Andreas Zwölfer is currently studying Automotive Engineering at the University of Applied Sciences Joanneum Graz. Prior to this he gained some work experience as a technician, also in the automotive sector. On completion of his studies, he intends to pursue a career in research.Prof. Domagoj Rubeša, University of Applied Sciences FH JOANNEUM, Graz Domagoj Rubeša teaches Engineering Mechanics and Mechanics of Materials at the University of Applied Sciences Joanneum in Graz (Austria). He graduated as naval architect from the Faculty of Engineering in Rijeka (Croatia) and received his MSc degree from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Ljubljana (Slovenia) and his PhD from the University of Leoben (Austria). He has industrial experience in a Croatian shipyard and in the R&D dept. of an Austrian supplier of racing cars' motor and drivetrain components. He also was a research fellow at the University of Leoben in the field of engineering ceramics. His interests include mechanical behavior of materials and in particular fracture and damage mechanics and fatigue, as well as engineering education. It is quite popular among engineering educators to suppose that the academic performance of undergraduate engineering students depends on their mathematics skills, but there is only a little data available that substantiates this assumption. This study aims at shedding some light on this perceived dependency by comparing examination results in mathematics with those of the core engineering subjects over a period of more than ten years.To identify the relationship between the students' individual mathematical proficiency and their performance in applied engineering subjects, the examination performance of students in first, second and third semester mathematics courses has been correlated with their corresponding performances in mechanics and other mechanical engineering subjects. The results show that there is a significant positive correlation between the mathematics and mechanics grades; a correlation between mathematics and other engineering core subjects also exists but is, in general, less distinct.The study has been supplemented with a comparison of the dropout rate of students enrolled in the classes from 2002 until 2009 with their performance on an anonymous pre-course diagnostic test of mathematical skills, which took place every year in the first week of study. Prior studies on the relationships between students' university entry scores and their performance in terms of grade point averages showed that the expected correlations either do not exist or are too weak to base educational interventions on. A comparison of pre-college mathematics skills with degree program drop-out rates, on the other hand, shows a clear trend that a below-average high school mathematics education entails an elevated risk of drop-out.

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, and acquired industry experience as development engineer at Siemens Corporation. Currently he teaches engineering mathematics in the Department of Automotive Engineering, Joanneum University of Applied Sciences, and conducts research in automotive engineering and materials sciences.

is head of the Department of Vehicle Technologies (Automotive and Railway Engineering) and teaches Electrics, Electronics and Methods of Signal Processing at the University of Applied Sciences Joanneum in Graz (Austria). She is also a visiting lecturer at the Faculty of Transport of the Technical University of Sofia (Bulgaria). She graduated with a degree in Medical Electronics as well in Technical Journalism from the TU of Sofia and received her PhD from the Technical University of Graz (Austria). She gained industrial experience in automation of control systems, engineering of electronic control systems and software development. Her R&D activities comprise design of signal processing and data analysis methods, modelling, simulation and control of automotive systems as well as Engineering Education.