Prof. Meißner, you have been Professor of Automation and Intelligent Systems at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science since March. How did you find your first few months at the HSZG?

Like all of us, my first few months at the HSZG in summer semester 2021 were shaped by the pandemic and the associated online teaching. Despite the contact restrictions, I immediately felt warmly welcomed by all my colleagues and I didn't find it difficult to integrate into teaching.

Where do you have your roots and why did you choose Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences?

I originally come from a small community in northern Hesse. I lived there until I started my studies in Wernigerode in the Harz Mountains. I have lived and worked in Wernigerode for the last 20 years, with brief interruptions in Calgary and Lüneburg.

I chose the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences because the faculty's subject focus and the position exactly matched my profile and my desired position. I also wanted to get back into research and teaching after almost 20 years of professional experience.

How do you perceive the region around Zittau and Upper Lusatia?

Zittau and Upper Lusatia remind me a lot of my home and of Wernigerode. That's why it was easy for me to settle in here. The proximity to the Zittau Mountains and the many hiking and leisure opportunities also make it easier to settle in.

Where do you focus your teaching and research?

My teaching currently focuses on sensor systems as part of courses here in Zittau and at the CDHAW, as well as project management. In the future, I will increasingly be teaching courses in the fields of cyber-physical systems and Industry 4.0.

Where did your interest in this come from?

I grew up in a medium-sized mechanical engineering company and, unlike the other family members, I wasn't very enthusiastic about mechanical engineering. The first home computer came at just the right time and that's how I got into computer science and automation technology very early on. 

On-site vs. online teaching, the year was clearly shaped by the pandemic. How did that influence your teaching?

I had already been able to gain experience in online teaching before, but I have to admit that despite the facilities here at the HSZG and the support from my colleagues in the field of online teaching, I enjoy face-to-face teaching much more.

How has the collaboration with your students been?

Thanks to my many years of teaching assignments, I am experienced in both face-to-face and online teaching. Working with the students at our university was easy right from the start, although I don't find the somewhat more anonymous nature of online teaching as interesting as face-to-face teaching, which provides much better feedback.

Sensor systems, interfaces between man and machine, cyber-physical systems - that sounds a bit like science fiction. How do you see that?

I certainly see it as motivation. At the beginning of the 70s on the bridge of the Enterprise, there were tablet computers, communicators and a talking board computer. These are all things that are now available for home use. I'll leave the topics of warp drive and beaming to others. I think you have to differentiate between science fiction and science fantasy.

What are you currently researching?

At the moment, my research is going more into the area of my dissertation on the human-machine interface. A new research cluster is currently being founded for this purpose, in which the HSZG is collaborating.

When you're not researching intelligent systems, what do you do in your free time?

I have three small children and bought an old half-timbered house two years ago. So leisure time is completely booked up. We go hiking in the Harz mountains and swimming a lot. Apart from that, my job is my hobby.

The interview was conducted by Cornelia Rothe M.A.