Successful programming internship ends with closing event at "THE SUMMIT"

This year's programming internship at the University of Siegen ended with a successful closing event at THE SUMMIT Siegen high-tech center. The project took place for the fourth time in cooperation with ifm statmath gmbh
took place for the fourth time. Over a period of twelve weeks, a total of around 60 students from various disciplines developed creative software solutions that enhance industrial applications with playful elements.

Creative task: gamification for industrial software

The focus was on developing games that interactively bridge waiting times in industrial applications and improve the user experience. The aim was to make training or calculation phases of data-intensive processes, such as the training of AI models or in production planning, more attractive through small games. The teams implemented their ideas using modern technologies such as C#, Angular, Postgres database and Docker.

Sources of inspiration such as Tetris or Flappy Bird were reinterpreted with reference to ifm products, for example the Smart Limit Watcher.

Agile implementation and expert support

Andreas Hoffmann from the Chair of Operating Systems/Distributed Systems at the University of Siegen and Esther Franke, Daniel Schneider and Jens Vollmer from ifm statmath gmbh, the students worked in agile teams. Weekly scrum meetings led from the game idea to prototypes to the final version. An expert jury assessed the results in terms of creativity and fun, technical implementation and stability, visual and sound design and presentation quality.

Closing event as the highlight

At the event on February 6, the teams presented their games on real gaming machines in front of the jury and audience. The best teams received prize money. The presentations impressed with their innovative ideas and the technical quality was highlighted. In addition to the demos, there were insights into the SUMMIT premises and networking opportunities for internships and jobs. Catering and music rounded off the event.

Successful model with a future

"The programming internship combines research, practice and creative development in a sustainably inspiring way," sums up Dr. Andreas Hoffmann. With an increasing number of participants, it is establishing itself as a benchmark for practical teaching at the interface between industry and computer science. The collaboration between ifm statmath and the University of Siegen will continue.