Spotlight March: Spin-offs and Transfer
KIT's First Start-Up... in 1836
In 1836, two graduates of the KIT (then known as the Polytechnical School) founded the Karlsruher Maschinenfabrik. The young entrepreneurs, Emil Kessler and Theodor Martiensen, started out as a mechanical workshop. However, the company quickly developed: in 1841, the factory built the first locomotive manufactured in Baden, called “Badenia”, for the Grand Ducal Baden State Railways.
By 1847, German locomotives were technically superior to their English counterparts. With the help of the Karlsruher engineers, German engineering had emancipated itself from the former pioneers in the field of the largest and most complex technology of the time.
The Karlsruher Maschinenfabrik also played an important role in the early industrialization of Germany in other ways. It manufactured not only locomotives, but also equipment, small machines, and railroad accessories. The factory was a major employer in the region and over the years employed many prominent engineers, including automotive pioneers Carl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler, and Wilhelm Maybach.
Carl Benz, a KIT graduate and future inventor of the automobile, began his career here in 1864 as a journeyman locksmith. In 1867 - by which time Carl Benz had already left the company - Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach were hired as workshop managers and designers. Both had previously worked as mechanics in Cologne for the company of Eugen Langen, another alumnus. In 1885, Daimler and Maybach developed the legendary Daimler Reitwagen in Cannstatt - the world's first gasoline-powered motorcycle - before finally making a name for themselves in the automotive industry. The wooden structure was reminiscent of the famous "walking machine" invented by Karl Drais in Karlsruhe. (mex)
Spotlight February: Women in Science
Women at University? Once Unthinkable
The journey toward women’s access to higher education was a long and challenging one. While universities in countries like the U.S. (1833) and Switzerland (1864) opened their doors to women earlier, German universities remained closed to them for much longer. It wasn’t until 1900 that the government of Baden allowed women to study on a trial basis – a groundbreaking move within the German Empire.
The first officially enrolled female students were Johanna Kappes from Karlsruhe, alongside women attending the University of Freiburg and the Technical University of Karlsruhe. Magdalena Meub, who began her studies in 1904/05, went on to become Germany’s first licensed female pharmacist. Thekla Schild, who started her studies in 1908, earned the distinction of being Baden’s first female graduate engineer and the third in all of Germany.
Progress had begun a bit earlier in Karlsruhe: a private school for female painters had been established in 1885, and by 1887, women could attend some lectures as guest students. In 1893, the first German College for girls was founded in Karlsruhe, specifically to prepare them for the Abitur—an essential step since girls’ education had previously been limited to “higher girls’ schools” that only went up to the equivalent of today’s 10th grade.
Despite the 1900 breakthrough, women long remained a rarity at technical universities like Karlsruhe. Their numbers began to grow more noticeably after World War I. However, the Nazi era brought significant setbacks, including admission restrictions in 1934. After World War II, the number of women in higher education began to rise again, reaching 8% for the first time in the 1970s and more than 14% by 1980.
Today, women make up 29% of KIT employees, including 18% of professors. The university has implemented numerous initiatives to support and encourage women in STEM fields, continuing to drive progress toward greater gender equity in education and research.
Spotlight January: 200 Years of KIT
200 Years of KIT
In 2025, we will celebrate a remarkable milestone: 200 years ago, on October 7, 1825, Grand Duke Ludwig I of Baden signed the decree establishing the Polytechnic School in Karlsruhe — the predecessor of today’s Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Since then, KIT has been at the forefront of science and research.
In the 19th century, Ferdinand Redtenbacher transformed mechanical engineering by integrating science with engineering education. Physicist Heinrich Hertz discovered electromagnetic waves, laying the groundwork for wireless communication. Otto Lehmann’s studies on liquid crystals set the stage for flat screens and smartphones. Fritz Haber developed the Haber-Bosch process, enabling industrial fertilizer production and supporting the nutrition of a rapidly growing global population. Women like Maria Gernet, Magdalena Meub, Irene Rosenberg, and Thekla Schild paved the way for female students in higher education. KIT graduate Carl Benz invented the automobile, revolutionizing mobility worldwide.
Karlsruhe has also been an early hub for computer science innovation: the first German faculty of computer science was founded here, and in 1984, Germany’s first email was received here. Groundbreaking advancements in microsystems technology, nanotechnology, materials science, and climate research have their roots in the nuclear research established in the post-war era.
Today, KIT researchers are tackling critical global challenges, including alternative fuels, climate and health research, and innovations in energy and nanotechnologies. With 200 years of progress and innovation, KIT has plenty to celebrate!