Beyond EVE: Events

GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel

Sun, 03 Jan 2021 21:29:19 +0100

GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel is a world-wide leading institute of marine research. We investigate chemical, physical, biological and geological processes of the seafloor, oceans and ocean margins and their interactions with the atmosphere. We also bridge the gap between basic and applied science in several areas. With this broad spectrum of research initiatives GEOMAR is globally unique. The GEOMAR is a foundation under public law jointly funded by the German federal (90%) and Schleswig-Holstein state (10%) governments. GEOMAR has a staff of approximately 1,000 (2018) individuals and an annual budget of ~80 Million Euros.

The institutes’ mandate is the interdisciplinary investigation of all relevant aspects of modern marine sciences, from sea floor geology to marine meteorology. Research is conducted worldwide in all oceans and adjacent seas.

The institute has four major research divisions:

GEOMAR cooperates closely with the University of Kiel in the education of future marine scientists. Curricula include “Physics of the Earth System: Meteorology – Oceanography – Geophysics” for the Bachelor’s degree and internationally oriented Master’s courses such as “Climate Physics: Meteorology and Physical Oceanography” and “Biological Oceanography.” The institute also provides additional contributions to other curricula, such as Geology and Geophysics. GEOMAR also has cooperative programmes with other universities around the world, and special programmes for pupils and teachers aim to stimulate interest in the marine sciences at an early stage.

In addition, the institute operates three research vessels, state-of-the-art equipment such as the manned submersible JAGO, the deep-sea robots ROV KIEL6000, PHOCA and ABYSS as well as several major laboratories, access to high-performance computing facilities and an attractive public aquarium.

Since end of 2017, GEOMAR operates a science and logistic station on the Cap Verdean Islands, the Ocean Science Centre Mindelo.

GEOMAR is among the three leading institutions in the field of marine sciences in Europe. Jointly with the National Oceanography Centre in the United Kingdom and Ifremer in France, GEOMAR has established the “G3 group” of national marine research centres.

GEOMAR cooperates with a number of small companies active in marine technology and science, some of which were founded by former staff members of the institute.

In addition, GEOMAR is active in a number of national and international committees and strategic alliances such as the German Alliance for Marine Research (DAM), the German Marine Research Consortium (KDM), the German Climate Consortium (DKK), the European Marine Board and the Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans (POGO).

German Physical Society (DPG)

German Physical Society (DPG) — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 15:36:56 +0100

The German Physical Society (DPG) is there for everyone: students, professors, pupils, teachers, people working in industry or simply interested in physics. The DPG is the mouthpiece of physics and contact for people interested in physics. As a non-profit association, it does not pursue any economic interests and is based on the principles of voluntarism and voluntary work. In the DPG, young scientists meet Nobel Laureates, interested parties with experts and young with old. Together they form the world's largest physical society. The main concerns of the DPG are the promotion of physics and its sub and neighbouring fields, the exchange of experience in teaching, research and application, the consultation of decision-makers in questions of research promotion, education and the profession as well as the promotion of young scientists and their professional future. Equal opportunities play a special role here. With the annual DPG Spring Meetings, the DPG Annual Meeting and many other scientific or public events, the DPG tries to put its concerns into practice. It regularly publishes studies and information material to inform the scientific community and the general public about physical topics. With various awards, the DPG honours outstanding achievements in the field of physics and maintains diverse relationships with domestic, foreign and international associations with the same or similar objectives.

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 12:26:57 +0100

DESY is one of the world’s leading accelerator centres. Researchers use the large-scale facilities at DESY to explore the microcosm in all its variety – from the interactions of tiny elementary particles and the behaviour of new types of nanomaterials to biomolecular processes that are essential to life. The accelerators and detectors that DESY develops and builds are unique research tools. The facilities generate the world’s most intense X-ray light, accelerate particles to record energies and open completely new windows onto the universe.

That makes DESY not only a magnet for more than 3000 guest researchers from over 40 countries every year, but also a coveted partner for national and international cooperations. Committed young researchers find an exciting interdisciplinary setting at DESY. The research centre offers specialized training for a large number of professions. DESY cooperates with industry and business to promote new technologies that will benefit society and encourage innovations. This also benefits the metropolitan regions of the two DESY locations, Hamburg and Zeuthen near Berlin.

Forschungszentrum Jülich - Institute of Energy and Climate Research (IEK)

Forschungszentrum Jülich - Institute of Energy and Climate Research (IEK) — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 14:29:00 +0100

The Institute of Energy and Climate Research investigates modern energy conversion technologies within the framework of climate and environmental protection. The topics it covers in the energy sector range from photovoltaics and fuel cells, through nuclear fusion and nuclear safety research, right up to innovative coal and gas power plants as well as an overarching systems analysis. In the climate sector, attention is focused on the atmosphere. The chemistry and dynamics of anthropogenic and natural trace gases such as water vapour, hydroxyls and carbon dioxide are monitored in the atmosphere by means of measuring instruments on the ground, in the air and in space. A particular strength of the Institute of Energy and Climate Research is its interdisciplinary approach for solivng interdisciplinary issues, which is facilitated by the application of complementary scientific methods and the utilization of a joint infrastructure. The Institute of Energy and Climate Research intends to assess research findings in the "energy and climate" context and thus provide advice for our society, politics and industry.

DESY’s X-ray source PETRA III points possible ways to better RNA vaccines

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY — Fri, 11 Dec 2020 20:58:30 +0100

The pharmaceutical company BioNTech and the University of Mainz are conducting research with other partners on the EMBL beamline

The Mainz-based biotech company BioNTech, which recently presented the first promising results for a coronavirus vaccine together with the US company Pfizer, is already conducting research on the next generation of RNA drugs at DESY’s X-ray source PETRA III. Using the P12 beamline, operated by the European Molecular Biology Laboratory EMBL, BioNTech has been investigating, together with the Universities of Mainz, Tel Aviv and Leiden as well as the Research Centre Jülich and EMBL, how so-called messenger RNA (mRNA) can be packaged better so as to be more effective in the target organism. The researchers are reporting a number of results in three papers, published in the journals Applied Nano Materials, Cells and Langmuir. The papers also illustrate the potential of analytical research carried out with the help of the research infrastructure available on the DESY campus.

Self-aware AI: How can a neural network learn to say „I do not know“?

German Physical Society (DPG) — Sat, 05 Dec 2020 21:44:40 +0100

Deep learning gilt derzeit als das mächtigste generische Werkzeug zur Entwicklung intelligenter Systeme. Tiefe neuronale Netze haben eine noch nie dagewesene Vorhersagegenauigkeit erreicht, so dass sie die besten bioinformatischen Techniken in der Proteinfaltungsvorhersage und die besten Sprachverständnismethoden in der Textanalyse ohne jegliche Domänenkenntnisse übertroffen haben. Neuronale Netze verdanken ihren Erfolg ihrer Fähigkeit, Daten auf parametrische Weise zu speichern. Eine erfolgreiche neuronale Netzwerkarchitektur hat typischerweise eine größere Anzahl von Parametern als Beobachtungen. Diese Eigenschaft führt zu einem schwerwiegenden Artefakt: Neuronale Netze sind nicht in der Lage, Unsicherheiten durch ihre Schichten richtig zu propagieren, sie sind also nicht in der Lage, ihren Vorhersagen sinnvolle Unsicherheiten zuzuschreiben. Dies führt dazu, dass ein neuronales Netz, das auf handgeschriebene Ziffern trainiert wurde, das Bild einer Katze mit hoher Sicherheit einer zufälligen Ziffer zuordnet, was seine sichere und zuverlässige Anwendung in industriellen Szenarien fragwürdig macht. Dieser Vortrag führt in die Grundlagen der Unsicherheitsquantifizierung in neuronalen Netzen ein, führt durch eine Zusammenstellung der jüngsten Forschungsherausforderungen in diesem Bereich und bietet Einblicke in die wichtigsten Anwendungsfälle der Industrie für KI-Methoden mit Unsicherheitsbewusstsein. Vortragender: Dr. Melih Kandemir, Bosch Center for Artificial Intelligence

Vortragssprache: Englisch Reihe: Industriegespräche Rhein/Neckar

Queen's Lecture 2019

Technische Universität Berlin — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 12:58:37 +0100

Professorin Corinne Le Quéré: „The interactions between climate change and the carbon cycle and the future we choose“ This year will be remembered as the year the world woke up to the climate crisis – and it’s about time! Climate change is unfolding as predicted by scientists repeatedly and consistently over the past thirty years at least. We can now see the changes with our own eyes, and the impacts look a lot scarier in reality than on paper. But just how did we get here, and what comes next? This lecture will present the scientific basis for climate change through the lenses of the natural carbon cycle. It will show how emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from human activities have caused the planet to warm, and have set in motion a train of changes in the natural carbon cycle. Every year, the land and ocean natural carbon reservoirs, the so-called carbon ‘sinks’, absorb 55% on average of the CO2 emissions we release in the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and other activities. The carbon sinks slow down the rate of climate change, but they themselves respond to a changing climate, by leaving more CO2 in the atmosphere. The latest evidence on trends in emissions and carbon sinks of the past 60 years, reveals the limits of our understanding and the challenges we face to develop a planetary monitoring system that can keep track of the rapidly changing carbon cycle. The lecture will incorporate in the science of climate change and how it interacts with the carbon cycle, with the evolving relationship between scientists and society during the past decades. It will detail the growing momentum of global political leadership emerging to tackle climate change, the challenges that we face, and offer reflections on ways to bring about the future we choose. Corinne Le Quéré is Royal Society Research Professor of Climate Change Science at the University of East Anglia. She is a member of the UK Committee on Climate Change and in France chair of the related Le Haut Conseil pour le climat. more The Queen's Lectures are supported by the British Embassy and the British Council Germany.

The lecture will be held in English.

YES Young Earth Scientists Congress 2019 "Rocking Earth's Future"

Sat, 05 Dec 2020 21:25:43 +0100

The 5th International YES (Young Earth Scientists ) Congress will be held in the vibrant city of Berlin under the theme "Rocking Earth's Future". It will be a special opportunity for young scientists from all over the world to share their experiences, their science and culture and to expand their skills. Global change confronts us with major challenges such as rapid population growth, increasing urbanization, global warming, soil destruction and water pollution. Globalization processes increase further our vulnerability. For early career researchers, the task is to ensure that humanity is prepared to tackle all these challenges in a smart and sustainable way. This requires hard facts, reproducible and transparent science, and a sound commitment. The YES Congress will focus on six large topical issues: - Ashes to Ashes - Understanding Earth processes - Unboxing Earth - Interdisciplinary Problem solving - Heritage Earth - Sustainable Resource Management - Society at Risk - Impacting Earth Phenomena - Brave New World - Advanced Technologies in Earth Sciences - Beyond Printing - Communicating Science Session proposals have to be submitted according to these topics. Submission deadline: 30 September 2018

European Geothermal PhD Day 2019

Sat, 05 Dec 2020 21:25:17 +0100

The European Geothermal PhD Day (EGPD) is intended to connect PhD researchers from all over Europe working in the field of geothermal energy and will celebrate its 10th anniversary at its original host institution, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), Potsdam. Every year, between 50-80 young scientists from various research fields such as geology, geochemistry, rock mechanics, geophysics and mechanical engineering come together to share knowledge and experience on this promising energy resource. Over the last decade, this venue was held in many different countries including Iceland, the Netherlands, Italy, Hungary, Switzerland and Germany. Participants at any stage of their PhD studies, who are interested in presenting their work, getting feedback from fellow PhD students or who would like to explore future directions in their research and careers are welcome to join the 10th EGPD.

Queens Lecture 2018

Technische Universität Berlin — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 15:58:06 +0100

Professor Susan Jebb "Diet, obesity and health: from science to policy" Poor diet is one of the leading global causes of avoidable ill-health. Obesity, driven by overconsumption, is a key issue, and in most high and middle income countries we also eat too much saturated fat, sugar and salt and too little fibre, which increase health risks independent of weight. Despite the widespread acceptance of the mantra “prevention is better than cure”, prevention remains the cinderella of medicine with chronic under-investment in preventative health research. Nutrition research is a crucial component. If we are to make the case to reprioritise healthcare spending and encourage people to change personal eating habits, we need to have confidence that dietary interventions to prevent disease will be effective. But nutrition has become one of the most contentious issues in science and consumers increasingly turn to their peers and not scientists. The challenge for science is to generate robust evidence of the relationship between diet and health and effective actions to change behaviour. We must also communicate the evidence to policymakers, industry and the public. They need instruments to create a virtuous circle where consumers demand healthier food and industry competes to respond, offering and promoting food and drinks in a way which further drives healthier choices. The challenge for government is to put in place the conditions which make this more likely for science, for industry and citizens. This presentation will consider the strength of evidence relating diet to health outcomes particularly for saturated fat and sugar, drawing on data from prospective cohorts and dietary intervention studies. Susan Jebb is Professor of Diet and Population Health at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford. The Queen's Lectures are supported by the British Embassy and the British Council Germany. The lecture will be held in English.

The World in 2050 - Towards Sustainable Development and Deep Decarbonization

Technische Universität Berlin — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 15:54:33 +0100

The Paris Agreement has been hailed as a landmark deal to fight anthropogenic climate change. But 2015 was not only the year of the UNFCCC’s COP21 in Paris, it also marks the adoption of the 17 ambitious and comprehensive Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in New York. The SDGs comprise goals as diverse as the reduction of global inequality, overcoming poverty, provision of affordable and clean energy, and investing in education. Both agreements indicate the beginning of a new era that will be characterized by a holistic way of thinking about climate change action embedded in the sustainable development framework. It remains to be seen, however, if the high expectations can be met. Transformative changes in many countries throughout the world are required and various trade-offs between conflicting objectives such as universal access to energy and a limit to emissions need to be tackled. Jeffrey Sachs**, economist, Senior UN Advisor and Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University will share his vision on how deep decarbonization and encompassing sustainability can be achieved and will elaborate on the implications for the world in the year 2050. His keynote will be introduced by a presentation by **Ottmar Edenhofer**, Professor for "Economics of Climate Change" at TU Berlin, Deputy Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and Director of the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC). New York Times Berlin-Correspondent **Melissa Eddy will moderate the subsequent debate between Jeffrey Sachs and Ottmar Edenhofer.