Artificial intelligence is on everyone's lips. But what does AI do to us and our society? How does it change our view of humanity? How can AI applications be steered in an ethically desirable direction? In the project "Desirable Digitalization" of the Center for Science and Thought at the University of Bonn and the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at the University of Cambridge, which is funded by Stiftung Mercator, researchers take a look at the challenges of AI for society as a whole. Participants discussed these topics at the kickoff in Bonn. 

The Bonn-Aachen International Center for Information Technology (b-it) celebrated its twentieth anniversary these days. Since 2002, it has uniquely combined excellence in research with internationally renowned teaching in three master's degree programs in computer science. Thus, the b-it qualifies students from all over the world for future-oriented professional fields in the areas of life sciences, media informatics and autonomous systems. With the support of the federal and state governments, an institution with a worldwide reputation has emerged over the past 20 years, which at the same time has an impact on the region with innovative research results and highly qualified graduates.

Researchers at the University of Bonn have developed a method that allows the water level of rivers to be monitored around the clock. The cost-effective sensor is for instance suitable for area-wide flood warning systems. The study has been published in the journal Water Resources Research.

The University of Bonn has once again appointed an outstanding Schlegel professor, who is financed by Excellence funds. The jurist Shu-Perng Hwang from Taiwan will open up new fields of research and provide important impulses. The scholar investigates the tensions among national, supra- and international legal systems. In her theoretical approach, she places a high value on individual freedom.

In severe epilepsies, surgical intervention is often the only remedy - usually with great success. While neuropsychological performance can recover in the long term after successful surgery, on rare occasions, unexpected declines in cognitive performance occur. Researchers at the University of Bonn have now been able to show which patients are at particularly high risk for this. Their findings have been published in the journal "Annals of Neurology." They may help identify affected individuals for whom surgery should be avoided. Instead, new treatment prospects are emerging for these patients.

Freshly appointed to the Faculty of Protestant Theology at the University of Bonn and immediately successful in acquiring one of the highest-ranking top grants of the European Union: Ethicist and Theologian Prof. Dr. Matthias Braun receives a coveted Starting Grant from the European Research Council (ERC). This is associated with funding of 1.5 million euros for the next five years. The researcher and his team are studying the ethical and societal impact of digital twins in healthcare.

Antibiotics are major weapons in the fight against bacterial infections. However, antibiotics are increasingly losing efficacy due to the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance is a most serious threat, that besides limiting our option to treat bacterial infections, also restricts modern medical therapies and treatments, such as chemotherapy, transplantation and surgery. 

With a varied program of events lasting nearly two weeks, the International Days 2022 were all about the University of Bonn’s international links and initiatives, including everything from academic panel discussions and workshops to research policy formats and cultural happenings. This year’s International Days opened with the state awards—including the Queen’s Prize, set up by the recently departed Queen Elizabeth II—being presented to outstanding early-career researchers by representatives from the British, Spanish and French Embassies.