Professor Hoch was again named Rector of the Year by the German Association of University Professors and Lecturers (DHV) just as he is assuming his second term of office. The University of Bonn members gave him top marks in the association’s online survey, scoring even higher than in the previous year as 69% of those surveyed said he is “the ideal person” to hold the key leadership position. In an interview, we talked to him about his plans for the four years ahead. . An article from forsch 2021/01.

After 11 years abroad, Prof. Dr. Franca Hoffmann is bringing her passion for transdisciplinary research and strong ties to Africa with her to Bonn. Her varied career shows how many doors can be opened by the wide world of mathematics. An article from forsch 2021/01.

The Fossil of the Year is a skeleton of a small pterosaur which Georg August Goldfuß discovered in 1831, descriptively naming it Scaphognathus crassirostris. The drawing he made of it marked the inception of ‘paleo art’— defined as any artistic work that attempts to depict dinosaurs or other prehistoric life on the basis of scientific evidence—which remains highly popular today. An article from forsch 2021/01.

Face-to-face versus lockdown: a tension affecting day-to-day academic life at the University of Bonn for well over a year now. “We had to abruptly switch modes and take all formerly face-to-face events digital,” recalls Professor Karin Holm-Müller, who was Vice Rector for Teaching and Student Affairs until May of this year. “It is rare indeed to see one’s everyday reality so dramatically altered in such a short time. It has demanded incredible effort for everyone at the University.” An article from forsch 2021/01.

Physicians, nursing staff, medical technical assistants, and pastoral workers in hospitals: they have all been placed under severe strain by the Covid-19 pandemic. A study by the University of Bonn is now highlighting which protective factors can help people cope with this strain. It is based on a large joint online survey at the University Hospitals Bonn, Erlangen, Ulm, Dresden, and Cologne, which also involves many other hospitals in Germany. Perceived coherence was found to be particularly important – in simple terms: the feeling that life has meaning and challenges can be classified in an understandable way. The results are being published in the journal PLOS ONE.

In the past, many discoveries have been made because better, more accurate measurement methods have become available, making it possible to obtain data from previously unexplored phenomena. For example, high-resolution microscopy has begun to dramatically change our perspectives of cell function and dynamics. Researchers at the ImmunoSensation2 Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bonn, the University Hospital and the research center caesar have now develop a method that allows using multi-focal images to reconstruct the movement of fast biological processes in 3D. The study has been recently published in the journal Nature Communications.

Anyone who has ever failed to throw a beer mat into a hat should take note: physicists at the University of Bonn have discovered why this task is so difficult. However, their study also suggests how to significantly increase accuracy and range. The results are being publishing in the European Physical Journal Plus.

In a festive presentation of certificates at the Rector's Office, 14 lecturers of the University of Bonn were awarded the University's teaching awards for their services. The award winners were selected by the students themselves.