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forsch 2022/02 fall

With the current issue, we are venturing into the basement of the main building. We take a look at diversity, into news from the clusters and excellence - and explain the importance of the university for the city of Bonn.

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Going Underground - Exploring the the University Main Building

Living Diversity

Soccer friends for life: Oldest university team comes from Bonn

Noah’s Ark
on Annaberg mountain

Sound design students mix background music for the University’s own videos

Anyone who makes videos can quickly get into a legal tangle when it comes to the music. A partnership with the Sound Design course at the University has now produced a solution, enabling administrative staff to access legally watertight pieces of music for teaching and training videos, for example. The tracks have been composed by University students based on the collected sounds of Bonn itself.

The Central Study Advisory and Counseling Service provides help to students who are having doubts

Many students at some point have a hard time coping with exam stress, low interest in their studies or feelings of being down, lonely or troubled with anxieties. They start to wonder: Are my studies still a fit for me personally? Am I studying the right thing? Students frequently have such questions. More than half of all students encounter doubt at some point in their many semesters of study as to whether they should finish the degree. Help and advice is available for those in this situation. The University of Bonn Central Study Advisory and Counseling Service provides the support students need to make the best decision.

Treasured Works From Ages Past

Dr. Doris Grüter and Dr. Michael Herkenhoff had just started looking over the book collection of Prof. Klaus Ley at his home in Olpe, but already realized they were beholding a treasure trove. Books rowed upon shelves on every wall and filling every corner, including 18th century French editions and an extensive Petrarch collection with tomes 500 years old—some 16,000 volumes in all. Now this extensive private book collection has a new home: at Bonn University and State Library.

Mulched wildflower strips not a trap for wild bees

A buzzing strip of colorful flowers bordering the edge of a field is a lovely sight to behold and a vibrant insect habitat. Isn’t it? Such wildflower strips are viewed controversially as a nature conservation measure.

Soccer Friends for Life: The “Uni Classics” have met up to play at the University for 50 years now

According to the thermometer it’s nearly 30 degrees (~ 85 F). The air hangs hot above the soccer box, yet inside the “cage” are twelve wiry guys playing six on six—all over age 70! Attack, duel, shoot ... The “Uni Classics” are a group of guys who have been playing soccer for the University of Bonn since 1972, meeting up in Bonn for an annual match—and to plan their road trips. It’s Germany’s oldest university soccer squad!

“The Most Valuable Thing You Have is Time”

Addressing contemporary literature from an academic perspective is very much on-trend at the moment. Sonja Lewandowski and Vanessa Briese are both interested in contemporary literature, albeit in different ways. They want to show why, now of all times, it’s important to give feminist voices in literature a platform. The pair, who are writing their doctorates with the support of the DFG Research Training Group, collaborated on the “Insert Female Artist” literary festival.

Ten Years of Outstanding Teachers for School and University Students

Soon to hit 1,000 budding teachers, at the cutting edge of research and teaching, and closely involved in school practice, the Bonn Center for Teacher Education (BZL) is now in its tenth academic year training teachers for grammar and vocational schools.

Art and Science in Dialogue

How can interdisciplinary scientific exchange be reflected in art? This question is currently being explored by the ImmunoSensation 2 Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bonn.

Going Underground: Together with university archivist Thomas Becker, the basement of the main building is explored

Where do the crawlways under the University Main Building lead to? What lies beneath the walls of the old Electoral Palace? A death row or jail cell? A film club? Bike parking? Where were the Elector’s stables located? Where did they gather to drink their wine? University Archivist Dr. Thomas Becker knows the building and what all lies beneath it better than anybody else. With the big renovation coming up, we went with Dr. Becker on a tour of the University Archive and the Main Building to explore their secrets.

Noah’s Ark on Annaberg mountain: Wolfgang Böhme documents the diversity of species living in his nature garden

A former vineyard on the southern slope of the Venusberg plateau has been left alone to return to nature. Zoologist Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Böhme, who bought the property decades ago—36 years to be precise—has been recording data on the biodiversity there this entire time, documenting nearly 800 different species found in this 1,000 square meter area.

“Everyone Benefits” - Diversity and equal opportunity: an enrichment to everyday university life

Equal opportunity, gender equality and inclusion are some of the buzzwords one often hears in connection with “diversity”. What do we mean when we talk about “diversity”? And what in particular is its significance in a university context? An interview with Prof. Dr. Irmgard Förster, Vice Rector for Equal Opportunity and Diversity, and Anna Hollstegge, Head of the Equal Opportunity and Diversity Unit.

Live diversity: How different people are engaged in diversity at the university

Diversity means more however than just having people from different countries on the team. Instead, among many other things it means having colleagues of varying age and gender identity, having individuals with physical disabilities, and people who live in alternative family models. - and much more. Many colleagues and students at the University of Bonn are committed to an open approach to diversity and individuality. These individuals are committed to ensuring equal opportunity and promoting diversity, and work to raise awareness of and sensitize people to diversity issues and their many facets, and are the ones to turn to when in need of support, advice or just a sympathetic ear. They are serving as the main go-to’s for any inquiries concerning diversity and inclusion, as we evolve into a diversity-oriented university. Thus we went to these individuals and asked them: Why are you committed to diversity, and in what areas are you active?

Universities as Economic Driver: Two recent studies have shown how the University of Bonn impacts the economy

In what ways do universities in general impact the economy? Two recently conducted surveys yield answers. One studied the economic impact of the universities of North Rhine-Westphalia as a group, while another looked at the economic footprint of the University of Excellence within the city of Bonn and the surrounding region.

Excellence in Seminary Education: University governance bodies speak out to keep Theology in Bonn

The Rectorate, Senate and University Council of the University of Bonn have signed a joint letter voicing their opposition to moves by the Archdiocese of Cologne to phase out seminary education for its priests at the University of Bonn, conducting this program instead at a university owned and operated by the Archdiocese. Such a change would be in breach of the concordat between the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (as legal successor of the Prussia) and the Holy See.

The Green Learning Workshop opens its doors to little explorers after a two-year hiatus.

The Green Learning Workshop has opened its doors, located in the Botanic Gardens of the University of Bonn. Age-appropriate programs will be offered there for children to playfully discover and learn about plant life in all its diversity. The Learning Workshop will stay open year-round and through any kind of weather, representing an expansion of the Green School offering. The Workshop was renovated and equipped with funding from the University of Bonn Foundation, the University of Bonn and a host of sponsors.

Enjoy the Botanic Garden Barrier-Free: Garden guide provides information in plain language

A special guide to the University of Bonn’s Botanic Garden has just been released: a 30-page walking tour written in Leichte Sprache, or plain, easy-to-understand German.

The Treasures of our Museums : New exhibitions you will definitely have to see this fall

New exhibitions you will definitely have to see this fall

Promoting Staff Internationalization

Getting researchers, students, instructors and staff networked together internationally—preparing them for the challenges of a globalized labor market, in and outside of academia. These are the pursued goals under the University of Bonn’s Internationalization Strategy.

Promoting Fair Trade at the University: A passing of the torch at Fairtrade University Bonn

Fairtrade soccer balls for University Sports, fairtrade coffee and bananas in the cafeteria ... and close cooperation in committees. Luise Tegeler, Judith Meder and other students campaigned for greater fairtrade awareness at the University of Bonn for two years. Now as the two are finishing their master’s degrees, they are passing the torch. on to a next ‘generation’.

Sand Piles, Parental Leave, Light in Mirror Maze: Hundreds attend the Open Air Excellence Slam

Scientists from the Bonn Clusters of Excellence gave brief ‘slam’ presentations about their research on the Arkadenhof courtyard in a humor and creativity-filled contest in which ultimately everybody was a winner.

Editorial: Changing perspectives, broadening horizons

Dear Readers, What good are universities, really? In this issue we look at two studies that provide extraordinarily explicit answers to this very question. Data shows that universities are a tangible driver of economic prosperity —generating impact quantifiable in euros—and furthermore contribute crucially to real societal progress. University-based research also makes the world a better place, a bit more with every passing day.