Open Day at the Garching Research Campus
Electrical and Computer Engineering: Booths in the Foyer | Build a Skill Game | Laboratory Tour | Live Music
Computation, Information and Technology: Booths in the Magistrale | Supercomputer Guided Tour | ix-quadrat Math Exhibition | Live Music
On October 3, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology on the Garching research campus will open its doors to all interested visitors. Get an up-close look at our subject areas and learn more about our research and what studying here is like.
Throughout the Garching research campus, you can experience science in presentations, hands-on activities, guided tours, and much more. Whether young or old, there are numerous activities on offer for every target group on this day. In addition to the Technical University of Munich (TUM), many other research institutions, such as the Max Planck and Fraunhofer Institutes, are participating in the event. The TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology program is available on this page.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
From quantum physics to neuroelectronics: Experience the world of electrical and computer engineering through demonstrations and lab tours!
Electrical and Computer Engineering Building
Hans-Piloty-Str. 1
Booths in the Foyer
Chairs and Professorships of the TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology
for children, teenagers, prospective students and adults
Experience hands-on research: Demonstrators featuring spin-wave-based components and a semiconductor phase shifter showcase new approaches to information processing. These technologies are clearly explained using an oscilloscope, measuring instruments and a microscope.
How do you make a resonator oscillate? Give it a try! Use a large knob to change the frequency and observe how only the corresponding resonator begins to oscillate. An adjustable defective resonator demonstrates how disturbances drain energy and cause oscillations to decay more quickly. In the process, you’ll playfully discover the principles that are also used in superconducting qubits in quantum computers.
Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of optomechanics. Take a look at nanomechanical components on a chip, couple laser light into optical fibers yourself and discover through exciting experiments how oscillators synchronize. Experience research up close and learn how light and mechanics interact on the smallest scale.
How do the brain, nerves and technology communicate with one another? At interactive stations, you’ll experience neural interface technologies up close: implant probes into a brain model, observe neural signals from grasshoppers with implanted electrodes and discover self-folding microstructures under the microscope.
How does the technology behind tomorrow’s quantum and light-based applications work? At this hands-on exhibit, you’ll discover exciting experiments in photonics and quantum research. Try out the demonstrators for yourself, talk with researchers and see how light is opening up new avenues for science and technology.
Posters and exhibits at the ZEITlab tour meeting point provide information about cleanroom research.
The Hot Wire – Build Your Own Game of Skill"
for children from year 1 onwards
Do you enjoy tinkering, crafting and putting your skills to the test? Then join in with the classic game ‘Der heiße Draht’ (The Hot Wire)! On Open Day, children can build their own skill-based game alongside electrical and computer engineering students from TUM. Step by step, you will create a game using a simple electrical circuit – and, best of all, you can take it home afterward. But be careful: can you guide the arm smoothly along the entire length of the wire without touching it? This requires steady hands and full concentration! If you wobble, a signal tone will immediately give you away – and you'll have to start all over again. No registration necessary – just drop by and join in!
Inside the Cleanroom – Guided Tour through the ZEITlab
The tour will be conducted in German.
Take a look behind the scenes of micro- and nanofabrication. During the approximately one-hour tour, you’ll learn about the cleanroom work environment and discover how modern chips and sensor systems are manufactured. At the meeting point, posters and exhibits will provide information about cleanroom research.
There will be four guided tours, each lasting about an hour: at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00. The number of participants is limited, and registration is required. The meeting point is at the ZEITlab booth in the foyer.
Live Music
Garching Campus Choir
The Garching Campus Choir will perform at 4:00 p.m. on the stairs in the foyer.
Computation, Information, Technology
Discover AI, robotics and digital technologies through presentations, demonstrations and hands-on activities!
Mathematics and Informatics Building
Boltzmannstraße 3
Booths in the Magistrale
Chairs and Professorships of the TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology
for children, teenagers, prospective students and adults
How can you count visitors without compromising their privacy? Learn about modern visitor counting technologies – from radio signals emitted by mobile devices to privacy-friendly sensor systems. Find out how to determine reliable visitor numbers without identifying individuals, and explore a replica of the technology used.
Machine learning for dexterous hands: Discover how a robotic hand manages, with near-human dexterity, to rotate cubes in its hand and stack them into a tower, or to identify any object at a glance and then grasp it securely.
Information Point of the TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology
Konrad Zuse School of Excellence in reliable Artificial Intelligence (relAI)
Munich Center for Machine Learning
Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST)
RoboTUM Student Club
Supercomputers – Guided Tour of the Interactive Exhibition
for schoolchildren, teenagers, prospective students, and adults
From the early days to today's high-performance computers: Discover the history of supercomputing through original components from Cray systems, and learn how modern supercomputers are advancing science and technology.
There will be six 30-minute guided tours: at 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00. The meeting point is at the booth in the Magistrale. Registration is not required.
ix-quadrat – Hands-on Math
Explore mathematics hands-on! Experience symmetry, calculation methods and crazy perspectives up close in the exhibition ix-quadrat. Discover freestanding exhibits to actively try out and experiment with, and computer programs that allow you to delve deeper into the respective subject area.
The ix-quadrat is part of the “Little Miracles – Open Doors with the Mouse 2026” campaign.
Live Music
Old's Cool Bigband
The TUM Big Band will perform at 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. on the bridge over the Magistrale.
Presentations
Most of the presentations will be held in German.
At our presentations, you will learn about exciting topics in mathematics, computer science as well as electrical and computer engineering at first hand. We offer presentations for both adults and children. The program will be available here shortly.
10:00 – 10:45
Photorealistic AI-Avatars
Professor Matthias Nießner, Chair of Visual Computing and Artificial Intelligence
Recent research findings on the creation of photorealistic digital representations of the real world: The goal is to transform photos and videos into interactive, holographic 3D content that is virtually indistinguishable from reality. Such technologies open up new possibilities for sharing experiences, documenting historical events, and applications in augmented and virtual reality. AI-based methods, particularly generative neural networks, play a crucial role in this regard, fundamentally expanding existing image synthesis pipelines. The focus is on recent advances in neural rendering and 3D reconstruction that combine traditional graphics pipelines with modern deep learning methods.
11:00 – 11:45
Cryptography in the Quantum Age
Professor Violetta Weger, Professorship of Applied Algebra
How do our messages, banking transactions and passwords stay secure? Discover how cryptography protects our everyday digital lives, why quantum computers threaten today’s encryption methods and how mathematics is developing the next generation of secure methods.
What does a desirable future look like with cybernetic avatars, the metaverse, and generative AI?
13:00 – 13:45
Professor Jens Großklags, Professorship of Cyber Trust
How do experts and laypeople around the world view the use of cutting-edge technologies? In our studies, participants from Japan, Germany, Nigeria, Taiwan, Mexico, and other countries use methods from futuring and speculative design to develop future technological scenarios, consider their implications, weigh the risks, and devise measures for the successful integration of technologies into society.
Carbon Detective
14:00 – 14:45 - held in English
Professor Jia Chen, Professorship of Environmental Sensing and Modeling
What sources and sinks of greenhouse gases exist in cities? Our research identifies previously unknown sources of greenhouse gases and provides timely feedback on the feasibility of climate goals and the effectiveness of climate protection measures in cities.
Self-Learning AI Makes Robot Hands Dexterous
15:00 – 15:45
Professor Berthold Bäuml, Professorship of Learning AI for Dextrous Robots
Turning an object in one’s hand without looking is highly complex. We humans learn this skill as children through trial and error. We show how modern AI methods enable robot hands to do exactly that. Instead of copying predetermined human movements, these systems independently acquire the necessary skills through their own experiences (in simulation). This represents a paradigm shift in physical AI.
16:00 – 16:45
Mathematics in the Church Tower: The Art of Change Ringing
Professor Christian Liedtke, Chair of Algebraic Geometry
We will explore the ancient tradition of “change ringing” in Great Britain. In this practice, a group of typically five to seven people uses heavy bells not to play melodies but to create mathematical patterns. Thus, change ringing combines mathematics, craftsmanship and art. Audio samples and handbells brought along will illustrate the topic.
10:00 – 11:00
for prospective students
Studying at the TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology
presented by the Academic Program Directors
- Professor Felix Dietrich, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
- Professor Tobias Vogl, Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Professor Robert König, Mathematics
11:00 – 11:45
for children ages 7 to 12
Understanding the World Through Play
Professor Johanna Pirker, Chair of N-Dimensional User Experience
Games are much more than just entertainment: they are based on exciting ideas, modern technologies and a great deal of research. In this talk, we’ll take a look behind the scenes of game development and discover how game design, artificial intelligence and virtual reality are helping to shape our future. We’ll also explore how games are transforming learning, driving innovation and can even help solve real-world problems.
13:00 – 13:45
for children in 5th grade and up
Reaching Your Goal Faster with Math
Professor Andreas Wiese, Chair of Discrete Mathematics and Combinatorial Optimization
You’ve probably used Google Maps or a similar app or website before to find the fastest way to a destination. But how do these apps figure out so quickly, for example, what the fastest route to the research campus in Garching is? In this talk, we’ll explore some of the mathematical ideas behind this and see that some of these ideas are surprisingly old – much older than smartphones and computers.
15:00 – 15:45
for children ages 7 to 12
Rabbits, Carrots, Algorithms
Dr. Jürgen Mangler, Chair of Information Systems and Business Process Management
Algo the rabbit is cheeky and loves carrots. Help Algo with his favorite activity: collecting carrots. But be careful! If we give him the wrong instructions, he’ll quickly get upset. If you can give Algo precise instructions, you can also write a computer algorithm.
16:00 – 16:45
for children ages 7 to 12
How LEGO Cars Show Us When Traffic Jams Form in the Blood
Professor Oliver Hayden, Heinz Nixdorf Chair of Biomedical Electronics
Imagine your LEGO cars are so small that they zoom through your body in your bloodstream. Sometimes the cars bump into each other. When many LEGO cars bump into each other, it can cause a traffic jam in the blood. We observe this traffic and help doctors prevent a traffic jam from turning into a dangerous blood clot.
KinderUni
Mathematics Informatics Building
Boltzmannstraße 3
Lecture Hall 3
Presentations and posters by children for children starting at 1:30 p.m.: Research from the Mini Munich Play City. For more information, please see the Children's University course catalog.
Visitors at the 2024 Open House in the Mathematics and Computer Science Building on the Garching Research Campus. Photo: Andreas Heddergott / TUM
Virtual reality can be experienced in the Mathematics and Informatics Building on Open Day at the Garching Research Campus. Photo: Andreas Heddergott / TUM
Open house at the Garching Research Campus: The ix-quadrat mathematics exhibition offers hands-on mathematics. Photo: Andreas Heddergott / TUM