forsch: Reconnecting Pathways
forsch 2021/01
You can read a large number of forsch articles of issue 2021/01 in a digital version here. In addition, the PDF download and the flipbook are available.
"forsch 2021/01" - Read now:
"I want to pass on knowledge"
What influence do endogenous cannabinoids have on neurodegenerative diseases? Bolanle Fatimat Olabiyi is investigating this question in her doctoral thesis at the ImmunoSensation2 Cluster of Excellence. Her big goal for the future is to continue boosting research in her home country of Nigeria. An article from forsch 2021/01
Paleontologists reveal what fossilized teeth can tell us
Teeth are the toughest and most durable parts of a mammal’s body and are often the only bits of fossils left after millions of years. We join Prof. Dr. Thomas Martin to explore the secret of teeth.
Economy: Michael-Burkhard Piorkowsky highlights the importance of households
“Economics is a human thing,” says a convinced Michael-Burkhard Piorkowsky. The researcher, who held the Professorship for Household and Consumption Economics at the University of Bonn before his retirement, has written a book that takes this statement as its title. Johannes Seiler asked him some questions about it. An article from forsch 2021/01.
“Who makes history?” The return of the person-centered approach
What influence do individual personalities have on political decisions and the course of history? This question lies at the heart of a new publication entitled Der Faktor Persönlichkeit in der internationalen Politik (“The personality factor in international politics”). It is edited by Dr. Hendrik W. Ohnesorge, a research associate at the Chair in International Relations and Managing Director of the Center for Global Studies (CGS), and Professor Dr. Xuewu Gu, current holder of the chair and Director of the CGS. Bernd Frye talked to Hendrik W. Ohnesorge. An article from forsch 2021/01.
Ulrike Almut Sandig is the University of Bonn’s tenth Thomas Kling Poetics Lecturer
What does a poetics lecturer do? What’s coming up in Bonn this year? What does our language say about us? How does language change us? An interview from forsch 2021/01.
Students develop a children's book on fundamental rights with Gigi the eagle
Gigi the eagle is searching for her young. However, the proud bird is not alone – helping her are two children, Ben and Mia. On the pages of a new book created by students, primary school children can read an adventure story while learning about Germany’s fundamental rights at the same time. To understand how this children’s book came about, it is worth rewinding three years. An article from forsch 2021/01.
Researching across discipline boundaries: mathematician Florian Brandl grapples with economic theory
How can several stakeholders make decisions as one when they possess different information or need to take uncertainties into account? This and other questions are on the plate of mathematician and economic theorist Dr. Florian Brandl, who took up the first Argelander Professorship in the Transdisciplinary Research Areas (TRAs) on April 1 and started work as a Bonn Junior Fellow at the Hausdorff Center for Mathematics at the same time. He is the first researcher to hold such a professorship, one of several new posts created for exceptional early-career researchers who excel in combining several different disciplines. In the case of Florian Brandl’s research, these are mathematics, economics and computer science. An article from forsch 2021/01.
Renewed splendor: Website relaunch milestone reached
New design: mobile first with clear user navigation: The website of Bonn’s University of Excellence got a facelift in late April, so users and web editors are enjoying a modern, new look and feel. An article from forsch 2021/01.
Franziska Schuster sprints for Germany and studies in Bonn
Franziska Schuster spends her days boning up on molecular biomedicine. In the evening, she ties her running shoes and sprints round an athletics track in Leverkusen. The 19-year-old from Bonn is a member of Germany’s U20 track and field squad for sprint and hurdles, meaning she has a lot on her plate with her sport and her studies. There is not much time left for anything else – so how does one handle the pressure in such a situation? An article from forsch 2021/01.
Two-time “Rector of the Year”: An interview with Professor Hoch about goals and objectives
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.
A geographic excursion in the Covid era
Determining soil types, looking for outcrops, studying valley shapes ... these activities have been classic elements of geography excursions for students throughout generations. Every semester, some 20 students head off for with a geography field trip guide to explore the Siebengebirge or Seven Mountains, a hill range on the east bank of the Middle Rhine southeast of Bonn that was once volcanically active. This year would have been our turn to go on the excursion, but the pandemic impacted us in the University of Bonn Geography department as well. A report by Julia Feth and Johanna Niedick. An article from forsch 2021/01.
Working toward ambitious goals: New term of office with gender equality on the Rectorate
Now it’s in ‘black and white’ for the man at the helm, as in late April, Minister Isabel Pfeiffer-Poensgen of the Ministry of Arts and Sciences in Düsseldorf personally bestowed Rector Michael Hoch with his certificate of appointment for a second term of office as Rector, from May 2021 on into the year 2025. His goals for this term are ambitious. An article from forsch 2021/01.
The fabulous world of Franca Hoffmann
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.
Editorial: Reconnecting pathways
Dear Readers,
Deserted corridors and desolate lecture halls: where we would usually find fellow students, teachers or colleagues, there is only a yawning emptiness. This is echoedby the four staircases on the cover. Almost everything has gone online.
At the same time, many people have the feeling that there is no way forward. And yet the past year has also brought a wealth of experiences with it: teaching and studying turned digital, virtually overnight. How are we getting on with that? What solutions have we found to connect people and content in new ways and make them available in different forms? We have put a few examples together in this issue.
Fossil of the Year is from the Goldfuß Museum
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.
Corona: A ‘digital semester’ of new possibilities
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.
IPSTA: Interprofessional learning in the day-to-day life of a pediatric cardiac unit, complete with direct feedback
On the “Kinder IPSTA Bonn” interprofessional training ward at University Hospital Bonn’s Center of Pediatric Medicine, student physicians and trainee healthcare specialists and pediatric nurses are responsible for looking after up to four children with heart conditions. They are being given intensive support from experienced doctors and nurses who are supervising their learning. Constant communication and cooperation in interprofessional teams of two is increasing each member’s understanding of their teammate’s profession. An article from forsch 2021/01.
Voluntary Ecological Year at the University of Bonn gets off to a successful start
Since last year, any 16- to 26-year-olds who are interested have had the opportunity for the first time to complete a Voluntary Ecological Year (FÖJ) at the University of Bonn’s Wiesengut or Frankenforst teaching and research units. Amongst other things, they help researchers set up and conduct their field tests and assist with various agroecological projects. As a result of the positive feedback from everyone involved, FÖJ places are set to be offered this year too. An article from forsch 2021/01.
Transdiciplinarity for me: Prof. Dr. Matthias Becher
Members of the Transdisciplinary Research Areas (TRAs) report on what researching across several subjects means to them. This time, it is the turn of Prof. Dr. Matthias Becher. An article from forsch 2021/01.
Die forsch 2021/01 als Flipbook
