Baylor Signs New International Agreement with University of Stuttgart

In an expanding effort to bridge the gap between discoveries in Baylor University's research laboratories and their practical application in industry, the Baylor Advanced Research Institute, or BARI, has signed a new agreement with the University of Stuttgart in Germany to enable the exchange the students and faculty between both organizations.

"To be successful and competitive, faculty need to collaborate with other researchers outside their own university, and this new agreement will provide an avenue for our researchers to do just that," said Dr. Truell W. Hyde, vice provost for research at Baylor. "It will provide new opportunities for all of our faculty and students."

The new memorandum of understanding between Baylor and Stuttgart will provide for:
? Exchange visits for faculty and students
? Joint research activities and projects
? Exchange of research students and young scientists
? Exchange of academic materials and other information

While the main goal is collaboration between the two schools on all subject disciplines, the agreement specifically references on-going research at the Space Science Institute at Stuttgart. Dr. Hans-Peter Roeser, director of the Institute, has already launched two satellites built by his students into orbit. Roeser and his team are currently working on another satellite program that will launch in 2009. That program, Hyde said, has involved close collaboration with industry and is seen as a successful model to cost-effectively create hands-on experiences for students with private industry investments.

Two of the Stuttgart satellites will remain on a low-earth polar orbit, which will bring the satellites directly overhead Waco about five times each day. Through this new agreement, Baylor will provide Stuttgart the capability to communicate with their satellites over a previously communications-silent area from the Gulf of Mexico to southern Canada. In return, Baylor students and faculty will be able to use the Stuttgart satellites to train and perform various uplink/downlink commands, maneuvers and observations.

Jim Kephart, BARI director of program development, said the agreement provides great potential for further collaboration with Stuttgart in not only science-related areas, but also within the humanities disciplines.

"Initial planning discussions have been conducted with Baylor's Dr. Andrew Wisely, director of German, Russian and Japanese language program at Baylor," Kephart said. "Our common goal is to provide Baylor students and faculty greater opportunities to live, learn and work with both academic and industrial partners in the greater Stuttgart region of Germany. We hope to also see our new colleagues from Germany participating in an active exchange presence on the Baylor campus."

The new agreement with Stuttgart follows a similar agreement with Texas State Technical College Waco. The agreement with TSTC makes the BARI more attractive to industry through TSTC's ability to provide technical training, assistance and a technical workforce to any new or emerging industry in Texas that is a "client" of the BARI.

For more information, contact Frank Raczkiewicz at (254) 710-1964.