13 March 2025, by Janis-Marie Paul

Photo: S.M.Yimam & J.-M.Paul

The Hub of Computing and Data Science (HCDS) not only drives forward research – it is also actively involved in academic teaching at the University of Hamburg. Our team members Seid Muhie Yimam, Steffen Remus, with the support of Robert Geislinger, Tim Fischer, and Jan Strich  recently mentored students in the “Applications with Artificial Intelligence” bachelor project course, guiding them through the development of AI-based web application prototypes.

The course provides students with practical experience in building AI applications, with a particular focus on Natural Language Processing (NLP). Students gain hands-on experience with modern AI tools and frameworks, while also applying software engineering practices such as SCRUM, version control, containerization, and open-source development workflows.

The course was divided into three key phases:

1. Introduction & Idea Development – Exploring tools and identifying suitable application areas
2. Implementation Phase – Project development in small groups with continuous mentoring
3. Final Presentations & Demos of the developed prototypes

Highlighting two outstanding student projects:

Whisper4All – Voice-Controlled Lecture Search for Lecture2Go

Whisper4All introduces a voice-controlled search interface for Lecture2Go, the central online lecture platform of the University of Hamburg.
By using a vector database, users can find precise timestamps related to specific topics – eliminating the need to manually browse through entire recordings.
The system is designed with accessibility in mind, allowing input by either voice or keyboard.

A live demo is at the moment here available

AI-Powered Legal Application Review Tool – LegalTech in Practice

This project group created a digital tool designed to support legal counselors in reviewing legal orders and drafting applications.
Using a structured decision tree, the system guides users through legal checks, identifies errors, and enables AI-powered document generation and workflow optimization – making legal processes more accessible, efficient, and scalable.

Team members also seen in Titel Picture: Aleyna Genc, André Zimmermann, Asiah Askar, Christian Iltner, Kateryna Shyshatska, Mentoring:  Dr. Bian Sukrow
In collaboration with: Dr. Bian Sukrow and Dr. Florian Skupin Bucerius Law Clinic

Conclusion: Bridging research, teaching & real-world applications

All projects demonstrate how AI technologies can be applied to real-world challenges in a practical and socially relevant way.
At HCDS, we are proud to support this transfer of knowledge from research to teaching, helping students prepare for careers in the digital and data-driven world.

Congratulations to all project teams – your ideas and implementations are truly impressive!