much choices with which courses to take. I am interested exclusively in geometric modeling and related areas (like scientific visualization), however VC studies also offers very deep insight in image processing, computer vision, and other areas not so exciting for me - but useful to be aware of nevertheless.