◼◼◼ UoC News

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◼ University of Cologne New York Office Under New Leadership

Dr. Eva Bosbach was appointed Executive Director in April 2017

In December 2010 the University of Cologne opened its representation in North America. It reports to the award-winning International Office and Pro-Rectorate for Internationalization.

 

„We are excited about the opportunity to present cutting-edge research results from Cologne to experts and interested public in North America through our New York Office. This contributes to a free exchange of scientific ideas, to the dialogue between science and society, and to fostering of the transatlantic relations,“  said Prof. Dr. Axel Freimuth, Rector of the University of Cologne.

Dr. Eva Bosbach

Our new contact person in North America, Dr. Eva Bosbach, has been active since April with organizing and participation at events in New York („Applications of CRISPR Technologies in Research and Industry“, „Germany Grad Fair“, “Aging and Society”, “Transatlantic Workshop Plant Science”), Boston, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco and Toronto, bringing together internationally renowned experts from Cologne and the world over. Born in Prague, Czech Republic, Dr. Eva Bosbach received both her Masters and her Ph.D. degree from the University of Cologne. Prior to coming to New York, she was Program Manager at the German Rectors’ Conference in Bonn, and is author of several comparative studies about doctoral education and the humanities in Germany and the US.

The New York Office assists with cultivating partnerships with North American partner universities, organizes delegation visits and serves as a first point of contact for faculty and students in the United States and Canada who are interested in the UoC.  It assists with the organisation of the University of Cologne’s summer school in New York and reaches out to the University’s network of German and international alumni residing in the United States or Canada. Read more at UoC

You can reach out to Dr. Bosbach in New York at eva.bosbach@uni-koeln.de or +1 212 758 5893 to learn more about opportunities the UoC New York Office can provide for you, including invitations to events in the U.S. and Canada, funding information, or platforms to network and present your research.

Twitter: @UniCologneNY

 

 

 

◼ Integration of Refugees/Migrants in Higher Education: S.U.C.RE.

Supporting University Community pathways for REfugees/migrants

The S.U.C.RE. Programme is an Erasmus+ initiative granted by the European Commision. The consortium consists of the University of Cologne (Universität zu Köln), the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (project coordinator) and the VU Amsterdam (Vrije Universeteit Amsterdam) as well as the Greek Council for Refugees. The Programme is a two-year KA2 Erasmus+ Strategic Partenership in the field of Higher Education.

S.U.C.RE. focuses on the response of universities to the needs of refugees/migrants students and scholars, specifically, S.U.C.RE. on the processes (linguistic support, knowledge level, etc.) required for the proper integration of refugees/migrants in higher education as well as on their academic support after their acceptance/entrance in a University. In addition, the programme focuses on the psychosocial integration/support of refugees/migrants and their proper information on legal and medical issues.

S.U.C.RE. aims at creating educational/training material to be properly used by trainers for the above stated purposes. Read more at UoC

Website: sucre.auth.gr
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SUCRE.programme
Publication: Accessing Higher Education in Europe: Challenges for Refugee Students & Strategies to Overcome Them (PDF)

 

 

◼ Coimbra Group: UoC Joined Renowned Association of European Universities

The UoC has been accepted into the Brussels-based Coimbra Group by absolute majority vote of its members.

The association fosters the global cooperation of universities and advises the European Commissions on questions of higher education.

The Coimbra Group, named after one of the oldest Universities in Europe, was founded in 1985. Today, it comprises 37 renowned European universities. The network’s aim is to enhance cooperation in order to foster excellence in teaching and research, internationalization, and the impact of science and scholarship on society – an aspect that appears more urgent than ever in light of current political developments. The network is based in Brussels, allowing it to cooperate closely with the European Commission.
Read more at UoC

 

◼ Rankings

Financial Times Masters in Management Ranking 2017: M.Sc. Business Administration Germany’s #1 in the area “Career Progress Rank”, CEMS MIM is among top 10 worldwide
Read more at UoC

THE Ranking – University of Cologne among TOP 150 Universities Worldwide: University of Cologne climbs 25 positions to rank 145 and reaches a new top position since being part of the Times Higher Education (THE) Ranking
Read more at UoC

University of Cologne significantly improves its position in Humboldt Foundation’s Internationality Ranking: In national comparison, Cologne rose from rank 18 to rank 13. The University hosts a particularly high number of international guest scholars in the humanities and social sciences
Read more at UoC

 

◼ New CETEUS Project VIADUCT

300.000€ Grant for Jean Monnet Network “Enhancing VIsibility of the Academic DialogUe on EU-Turkey CooperaTion” (VIADUCT)

The Centre for Turkey and EU Studies (CETEUS) at the University of Cologne, led by Prof. em. Dr. Wolfgang Wessels, has successfully applied for a grant in the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme. In the sub-programme “Jean Monnet Networks”, the CETEUS project was granted the sum of 300.000€ by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) which administrates the programme on behalf of the European Commission. Under the directorship of Prof. Wessels and Dr. Funda Tekin VIADUCT represents a network of 40 partners in the EU, Turkey and the neighbourhood….
Read more at UoC

 

◼ New Completion of Mozart’s Requiem by UoC Music Director

Article at www.bostonglobe.com

 

 

◼ Collaboration Between Medical Staff and Car Makers

Ford | University of Cologne Centre for Integrated Oncology (CIO)

 

Posted by University of Cologne International Office on Montag, 18. Dezember 2017

 

 

 

◼ UoC Main Library Wins International Bookbinders’ Prize Again

 

■ Content Issue No 9

◼◼◼ UoC Research News

Reply

◼◼ UoC Postdoc Career Program

The University of Cologne is dedicated to supporting young researchers in the postdoc phase.

To that end, the Faculty and Academic Development Department has developed a many-faceted program to help you pursue your career inside or outside the university.

Our offer meets today’s career counseling standards and uses different methods to help you develop professionally and build a network at the University of Cologne as well as nationally and internationally.

Read more at UoC

 

◼◼ University of Cologne in a Strong Position to Win Excellence Strategy Funding

German Research Foundation (DFG) asks University of Cologne to submit four full applications for Clusters of Excellence

In the framework of the Excellence Strategy for German universities of the German federal and state governments, the German Research Foundation (DFG) has asked the University of Cologne to submit four full proposals for Clusters of Excellence. This significantly increases the chances of the UoC to succeed in the next round of the competition. Defending its status as an Excellence University would entail the long-term provision of millions of euros in external funding.
Read more at UoC

 

◼◼ Two New Collaborative Research Centres at the University of Cologne

predictability in evolution | future of rural Africa

Read more at DFG (German Research Foundation): The DFG Funds 15 New Collaborative Research Centres

The region North Rhine-Westfalia is frontrunner in the number of Collaborative Research Centres approved by the German Research Foundation (DFG). Within the region the University of Cologne has managed to establish the highest number (11) of those centres (see map in the tweet below).

The promoting instrument of Collaborative Research Centres (CRCs), DFG aims to create priority areas of research through the temporary establishment of Centres of Excellence, the advancement of interdisciplinary collaboration, and the promotion of early-stage researchers.
Read more at UoC

 

 

◼◼ Have a 360° Look Around the Lab at CECAD

 

 

See also:

 

◼◼ Three Scientists on Aging win ERC Grants for Cologne

Read more at cecad.uni-koeln.de

 

 

◼◼ ERC Advanced Grant for Yoichi Ando

Yoichi Ando has been awarded with the ERC Advanced Grant of the European Research Council for his project “Majorana Fermions in Topological Insulator Platforms”. The ERC Advanced Grant is the most prestigious and competitive grant in Europe.

With the grant Prof. Ando aims to realize and explore exotic particles, known as Majorana Fermion, using the peculiar properties of topological insulators. In these materials the structure of the quantum-mechanical wave function enforces the presence of conducting surface states. Using the coupling of these surface states to superconductors, Yoichi Ando plans to engineer Majorana quantum states which allows for new ways to encode quantum information and perform computations in future quantum computers. Read at UoC + Press Release

Yoichi Ando joined the University of Cologne as a professor in 2015. The ERC Advanced Grant will provide funding from 2017 to 2022.

He has been listed as a “Highly Cited Researcher in 2017”. Read more at UoC

 

 

◼◼ Stefan Kröpelin Wins 2017 Communicator Award

Cologne-based geologist recognised for his long-standing and dedicated commitment to sharing his research on Africa

Geologist and climate researcher Dr. Stefan Kröpelin is the winner of this year’s Communicator Award, conferred by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) and the Stifterverband (Donors’ Association for the Promotion of Sciences and Humanities in Germany). The researcher from the University of Cologne will be presented with the €50,000 prize for his long-standing commitment to sharing his research on the Sahara. Read more at www.dfg.de

 

 

◼◼ ERC Starting Grant for Research on the Evolution of Insect Feeding Systems

Cologne-based zoologist wins ERC Starting Grant, totalling 1.5 million euros in funding for research on the evolutionary development of insect heads and feeding systems.

Dr Alexander Blanke from the University of Cologne’s Institute of Zoology won the European Research Council’s Starting Grant 2017. He will conduct his five-year project at the Cologne Biocentre. With 1.5 million euros, the early-career researcher was granted the highest total sum the Starting Grant programme awards. Read more at UoC

 

 

◼◼ UoC Research – Miscellaneous

 

◼ Compound Eyes a Continuous Feature of Evolution

Researchers from Cologne, Tallinn, and Edinburgh have found out that the compound eyes of today’s insects and crustaceans are still constructed in much the same way as 500 million years ago.

The research team looked at fossil trilobites, the extinct predecessors of spiders and crabs. However, these anthropods lacked the lenses of contemporary compound eyes. The zoologist Dr Brigitte Schoenemann and her colleagues have now published the results of their research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Read more at UoC

Article at www.eurekalert.org

 

◼ Keeping Tamil alive in German heartland

Article at timesofindia.indiatimes.com

 

◼ Compound Eyes a Continuous Feature of Evolution

Researchers from Cologne, Tallinn, and Edinburgh have found out that the compound eyes of today’s insects and crustaceans are still constructed in much the same way as 500 million years ago.

The research team look

 

 

◼ Improving the Neuron Factory – New Modulator of Stem Cell Identity found

Since their discovery in 2006, induced pluripotent stem cells are a glimmer of hope for many diseases.

But further research of the complex regulation of pluripotent stem cell identity revealed unexpected difficulties. A team of researchers at the Cluster of Excellence CECAD has now found an efficient way to produce neurons from pluripotent stem cells. Their research was published in Nature Communications. Read more at UoC

 

◼ New Approaches in Targeted Cancer Therapy

Big step toward treatment of aggressive carcinoma

In a large-scale testing procedure, scientists from Cologne University Hospital have explored the effects of more than 1,500 substances on different kinds of cancer cells. The results from this study are a fundamental prerequisite for the development of new therapies for NMC, an aggressive cancer which is often lethal.

Precision medicine, which custom-tailors therapies to the needs of individual patients, is becoming more and more important in cancer therapy. Today, molecular-biological diagnostics can precisely identify alterations in tumor cells. A major aim of modern cancer therapy is to develop drugs that individually target these altered tumor cells, but do not impact the surrounding healthy cells Read more at UoC

 

 

◼ Register for EUROGEO 2018 ‘Geography for all’

Conference Invitation: Whenever new technologies have emerged they have tended to transform our society. For instance, today we have access to an unprecedented quantity of geographic information and to sophisticated means of acquiring, manipulating and disseminating it. Rapid technological developments of the past century therefore holds the promise to do something similar for our current, post-industrial world. Read more at www.eurogeography.eu

 

◼ Men and Masculinity are Seen as American

Laura Van Berkel is a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Cologne

Laura Van Berkel, University of Cologne – Men and Masculinity are Seen as American

 

◼ Phenotypes on Demand via Switchable Target Protein Degradation in Multicellular Organisms

Read at www.nature.com

 

◼ Thorsten Hoppe: The protein “CHIP” unfurls anti-aging activity

Researchers at the universities of Cologne and Bonn uncover the link between protein aggregation and aging

Not only does our way of life determine how long we live but so too does our genetic material. Of particular importance here is a genetic program that is controlled by the insulin receptor. A team of researchers from the Universities of Cologne and Bonn has now discovered how protein aggregation affects this genetic program and thus triggers aging. The results have now been published in the journal “Cell”. Early in evolution, sugar intake and the regulation of life span were linked with each other.
Read more at cecad.uni-koeln.de

See also:

Thorsten Hoppe on Sabbatical at Columbia University, New York

Carrying out Research in New York

Every seven semesters, German university professors have the chance to focus fully on their research – something that is not always easy in the everyday life of a university. Professor Thorsten Hoppe from CECAD, the Cluster of Excellence for Aging Research in Cologne, took this opportunity in the fall and winter term of 2016. Read more at UoC

 

 

◼ 5 Reasons Education Needs to Invest in Augmented Reality

Analysis by University of Cologne

Read the UoC analysis “Benefits of Augmented Reality in Educational Environments – A Systematic Literature Review” (PDF)

Blog entry at centricdigital.com

 

 

◼ Polysialic acid blocks mononuclear phagocyte reactivity, inhibits complement activation, and protects from vascular damage in the retina

Read at embomolmed.embopress.org

 

◼ Protect the Skin, Build Barriers: Old Acquaintance in a New Role

To ensure the barrier function of the skin, mutual regulation of connections between epidermal cells and a receptor for growth factors is necessary. These findings can help to reduce the effects of inflammatory skin diseases and the decreased barrier function of the aged skin. The mechanism was described by a team of researchers led by Carien Niessen of the Cluster of Excellence for aging research, CECAD/Cologne. The results have been published in Nature Communications. Read more at UoC

 

◼ Keeping Skin Cancer in Check

How the environment influences the tumor

Our skin is our most important barrier to the surrounding environment. Every day, it has to

sunlight is one of the biggest risk factors of skin cancers. While in the 1960s the lifetime risk to develop malignant melanoma was 1:600 today it is about 1:100. Therefore, research on this type of cancer, which only has a good chance of treatment if diagnosed early, is important. Read more at UoC

 

 

◼ Insights on Fast Cockroaches Can Help Teach Robots to Walk

First-time evidence that fast insects can change their gait like a mammal’s transition from trot to gallop

Using the example of cockroaches, the Cologne-based zoologist Dr. Tom Weihmann and his team were able to show that quickly running insects change their gait at mid-speed. This behavior has previously only been observed in fast mammals. This change in gait is similar to the way horses change from trot to gallop. The results of the study have now been published in the journal Frontiers in Zoology. Read more at UoC

 

 

 

◼ Newly Discovered Fungus Feeds Phosphorus to Plants

The new discovery important for breeding of novel crop plants that cooperate with beneficial fungi

Every plant is populated by numerous microorganisms. Members in this so-called microbiome are also numerous fungi from the soil. The research group of Prof. Dr. Marcel Bucher from the Cluster of Excellence on Plant Science (CEPLAS) studied the symbiosis with a particular fungus of the root microbiome and its host plant Arabis alpina (Alpine Rock-Cress). The study revealed that a particular fungus from the root microbiome, which was previously unknown, provides its host plant in nutrient-poor soils with phosphorus and thus stimulates its growth. Read more at UoC

 

 

◼ Scientists Reveal the Secret of the Missing Chemical Element Niobium on Earth

the rare metal niobium had already moved towards the core of asteroids.

The collisions of these asteroids with the Earth were responsible for its growth more than 4.6 billion years ago. The results of a team of scientists from the universities in Cologne and Bonn allow new insights in the growing periods of the young Earth more than 4.6 billion years ago. It has been established that the Earth has grown to its present size through collisions of asteroids. The recent study suggests that the metal cores of the asteroids immediately melted into the core of the Earth during these planetary collisions. During this process, considerable amounts of niobium that should have been concentrated in the silicate mantle of the Earth disappeared. ‘The missing niobium can be found in the metal core of the Earth, more than 2900 kilometers beneath the surface’, says geomechanic Carsten Münker from Cologne. ‘Our research shows that it had already moved towards the metal core of the asteroids’, adds his colleague Raul Fonseca from Bonn. The current findings of the team from Cologne and Bonn was published in the current issue of Nature Geoscience. Read more at UoC

 

 

◼ Indicator of Extraterrestrial Life?

First-time discovery of chemical compound Freon-40 in space

Using data captured by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) ALMA in Chile and the ROSINA instrument on ESA’s Rosetta mission, an international team of astronomers including scientists from Harvard University, the University of Cologne, the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, and others, has found faint traces of the chemical compound Freon-40 (CH3Cl), an organohalogen, around both an infant star and a comet in our solar system. This is the first detection ever of a saturated organohalogen in interstellar space. This result has now been published in the journal “Nature Astronomy”. Read more at UoC

 

 

◼ Higher Levels of Cooperation for Provision Than for Maintenance of Public Goods

A research team was able to show that people are less willing to cooperate to maintain public goods than to provide new ones.

The investigators took a closer look at the paradigm of reciprocity: I will only cooperate if others do so as well. The results were published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour. Dr. Felix Kölle, a research fellow at the Faculty of Management, Economics, and Social Sci-ences at the University of Cologne, and his team wanted to find out how the paradigm of rec-iprocity influences public goods. Participants (n = 876) in a series of experiments and simula-tions were asked to either maintain a public good or create a new one. Examples for the maintenance of public goods are sustaining natural resources like water, limiting CO2-emissions and fostering biodiversity. Examples for the provision of public goods are engage-ment in political activities, charity and volunteering. Read mmore at UoC

◼ Venus’s Turbulent Atmosphere

International research team sheds light on the Earth’s ‘twin planet’

A research paper published today by Nature Astronomy sheds light on the so far unexplored nightside circulation at the upper cloud level of Venus. Researchers from the Rhenish Institute for Environmental Research at the University of Cologne are part of an international research project which has now presented its preliminary findings. They discovered unexpected patterns of slow motion and abundant stationary waves in Venus’s nighttime sky. Read more at UoCx

 

 

More UoC Research News in German

 

■ Content Issue No 9

◼◼◼ Research in Germany Publications

Reply

The publications by Research in Germany will help you navigate through the German research environment and provide information on research performing organisations, funding and career opportunities, and interesting research areas. Whether you are interested in basic or applied research, an academic career or a position at a non-university research institution – explore the many opportunities available to you in Germany: https://www.research-in-germany.org/en/infoservice/publications.html

 

■ Content Issue No 9

◼◼◼ City of Cologne

Reply

◼ 6 Weeks of Passing Around a Selfie Camera in Amazing 1:44 !

See Cologne from many different perspectives!

Watch the video on the City of Cologne’s Facebook page!

 

◼ Digital Hub Cologne: Bringing Together Innovative Startups and Ideas with Companies, Science, and Industry

The Digital Hub Cologne is a joint initiative of the

  • University of Cologne
  • Cologne Chamber of Commerce
  • City of Cologne
  • many supportive people from business, science and digital scene.

Read more at digitalhubcologne.de

 

◼ InsurLab Germany Started in Cologne

»InsurLab Germany is THE platform to connect the insurance and InsurTech world with each other. The initiative was the first InsurTech-Hub to be included into the de:hub network of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The initative for InsurLab Germany originally came from the Mayor of the City of Cologne, the Chamber of Commerce of Cologne, the University of Cologne, and the TH Cologne. Meanwhile, the InsurTech-Hub is operated by InsurLab Germany e.V., which was founded by several German insurance companies, universities, and startups.« — www.insurlab-germany.com

 

◼ 8 Fascinating Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Cologne Cathedral

Or did you?

Read at www.thelocal.de

 

◼ Cologne Stands out for Its Level of Education

Smartest cities in Germany

Read at www.thelocal.de

 

 

■ Content Issue No 9

◼◼◼ The Student Service Center

Reply

Many of you have already visited the Student Service Center of the University of Cologne, which has been the home of the UoC’s International Office for over three years now. The building designed by www.schusterarchitekten.de and completet in 2013 is popular with many students and other members of the university and the public, others … had to get used to it.

There is not much controversy, however, about the staircase. Most people love it and it has been photographed many times from the many different angles it provides.

E.g. Cologne based photographer Florian W. Müller captured the popular space:
www.facebook.com/florianhwm | www.iso74.com
This work has recently been featured on www.designboom.com

 

 

■ Content Issue No 9

◼◼◼ Sacred Brutalism in Cologne in Tweets

Reply

Take a look inside the Ressurection of Christ Church:

http://sheslostctrl.co.uk/post/105192747787/christie-aufersterhung-cologne-germany-by

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christi_Auferstehung_(Lindenthal)#/media/File:Christi_auferstehung_koeln_innen_2009.jpg

 

The “insane conctrere church” is in fact the church of the Catholic College Community. You can find more pictures of it in the story linked in the following tweet:

 

Rather secular, but nonetheless a temple: the UoC main library

More UoC brutalism: http://www.sosbrutalism.org/cms/15890443

 

 

See also:

https://twitter.com/goingurbanana/status/931525344267591680

 

■ Content Issue No 9

◼◼◼ Albert’s Researcher Reunion Grant

Reply

This Spring’s Deadline Has Been Extended
to 3 April 2017

 

Albert’s Researcher Reunion Grant is a short term fellowship of two to eight weeks for former international scholars at the University of Cologne – fellowship allowance of 500 Euro per week and travel cost lump sum (availability subject to budget restraints and number of successful applications).

 

■ Content Issue No 8

◼◼◼ Interview with Network Member Marwa Shumo

Reply

What Works for Kenya Won’t Fit for India

Photos: Marwa Shumo

Albert’s Global Researchr Network memberMarwa Shumo is from Oman. But her keen interest on environmental studies took her from the Middle East to Germany to delve deeper into environmental issues and, more importantly, into the question of how to tackle challenges of the future like waste recycling. Today, Marwa is an early-stage researcher at the Center of Development Research at the University of Bonn. Before she started her research in Bonn, Marwa was enrolled in the International Master of Environmental Studies (IMES) at the University of Cologne. Read more at UoC

→ Marwa Shumos experience as Falling Walls Lab finalist
→ The Importance of Education in Breaking the Walls of Gender Inequality
→ My #SCIENCEHERO is Evelyn Cheesman

→ International Master of Environmental Sciences

■ Content Issue No 8

◼◼◼ Science4Refugees

Reply

Get Started in Europe

»The Science4Refugees initiative and EURAXESS portal provide research refugee friendly internships, part-time and full-time jobs, access to an European Research Community, as well as a complete range of information and support services on working and living in Europe.« — EURAXESS

More Information on euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/science4refugees

→ Support for Refugee Scholars and Scientists at the University of Cologne

 

 

■ Content Issue No 8

◼◼◼ 10 Years European Research Council

Reply

CECAD Talking European Research

 

The main goal of the European Research Council (ERC) is to encourage high quality research in Europe through competitive funding.
— erc.europa.eu/about-erc

 

The Cologne Cluster of Excellence for Aging Research contributed the following 5 videos to celebrate 10 years of ERC-grants:

Scientists on Aging from the Universität zu Köln and the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft who won the starting grant will answer a different question every day of the #ERCweek. […] Enjoy and stay tuned. 💪🔬 #ERC10yrs
— @CECAD.cologne

What is your project about?

What does European Research mean for you?

What is your advice for young researchers?

How did you feel when you got the grant?

Why did you become a researcher?


ERC’s 10th anniversary

◼◼◼ International Mother Language Day

Reply

Der Erlkönig/Erlking/Le Roi des aulnes/El rey de los elfos/魔王/ملك العفاريت/…

For the International Mother Language Day (21 February) the International Students Association of the University of Cologne took a multilingual poetic approach. Hear Goethe’s Erkling in many languages spoken on the UoC campus:

 

 

■ Content Issue No 8

◼◼◼ UoC Research News

Reply

◼ Rescue the Christmas Dinner and Win over Climate Change Sceptics at the Same Time

Psychologists in Cologne describe in renowned journal how to convince conservatives

Christmas is fast approaching and many families will gather together for a festive meal. But what if the conversation turns to climate change? Some believe the scientific facts, others take it for a lie or conspiracy. Christmas cheer hangs in the balance. How can the more conservative members of the family be convinced? Does it help to regurgitate the scientific facts? “No, since these will only be rejected again. Adopting a different strategy would be a better option”, say Matthew Baldwin and Joris Lammers from the Social Cognition Center of the University of Cologne: “Invoke the past instead.”
Read more at UoC

◼ Keeping Skin Cancer in Check

How the environment influences the tumor

Our skin is our most important barrier to the surrounding environment. Every day, it has to fight threats like UV-light, mechanical stress or germs and viruses. Excessive exposure to sunlight is one of the biggest risk factors of skin cancers. While in the 1960s the lifetime risk to develop malignant melanoma was 1:600 today it is about 1:100. Therefore, research on this type of cancer, which only has a good chance of treatment if diagnosed early, is important.
Read more at UoC

◼  Support for Refugees in Wealthy Hamburg Neighbourhood

Study shows that initial fears of residents could be dispersed

Harvestehude is one of the wealthier areas of Hamburg, the big harbour city in northern Germany. Last year, there was an outcry when plans for a refugee shelter in Harvestehude became public. In the meantime, emotions have cooled and the neighbourhood has accepted its new inhabitants surprisingly well, a survey shows.
Read more at UoC

◼  Career Promotion for Disabled Academics

University of Cologne’s PROMI project is awarded international employment prize

Since 2013, the project “PROMI – promoting inclusive doctoral studies” has worked to create good employment conditions for disabled scholars and scientists at German universities. Since its launch, the project was able to win 45 talented early-stage researchers with a disability. This commitment has now been honored with an international innovation prize.
Read more at UoC

◼  New insights on how pathogens escape the immune system

The bacterium Salmonella enterica causes gastroenteritis in humans and is one of the leading causes of food-borne infectious diseases.

During the infection, the germ is able to trick the immune system. Researchers led by Nirmal Robinson from the Cluster of Excellence for Aging Research CECAD found a mechanism the pathogen uses. They hope to use the gained knowledge in the fight against cancer and other aging-associated diseases. The results are published in the journal PLoS Pathogens.
Read more at UoC

◼   New Technologies for Astronomical Research

DFG supports development of micro-optical systems for use in astronomical instruments

Three working groups from Heidelberg, Cologne and Potsdam are involved in a joint project to develop a new technology for astronomical research. The researchers intend to render micro-optic systems used in telecommunications suitable for use in large telescopes. The collaborative project is being supported by the Königstuhl State Observatory of the Centre for Astronomy of Heidelberg University, the 1st Physical Institute of the University of Cologne, and the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics in Potsdam. The German Research Foundation (DFG) has approved funding of approx. 1.1 million euros for the three-year project, which recently started work.
Read more at UoC

◼   New Technologies for Astronomical Research

DFG supports development of micro-optical systems for use in astronomical instruments

Three working groups from Heidelberg, Cologne and Potsdam are involved in a joint project to develop a new technology for astronomical research. The researchers intend to render micro-optic systems used in telecommunications suitable for use in large telescopes. The collaborative project is being supported by the Königstuhl State Observatory of the Centre for Astronomy of Heidelberg University, the 1st Physical Institute of the University of Cologne, and the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics in Potsdam. The German Research Foundation (DFG) has approved funding of approx. 1.1 million euros for the three-year project, which recently started work.
Read more at UoC

◼   Expensive Taxi Rides for Business Travelers

Taxi rides on business trips are more expensive than on private trips

Using the example of taxi rides, a new study conducted by scientists from the Universities of Cologne and Innsbruck has shown that markets for credence goods create a strong incentive for the providers of these goods to behave dishonestly. The researchers tested this on the taxi drivers of Athens, who indeed do not charge every passenger the same fare.
Read more at UoC

 

More UoC Research News in German

 

■ Content Issue No 8

Reply

Issue No 6Spring2016_UoC

Autumn/Winter 2016/2017

 

Content:

this issue is ☐ in progress ☑ concluded

20161125_205118_lls

20161128_155551

20161128_092323

◼◼◼ Welcome Centre Christmas Excursion 2016

Reply

Aachen Cathedral and Christmas Market

We took a group of our international scholars to a cheerful Christmas trip to the city of Aachen. At the Aachen Cathedral, a World Heritage Site, we went on a guided tour through its checkered (building) history.

After that everybody took the chance to browse through the beautiful Christmas market stalls and enjoy potato fritters with applesauce, Aachener Printen, mulled wine or some of the plenty other treats on display.
More at UoC

 

■ Content Issue No 7

◼◼◼ Albert’s Researcher Reunion Grant

Reply

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Albert’s Researcher Reunion Grant is a short term fellowship of two to eight weeks for former international scholars at the University of Cologne – fellowship allowance of 500 Euro per week and possibly a travel cost lump sum.

More Information

 

■ Content Issue No 7

◼◼◼ International Research Careers

Reply

‘EURAXESS dezentral Workshop 2016’ at the UoC

International Research Careers – Support, Advise, Promote

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Download conference brochure
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EURAXESS provides information and advice for internationally mobile researchers who come to Germany to conduct research or who want to go to another country. In addition to a workshop in Bonn, each year EURAXESS Germany organizes a decentralized workshop for advisors responsible for mobile researchers at institutions in Germany. This was staged on the 23rd and 24th of June 2016 by Albert’s International Assistance, the Welcome Centre of the University of Cologne. On the first day, the participants gathered at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, on the second day at the University of Cologne’s premises.

Read more at UoC

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One of the highlights of the workshop was the after-dinner speech given by Catharine Stimpson and Fayyaz Baqir, a researcher who fled from Pakistan.

 

 

■ Content Issue No 7

◼◼◼ University of Cologne Rises to International Competition

Reply

A Search for Young Talents – We have a Lot to Offer!

How can we attract outstanding young minds back from the USA for German research? With the aim of “brain gain” in place of “brain drain”, the GAIN Conference took place on 9-11 September 2016 in Washington D.C. for the sixteenth time: The intention is to inspire German scholars, who are engaged in research work in their post-doc phase in North America, for the German science and research landscape. The conference, which is organized by the German Research Foundation, the German Academic Exchange Service and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, has become a key event in the calendar of the higher education landscape in Germany. The University of Cologne also presented its research priorities and opportunities for young researchers at the GAIN Talent Fair. In panel discussions and roundtables, Axel Freimuth, the Rector of the UoC, talked with post-docs interested in hearing about career options and the wide range of opportunities available as well as job openings at German universities.

Read more at UoC

 

■ Content Issue No 7

◼◼◼ IPaK Summer School 2016: Research and networking in Cologne

Reply

It is not just about the food

“The food is great though”, Dzikri smiles while helping himself to more snacks from the Mediterranean buffet. “Yes, absolutely”, agrees Jason and adds, “in Bologna, where I study, the food is also fantastic.” But the quality of the food is not the only thing that brought Dzikri and Jason to Europe and, more specifically, to the University of Cologne (UoC) in July 2016.

Together with eight other international postgraduate students, Dzikri, who is from Indonesia and studies at Dundee University in Scotland for his PhD, and Jason, who comes from the Philippines and studies for his PhD in Italy, are taking part in the IPaK Summer School on “Applied Microeconomics” at the University of Cologne’s Institute for Energy Economics.

Read more at UoC

 

■ Content Issue No 7

◼◼◼ New Cologne Tune

Reply

Love Your City: New Song About Cologne

People in Cologne love songs about their city, not only during the carnival season. Some even claim there is no other city in the world that is the topic of more songs. Cologne football star Lukas Podolski, currently playing for Galatasaray Istanbul, had the idea to have a new “cool and fresh” Cologne anthem. Here is the result: “Liebe deine Stadt” – Love Your City:

 

■ Content Issue No 7

◼◼◼ Germany and France

Reply

Our Responsibility for Europe

When over 100 people show enough interest to gather in a university lecture theatre to listen, after Eurozone crisis, Brexit, terror attacks and presidential elections in the USA, to French ambassador Philippe Etienne and his optimistic words about Europe, then nowadays that is a positive sign. “We are going through many crises right now, but we must have the will to improve the situation”, said Etienne during his speech in the New Senate Hall of the University of Cologne.

In cooperation with the Institut Français in Cologne, Professor Wessels, Jean Monnet Chair at the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences, invited his Excellency Monsieur Philippe Etienne from Berlin to the University of Cologne. After the French delegation, comprising the Ambassador of the French Republic, the Consul and two cultural attachés, had been welcomed by Professor Axel Freimuth, Rector, and Professor Gudrun Gersmann, Vice-Rector for International Affairs, the Ambassador gave a lecture on “Joint Responsibility for Europe” before an audience of students and professors. More so today than in the past decades of German-French friendship, positive examples of cooperation are greatly needed.

Read more at UoC

■ Content Issue No 7

◼◼◼ Judith Butler in Cologne

Reply

An Icon of Gender Studies

Photo: Patric Fouad

In 2016 the Albertus Magnus Professorship was awarded to the philosopher and gender theorist Judith Butler from the University of California (Berkeley). Her immense influence on the current social discourse became tangible already in the run-up to the series of events planned with Professor Butler at the University of Cologne: the media interest was enormous and rocketing registration numbers suggested the arrival of a rock star.

Read more at UoC

 

■ Content Issue No 7

◼◼◼ Ruth Gruber Dies at 105

Reply

The UoC’s Eldest Alumna

Ruth Gruber, who earned a doctorate in German literature at the University of Cologne as one of the youngest ever and was the University’s eldest alumna, passed away on November 17, 2016, in her home in Manhattan, at the age of 105.

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Foto: Kai Nedden

◼ The New York Times: Ruth Gruber, a Fearless Chronicler of the Jewish Struggle, Dies at 105

◼ Deutsche Welle: Intrepid photojournalist, activist, humanitarian: Ruth Gruber dies at 105

◼ UoC: „Words and images – My Tools to fight Injustice“ – Ein Besuch bei Ruth Gruber, Kölns ältester Alumna, in New York (German)

◼ UoC on Facebook: Ruth Gruber, unsere älteste Alumna, ist leider im Alter von 105 Jahren in Manhattan verstorben (German)

 

■ Content Issue No 7

◼◼◼ UoC Research News

Reply

◼ Professor Anne Storch from the University of Cologne Receives Leibniz Prize

2.5 million euros in prize money will support research in African studies

The new recipients of Germany’s most prestigious research prize have been announced. Among them is Anne Storch, a renowned scholar of African studies from the University of Cologne. In Bonn today, the Joint Committee of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) chose ten researchers, three women and seven men, to receive the 2017 Leibniz Prize. The recipients of the prize were selected by the Nominations Committee from 134 nominees. Each of the ten winners will receive 2.5 million euros in prize money to support their future research. Read more at UoC


◼ German Research Foundation Has Granted Three CRCs at the University of Cologne

UoC researchers were successful with two new proposals and one renewal request

The German Research Foundation (DFG) has granted two new Collaborative Research Centers (CRCs) at the University of Cologne. Moreover, an existing CRC will receive funding for four more years. The DFG’s appropriations commission reached this decision at its fall meeting in Bonn. New CRCs can receive funding for up to 12 years, and the average sum is 10 million euros for each CRC. In addition, there is a lump sum for indirect costs consisting of 22 percent of the total funding for each programme. All new Collaborative Research Centers will receive funding starting on 1 January 2017 for an initial period of four years.

At the University of Cologne, the following projects were successful:

The Collaborative Research Center/Transregio “Symplectic Structures in Geometry, Algebra, and Dynamics” researches symplectic structures and the application of symplectic techniques in the areas geometry, algebra, dynamic systems, topology, combinatorics, and optimization. The research collaboration builds bridges to disciplines which in the past have not yet – or not yet fully – realized the potential of a symplectic approach. In turn, many disciplines can contribute valuable insights regarding new methodologies in the study of symplectic questions. This includes informatics, for example.
(speaker: Professor Hansjörg Geiges; also involved: Ruhr-University Bochum)

How is information that is conveyed through language organized and structured? “Prominence” plays a central role in structuring language. The Collaborative Research Center “Prominence in Language” brings together not only different branches of linguistics such as phonetics/phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatism, and discourse, it also conducts research on the relationship between linguistic prominence and general cognitive mechanisms such as accentuation and attention. This ties in with psychology and clinical linguistics.(speaker: Professor Klaus von Heusinger)

The CRC “Molecular Mechanisms Regulating Skin Homeostasis” will receive four more years of funding. The aim of this Collaborative Research Center is to analyse and understand the communication between the various cellular and structural partners, which mechanisms guarantee the skin’s homeostasis, and which molecular foundations are at the root of illnesses resulting from malfunctions in skin homeostasis.
(speaker: Professor Carien Niessen)

Read at UoC

 

◼ 500 Greatest Albums of All Time

https://twitter.com/PascalBudner/status/794234529363927042

»Recording an album brings singers, producers, musicians, audio engineers and many other professions together. We know from the press that a few “super”-producers work with many artists. But how does the large-scale social structure of the music industry look like? What is the social network behind the finest albums of all time?«
see www.album-network.uni-koeln.de

 

 

◼ Jettainer Comes in 2nd at the German Logistics Awards

The basis for making decisions in managing the approx. 90,000 containers and pallets around the globe has been significantly improved by using a software solution, which Jettainer has developed in conjunction with the University of Cologne.
Read more at www.jettainer.com
Read at UoC (German)

◼ Fear of Retaliation

Why we tend not to enforce social norms

Imagine a group of travelers who witness two cases of littering at a train station. One person throws a coffee cup on the platform. Another person throws away not only a coffee cup, but an entire bag of trash. Who is more likely to be confronted and reprimanded by bystanders? Although throwing away a bag of trash is considered the bigger norm violation, this behavior does not elicit a stronger reaction in witnesses. That is the result of a study conducted by Bettina Rockenbach, Professor of Experimental and Behavioral Economics at the University of Cologne, Loukas Balafoutas (University of Innsbruck) and Nikos Nikiforakis (New York University Abu Dhabi). The research team investigated how people respond to large and small violations of social norms in public spaces. The results of the study, “Altruistic punishment does not increase with the severity of norm violations in the field,” are published in Nature Communications.

Read more at UoC

 

◼ Diabetes: New Hope for Better Wound Healing

Sluggish insulin metabolism results in slow and incomplete healing of injuries

Diabetics often have to contend with wounds that heal poorly. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, the CMMC, the CECAD Excellence Cluster and the Institute of Genetics of the University of Cologne have now gained new insights into the underlying cellular mechanisms. Their findings could lead to the development of new treatment methods.

 

◼ Defining Immortality of Stem Cells to Identify Novel Anti-Aging Mechanisms

With age, somatic cells such as neurons lose their ability to maintain the quality of their protein content. Pluripotent stem cells, on the contrary, do not age and have increased mechanism to maintain the integrity of their proteins. Researchers from CECAD, the Cluster of Excellence on Aging Research based at the University of Cologne, defined the mechanisms underlying increased protein quality control of pluripotent stem cells. Then, the researchers mimicked these mechanisms in somatic tissues of model organisms to extend lifespan and delay age-related diseases. Their research was published in Nature Communications on November 28.

Read more at UoC

 

◼ A New Switch Decides Between Genome Repair and Death of Cells

 

One of the most important decisions a cell has to make is a matter of life and death: can damage be repaired or is it better to undergo cellular suicide to prevent further harm? In a cascade of a so far poorly understood signaling pathway, researchers from the Cluster of Excellence on Aging Research CECAD at the University of Cologne identified a protein called UFD-2, which plays a key role in this well-balanced process. The results have been published in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.

Read more at UoC

 

◼ Solving the Puzzle of Necroptosis

Cells can die in many ways. Apoptosis is a regulated cell death process that ensures the orderly disassembly and removal of the dying cell. Necroptosis is a more recently identified cell death pathway that results in the release of cellular components that can trigger inflammation. Researchers from the Cluster of Excellence CECAD at the University of Cologne discovered a novel mechanism that regulates necroptosis and inflammation.

Read more at UoC

 

◼ Living with the Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease

Research Project at the University of Cologne Examines Effects of New Possibilities to Predict the Outbreak of Alzheimer’s Disease

What are the expectations of persons who decide to have their risk of Alzheimer’s Disease tested? What should doctors pay attention to when ascertaining individual risks? What is the benefit of risk determination for patients and their close others, while options to treat the disease remain insufficient? According to current estimates, the number of individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease worldwide is 40 million – and rising. The burdens imposed on the patients, on their caregivers, and on society are considerable…

Read more at UoC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More UoC Research News in German

 

■ Content Issue No 7

Reply

Issue No 6Spring2016_UoC

Summer 2016

 

Content:

1. Researcher Network
Albert’s Researcher Reunion Grant
UoC Researcher Alumni Lectures
Join Us on Facebook

2. International Office
International Researcher Careers
Cologne Global Study Program
Fostering the UoC’s Japan Relations
International Info Brochures
Cologne Summer Schools: Student/Faculty Voices
Cologne Summer Schools: Good News from Santander
Contacts

3. UoC News
UoC Stories
New Social Media of the UoC
Miscellaneous

4. UoC Research News

this issue is ☐ in progress ☑ concluded

 

This summer in Cologne was a mixed experience:

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◼◼◼ Albert’s Researcher Reunion Grant

Reply

Miss Cologne? Come Back!


Albert’s Researcher Reunion Grant is a short term fellowship of two to eight weeks for former international scholars at the University of Cologne – fellowship allowance of 500 Euro per week and possibly a travel cost lump sum.
More Information

94img_AGRN_infographic_ReunionGrant_2017

◼◼◼ UoC Researcher Alumni Lectures

Reply

Lecture Series with Members of
Albert’s Global Researcher Network

This year we started the lecture series of Albert’s Global Researcher Network that gives our members (usually Reunion Grant fellows) the opportunity to present their current research topics to an audience beyond the specialists of their respective discipline. UoC students and other interested listeners will have the chance of a glimpse at fascinating topical research and to meet international scholars from various fields.
Read more at researcher-alumni.uni-koeln.de/lectures.html

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See also:

◼◼◼ Join Us on Facebook

Reply

Facebook Group:
Albert’s Global Researcher Network

If your Facebook name differs from your real name, please send us a message on Facebook via https://www.facebook.com/UniCologneAAA.InternationalOffice or e-mail us at researcher.alumni@verw.uni-koeln.de

Other Social Media of the International Office:

Facebook:

■ bit.ly/UniCologneIO (International Office)
■ bit.ly/UoC_CSS (Cologne Summer Schools)
■ bit.ly/UoC_doctoral (Group for UoC international doctoral candidates)
■ bit.ly/UoC_GlobalSouth
■ bit.ly/KoelnAlumni (KölnAlumni WELTWEIT)
■ bit.ly/UoC_SI (Studienstart International)

Twitter:
@UniCologneIO (International Office)
 
 Weibo:
@科隆大学 bit.ly/UoC_Weibo
 

■ Content Issue No 6

◼◼◼ EURAXESS dezentral Workshop 2016 at the UoC

Reply

International Researcher Careers

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EURAXESS Germany is an information and advice point for internationally mobile researchers wishing to come to Germany or go abroad to work in research. It is part of the EURAXESS Services Network across Europe. The objective of the centres is to facilitate international mobility amongst scientists and scholars.

Every year there is a central workshop in Bonn for those staff members who take care of international scholars at their university or research institute. In addition there also is a decentralised workshop at one of the participating institutions.
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This year it took place in Cologne, organised by the Welcome Centre of the International Office. And we may say it was a great success. The central question was how to foster international researcher’s careers. One of the highlights was the after dinner speech, which was a talk between Professor Catharine Stimpson (Dean Emeritus of the Steinhardt Institute for Higher Education Policy, New York University and member of the Scholars at Risk Network Board) and a refugee scholar from Pakistan. Also Judith Butler paid a visit.

A preview of our report is now available in German and will be published in English as well on 15 Sept. on our website. We will remind you in our next newsletter issue to take another look.

 

■ Content Issue No 6

◼◼◼ Cologne Global Study Program

Reply

Do You Have Students Who Want to Come to Cologne? Spread the News:

They can start with zero German language skills

More Information: international.uni-koeln.de/cgsp.html

Photo: Fabian Stürtz

Photo: Fabian Stürtz

 

If you are looking for a short-term program in the heart of Europe that combines English-taught courses on Contemporary European Studies with German language courses, the Cologne Global Study Program is probably just the right choice.

Benefit from your University’s exchange agreement with the University of Cologne and join the Program in Contemporary European Studies for one semester or for a full academic year!

 

 

 

 

■ Content Issue No 6

◼◼◼ Japan: European Higher Education Fair and Partner Universities

Reply

Fostering the UoC’s Japan Relations

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Besides participating in the European Higher Education Fair (EHEF) in Kyoto and Tokyo we used the opportunity of our Japan trip to promote our new Global Study Program and reconnect with several of our partner universities. We went to visit Tenri University, Kyoto Sangyo University, Ritsumeikan University and the Kyoto University of Foreign Studies in the Kyoto area as well as the University of Tsukuba, the University of Tokyo, Keio University and Sophia University in the Tokyo area.

Find details and pictures here.

Some travel impressions:

■ Content Issue No 6

◼◼◼ International Info Brochures

Reply

Download Concise Overviews

Recently there have been several new brochures about international topics like studying in Cologne (Bachelor, Master, Doctoral Programmes) or the Cologne Summer Schools. On our website you can now find them all in one place: international.uni-koeln.de/publications

One of the latest additions is the International Office’s Master Programmes Guide:

csm_94img_MASTER_TEASER_Brochure_72183f8801The University of Cologne is widening its range of English-taught master programs and of such with an international focus. Some of them have no German language requirements and are therefore of particular interest to international applicants. Masters courses of these categories are presented in the Master Programmes Guide, which also contains a list of all German-taught offers and other useful information for applicants.

 

■ Content Issue No 6

◼◼◼ Student/Faculty Voices

Reply

On Cologne Summer Schools and Living and Studying in Cologne

by Cologne Summer Schools

■ Content Issue No 6

◼◼◼ Cologne Summer Schools

Reply

Good News from Santander

On Monday, 22 February 2016, Santander Universities confirmed the funding for the International Office’s ‘Cologne Summer Schools’ project for three more years.

Article in English:

Article in German:

■ Content Issue No 6

◼◼◼ Contacts

Reply

The International Office at a Glance

csm_INTimg__TEASER_ContactsFlyer_International_Office_069345dd9b

Download our Flyer with the most important contacts at the University of Cologne International Office.

Find the latest version plus more contacts and other information at www.international.uni-koeln.de/contact.html.

 

■ Content Issue No 6

◼◼◼ UoC Stories

Reply

Read About Topics and People in Research and Study

At international.uni-koeln.de/stories.html you will find stories told by students and researchers about research cooperation schemes with renowned international partners, or about students’ experiences at (partner) universities around the world.

These stories offer you interesting insights into things like the internationalization of the university, and they introduce top research laboratories and personalities in the form of interviews, or just “normal” everyday student life. It is a window into our university for anyone who would like to find out more about research and studying at the UoC.

The latest stories are always to be found at University of Cologne International.

UoC_Stories

■ Content Issue No 6

◼◼◼ New Social Media of the UoC

Reply

Connect in Different Ways

The University of Cologne is expanding its social media presence. Besides Facebook and Twitter You can now also connect e.g. on:

LinkedIn:

Instagram

Periscope

+ The social media accounts of the International Office and Albert’s Global Researcher Network

 

 

■ Content Issue No 6

◼◼◼ Miscellaneous

Reply

 

◼ Four New Collaborative Research Centres Sponsored by the German Research Foundation (DFG) at the University of Cologne

The German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding four new Collaborative Research Centres (CRCs) at the University of Cologne. All four CRCs will be at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences:

  • Entangled States of Matter
  • Earth – Evolution at the Dry Limit
  • Mitochondrial Regulation of Cellular Function
  • Control and Dynamics of Quantum Materials

Details and contacts
All UoC Collaborative Research Centres and subprojects

◼ Germany’s Federal Minister of Education and Science’s, Johanna Wanka, paid a visit to the UoC.

◼ Judith Butler Holds UoC Albertus Magnus Chair

 

Details and press review (German)

◼ Sven Bernecker holds Humboldt Professorship at the UoC

Sven Bernecker is one of the most respected philosophers of our times, both in the fields of contemporary epistemology and classical German philosophy. His particular interests include the philosophy of mind, an area in which he is considered a pioneer of the renaissance of the philosophical debate on memory. His research focusses on the question as to what memory is, drawing on approaches taken from cognitive science, psychology and sociology. In Cologne, the Humboldt Professor is due to found and head a Centre for Contemporary Epistemology and Kantian Tradition. It may also prove valuable to cooperate with the philosopher and Humboldt Professor Michael Neil Forster who is already conducting research just up the Rhine in Bonn.

Source: www.humboldt-professur.de

Logo University of Cologne BelgiumFlag

◼ University of Cologne to Intensify Cooperation with Belgium

The Universities of Cologne and Leuven will found the “Academic Institute of East Belgium” in cooperation with Belgium’s German-speaking Community

Representatives of the University of Cologne, KU Leuven and Belgium’s German-speaking Community (DG – Deutsche Gemeinschaft) signed a cooperation agreement in the Belgian city of Eupen today (23 May). The aim of the agreement is to found the joint “Academic Institute of East Belgium.” It would serve as a contact point and as a platform for inquiries from researchers as well as the private sector. The partners agreed on an initial cooperation phase of four years.
Read more at UoC

Logo University of Cologne BelgiumFlag

◼ About Cologne, Common Values and Cooperation

Interview with Professor Danny Pieters from KU Leuven

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When Professor Danny Pieters, Vice Rector for International Policy at KU Leuven, gave his opening speech at the first Cologne-Leuven Day at the University of Cologne last year, he took some time to talk about the two universities’ deeply rooted connection revealing that in its early days KU Leuven was not only modelled, among others, on the University of Cologne, but that there were scholars from Cologne among its founding fathers, too. Professor Pieters hinted at some more interesting facts that day which prompted us to ask him some more questions… Read more at UoC Stories

 

Logo University of Cologne BelgiumFlag

◼ Belgian ambassador visits University of Cologne

University and City Library of Cologne takes charge of Belgian House’s book collection

The Belgian ambassador to Germany, Ghislain Jean Maurice D’hoop, is visiting the University of Cologne today (20.05.). The reason for his visit is the handing over of the Belgian House’s book collection of about 5,000 volumes to the University and City Library of Cologne. The ambassador will be welcomed by Dr. Michael Stückradt, Chancellor of the University, and Dr. Hubertus Neuhausen, Library Director. The library has the largest collection of literature on culture in Belgium and Luxembourg in German-speaking countries.
Read more at UoC

◼ Refugee Legal Scholar from Syria Receives Scholarship

Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Supports University of Cologne

The Syrian legal scholar Dr. Anan Al Sheikh Haidar is coming to the University of Cologne. She will receive a scholarship from the Philipp Schwartz Initiative of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The Philipp Schwartz Initiative allows universities and research institutions in Germany to host at-risk scholars and scientists for 24 months with a full scholarship. The scholarship is endowed with 84,000 euros and an additional lump sum of 12,000 euros.
Read more at UoC

See also:

 

 

◼ Fitness, Health, Sports at UoC

Thinking of returning to the University of Cologne, e.g. for a research stay? You can take care of your health and fitness by making use of UniSport². The website is now available in English.

■ Content Issue No 6

– 4 –

Reply

UoC Research News

 

◼ Overtreatment is a Waste of Resources

Interview with Professor Matthias Sutter, Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences

The computer or car must be repaired, or you need to take medicine: These are examples for credence goods – goods which often cause informational asymmetries between seller and buyer. In the WiSo Faculty’s new video series “A coffee chat with…” Professor Matthias Sutter explains the problems occurring due to this asymmetry and why it generates inefficiencies. Matthias Sutter is a Professor of Experimental Economics at the University of Cologne.

◼ Research by Prof. Dr. Dirk Sliwaka from the Seminar of Personnel Economics and HRM

◼ Where neighbors tend to fight

Cologne-based sociologist researches correlation between ethnic diversity and neighborhood conflicts

One neighbors cranks up the music in the middle of the night, another one keeps blocking the driveway with his car. In cities, not a day passes without neighborhood conflicts. The sociologists Merlin Schaeffer (University of Cologne) and Joscha Legewie (Yale University) found out that cities with a high degree of ethnic segregation also exhibit more conflicts – particularly where the boundaries between two homogenous groups are not clearly defined. They came to this conclusion after analyzing 4.7 million neighborhood complaints lodged in New York City. Their study appeared in the American Journal of Sociology on 12 July 2016.
Read more at UoC

See also:  Institute for Sociology and Social Psychology

◈ Original publication or as PDF

◼ Are Conservatives Happier Than Liberals?

Life satisfaction depends on time and country

Various psychological studies have suggested that conservatives are happier than liberals. However, these studies tend to focus exclusively on the United States. Does a correlation between conservatism and life satisfaction also exist in Europe? Two recent studies suggest that the life satisfaction of conservatives largely depends on the overall political climate and on social belonging.
Read more at UoC

◈ Journal of Research in Personality on sciencedirect.com

◼ Insurance Causes Costs of Services to Rise

Some services up to 80 percent more expensive

Dishonesty not only damages relation between human beings, it can also have a devastating effect on the economy. Scientists from the University of Cologne and the University of Innsbruck in Austria have now found out that in markets for credence goods – markets that require a high degree of trust – there are also strong incentives for dishonest behavior.
Read more at UoC

See also: Design & Behavior – Economic Engineering of Firms and Markets
DFG Research Unit (FOR 1371)

◼ How Do Immigrants Vote?

First-time Survey of Voting Behavior among Germans of Russian and Turkish Origin

Political scientists from the University of Duisburg-Essen and the University of Cologne are conducting a first-time study of how people with a migrant background in Germany tend to vote. Who votes at all and which parties do they prefer? In previous surveys of voting behavior, scientists in Germany have mostly focused on characteristics such as age, profession, income and gender. The surveys rarely took into account that many Germans or their ancestors come from other countries. On the occasion of the federal parliamentary elections in the fall of 2017, Prof. Achim Goerres (University of Duisburg-Essen) and Dr. Dennis C. Spies (University of Cologne) will conduct a survey among Germans of Russian and Turkish origin as well as their children. The German Research Foundation (DFG) is financing the study for three years with 730,000 euros.
Read more at UoC

◼ Leaving the Joint-Home After Separation

See also: Institute of Sociology and Social Psychology (ISS)

BALKEN

◼ New Edition of the Frankish CAPITULARIA

Prof. Karl Ubl, Historical Institute, Medieval History Department,
is Directing the Digital Edition:

BALKEN_

◼ Prof. Dr. Michael Hallek is Principal Investigator and Deputy Scientific Coordinator at the Cluster of Excellence Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD)

◼ Interview with Dr. Nirmal Robinson from CECAD

◼ Priv.-Doz. Dr. med. Barbara Eichhorst from the Clinic (Department) I of Internal Medicine, Universtiy Hospital Cologne

◼ New brain stimulation target identified for Tourette’s syndrome

Specifically-targeted deep brain stimulation improves symptoms in patients with severe Tourette’s, a study reports in the current issue of Biological Psychiatry.

Source: www.sciencedaily.com | ScienceDaily, 3 March 2016.

See also: Center for Neurology and Psychiatry, University Clinic, Cologne

◼ Clinical Trial to Treat Babies Inside the Mother’s Womb for Osteogenesis

»The interesting and most inspiring aspect about this story is that, the trial is being heralded by 41 year old Oliver Semler, a paediatrician at the University of Cologne, who was himself afflicted by this condition. He had already fractured a pencil thin rib at the time of birth and had his second fracture at 2 days old. Despite the severity of the disease, Semler avoided life in a wheelchair, grew up to attend medical school and became a paediatrician.« — www.lifecell.in/blog

See also: Osteogenesis imperfecta at kinderklinik.uk-koeln.de (German)

◼ Stem Cells Feel the Force

A team of scientists led by Sara Wickström, Principal Investigator at CECAD, the Cluster of Excellence in Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-associated Diseases at the University of Cologne, gained new insights into how stem cells feel and respond to external mechanical forces by changing the way DNA is organized in the nucleus, and thereby the expression of genes that are required for stem cell differentiation.
Read more at UoC

◈ Original Publication: “Mechanical regulation of transcription controls Polycomb-mediated gene silencing during lineage commitment” in Nature Cell Biolog

Digital object identifier (DOI): 10.1038/ncb3387

◼ Giant cell reveals its secrets

The “slime mold” Physarum polycephalum is an amazing creature. As a giant single cell it is visible with the naked eye. The yellow, slimy mass of protoplasm, which crawls over rotting logs engulfing its prey, seems as unusual as an alien from outer space. One specimen, which entered the Guinness Book of Records in 1989, covered a surface area of 5.5 square meters and weighed approximately 3 kgs–obviously deserving its title as the largest single cell ever grown. This enigmatic organism has also attracted the interest of physicists, engineers, and artists who have taken inspiration from Physarum for developing computer algorithms, or directly used giant Physarum cells for steering robots, creating art projects, or electronic music. However, for biologists Physarum has been a sleeping beauty during the past decades, because almost nothing was known about its genome and genes. This shortcoming has now changed fundamentally.
Read more at Research in Germany

See also: Institute for Biochemistry I

◼ Microalgae – a Promising Future Resource?

Scientists in Cologne Develop a More Cost-Efficient Method to Cultivate Algae

New technological developments allow for a significant decrease in the resources necessary for microalgae production. This could lead to an increase in the use of microalgae in a wide range of applications – from food production to medical applications and nutrient recovery.
Read more at UoC

See also: Botanical Institute

 

◈ Original publication: Podola, B., Li, T., & Melkonian, M. (2016). Porous substrate bioreactors – a paradigm shift in microalgal biotechnology? Trends in Biotechnology

◼ A Look into the Evolution of the Eye

Zoologists reconstruct the structure of the eye of a predatory crustacean from the time of the dinosaurs

A team of researchers, among them a zoologist from the University of Cologne, has succeeded in reconstructing a 160 million year old compound eye of a fossil crustacean found in southeastern France visible. With the reconstruction of the eye, the scientists succeeded in making the structure of soft tissue visible – which was long considered to be impossible.
Read more at Research in Germany

BALKEN

◼ Neanderthals in Germany – First Population Peak, Then Sudden Extinction

Population was subject to extreme demographic fluctuations

Neanderthals once populated the entire European continent. Around 45,000 years ago, Homo neanderthalensis was the predominant human species in Europe. Archaeological findings show that there were also several settlements in Germany. However, the era of the Neanderthal came to an end quite suddenly. Based on an analysis of the known archaeological sites, Professor Jürgen Richter from Collaborative Research Center 806 – Our Way to Europe, in which the universities of Cologne, Bonn and Aachen cooperate, comes to the conclusion that Neanderthals reached their population peak right before their population rapidly declined and they eventually became extinct.
Read more at UoC

See also: The Collaborative Research Center 806 – Our Way to Europe

◈ Original publication: Richter, J. (2016). Leave at the height of the party: A critical review of the Middle Paleolithic in Western Central Europe from its beginnings to its rapid decline

◼ Cologne-Based Scientist Offers New Insights into the Relationship Between Erosion and Tectonics in the Himalayas

Earth’s climate interacts with so called surface processes – such as landslides or river erosion – and tectonics to shape the landscape that we see. In some regions, the sheer force of these processes has led scientists to believe that they may even influence the development of tectonics. An international team of researchers headed by the Cologne-based geographer Dr. Georgina King have now disproved this assumption. The results of their study, “Northward migration of the eastern Himalayan syntaxis revealed by OSL-thermochronometry,” will appear in Science on 19 August 2016.
Read more at UoC

◈ Original publication: science.sciencemag.org

◼ Vegetation in Russian Arctic Has Memory

Adaptation to climate change has a lag of several thousands of years

Scientists from the University of Cologne and the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Potsdam are cooperating on a research project on past climate changes in the Arctic. They found out that the degree of cold of the preceding ice age determines how fast the vegetation subsequently adapts to the warmer temperatures of the interglacial period. This allows for more precise predictions of future climate change.
Read more at UoC

See also: Institut für Geologie und Mineralogie

 

◈ Original publication: Ulrike Herzschuh, H. John B. Birks, Thomas Laepple, Andrei Andreev, Martin Melles, Julie Brigham-Grette: Glacial legacies on interglacial vegetation at the Pliocene-Pleistocene transition in NE Asia, Nature Communications,
DOI: 10.1038/NCOMMS11967

◼ Society of Africanist Archaeologists (SAfA) meeting in Toulouse

See also: safa-2016.science

BALKEN

◼ First Images from Adaptive Optics Lucky Imager (AOLI)

Scientists from the University of Cologne Contribute to Developing a New High Resolution Imaging Technology

The Adaptive Optics Lucky Imager (AOLI) on the William Herschel Telescope (WHT) has obtained its first adaptive-optics closed-loop results, an important milestone in the development of this state-of-the-art instrument that aims at combining adaptive optics (AO) and lucky imaging (LI) to obtain the highest-ever resolution images at visible wavelengths from the ground.
Read more at UoC

◼ Jam in the Football Stadium?

In Düsseldorf’s Esprit-Arena things are still flowing. The Cologne Physicist Andreas Schadschneider recorded streams of visitors in an experiment. He researches where jams arise in stadiums.

See also: Institute for Theoretical Physics

 

◼ GRAVITY Telescope to Explore Black Holes

Successful Commissioning at the VLTI of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Chile

Zooming in on black holes is the main mission for the newly installed instrument GRAVITY at the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in northern Chile. A large European team of astronomers and engineers, including scientists from Heidelberg, Cologne and Garching, designed and installed the instrument. The project is headed by the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, Germany. GRAVITY combines the light from multiple telescopes to form a virtual telescope up to 200 meters across, using a technique called interferometry.
Read more at Research in Germany

See also: Institute of Physics I

Get News from our Press Department:

■ Content Issue No 6

Albert’s Researcher Reunion Grant

Reply

Deadline for the Next Round of the Reinvitation Programme: 1st March 2016

94img_InfoReunionGrant2016
In the current round
8 Researcher Alumni are being supported with their short term research stays at the University of Cologne.

Learn more about this scholarship and how to apply for it.

Provide information in German to your potential host at the UoC.

■ Content Issue No 5

Falling Walls Conference 2015

Reply

UoC International Researchers Dating Brains in Berlin

Thanks to the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Albert’s Global Researcher Network had the opportunity to take two international scholars to this year’s Falling Walls Conference in Berlin.

SitnikovJiang

 

 

 

 

 

 

Besides the conference itslef Dr. Hong Jiang (Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Cologne/Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne) and Dr. Nikolay Sitnikov (Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Cologne) were able to make use of the ‘Brain Date’ format to meet ohter participants and join the reception at the Axel Springer Building as well as the festive dinner at the DZ Bank close to the Brandenburg Gate.

 

Dr. Nikolay Sitnikov: »This was a very multifaceted conference of very unusual format, which provides great opportunities for establishing new valuable contacts across the industrial and scientific community. The brain dating platform, created by the organizers, was of great help to select people you would prefer to get in touch with and book an appointment. Thus, one could really extract maximum of the few very intense days we spent together in Berlin. This conference is not oriented to cover developments in a particular scientific area, but provides a great overview on the most high-impact breakthroughs in human knowledge. It was a great motivation for my further work and a lot of connections to like-minded people what I took back with me from Berlin!«

Dr. Hong Jiang: »The Falling Walls Conference was the most amazing conference I have ever participated in. The novel format and breakthrough topics all attracted me a lot. The most impressive part will be the “brain date”. In brain date, you will have academic dating with people you are interested in. That is fantastic when you get closely in touch with people who have a different background but inspire you a lot. There were a lot of topics that correlate science, politics, and culture. There are so many open-minded people showing their ideas, new products and breakthroughs in this world. I’m sure most of the participants feel it’s awesome! I would be very glad to take part in again in the future if possible.«

 

The Falling Walls Conference takes place on 9 November, the day of the fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years before the first conference in 2009. And since that first time the question is: Which walls will fall next? Falling Walls provides a platform for exchange between science, business and politics.

At the conference 2015 the audience could enjoy 22 inspiring and also entertaining talks by researchers from across the globe and the disciplines. During the intermissions participants could get deeper into the topics they had learnd about before. At the Forum Stage the speakers answered questions from science journalists and the audience. The winners of interdisciplinary competitions (Falling Walls Lab, Falling Walls Venture) also presented their projects.

Watch all 2015 talks on video

 

 

 

■ Content Issue No 5

3rd Research Alumni Conference Germany

Reply

Research and International Research Alumni Activities in Germany

 

 

 

In September (23 – 25) we took two of the UoC’s international scholars Dr. Sima Sadeghi (Iran) and Prof. Dr. Paul Turnbull (Australia) to the 3rd Research Alumni Conference Germany in Berlin.

The conference was organised by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and provided an overview of current trends in international scientific mobility and of the German research landscape. Representatives of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the German Research Foundation (DFG), the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, the Leibniz Association, the Max Planck Society, the Helmholtz Association, the Robert Bosch Foundation, and of course the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation informed about German research funding programmes available for international researchers.

Besides panel discussions the researchers had the opportnity to ‘meet the funders’ for more specific questions. As always they were also invited to discuss their situation in Germany and suggestions to further improve the research alumni work of the German institutions for mutual benefit.

There was also enough time for networking with other researchers and the alumni advisors from the winning institutions of the Humboldt Foundations’ contest on ‘research alumni strategies’ (www.research-alumni.de).

 

Prof. Dr. Paul Turnbull (2nd from the left) and Dr. Sima Sadeghi (2nd from the right) attended the conference as international researchers at the University of Cologne accompanied by Dr. Johannes Müller (on the right) and Frank Hasenstab (on the left) from Albert's Global Researcher Network. Photo: Alexander von Humboldt Foundation / Ausserhofer


Prof. Dr. Paul Turnbull (2nd from the left) and Dr. Sima Sadeghi (2nd from the right) attended the conference as international researchers of the University of Cologne accompanied by Dr. Johannes Müller (on the right) and Frank Hasenstab (on the left) from Albert’s Global Researcher Network. Photo: Alexander von Humboldt Foundation / Ausserhofer

 

 

■ Content Issue No 5

UoC Profile Guide

Reply

A Brief Introduction to the Cologne
University Cosmos

 

 

The UoC Profile Guide provides a concise introduction to the University of Cologne, its faculties and offers. It addresses students, academic and administrative staff from abroad.

You can download the PDF-version from our website: http://international.uni-koeln.de/profile.html

csm_INTimg_UoC-Profile-Guide_web_d56b7ceb62

 

■ Content Issue No 5

Initial Training for Atmospheric Remote Sensing

Reply

A Big Influence, Both on the Scientific and on the Human Side

 

 

ITaRS stands for Initial Training for atmospheric Remote Sensing and is a network bringing together a group of universities, research organisations and high-tech companies from different disciplines (Meteorology, Geosciences, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics) with the aim to further develop the area of atmospheric remote sensing… read more

Academia or Industry? Getting ready for the EU job market. On Marie-Curie-Project ITaRS

■ Content Issue No 5

German-Canadian Exchange of Doctoral Candidates

Reply

This Highly Strengthens Independent Working

 

 

“I heard about the program and I wanted to be on it,” says Patrick, a PhD student at McGill University in Montreal, about STIMULUS. As the name suggests, the so-called exchange is only the impulse of something larger which is planned for the future – the foundation of a joint graduate school…  read more

Cologne-Bonn-Montreal: STIMULUS Exchange for Doctoral Students in Chemistry and Physics

■ Content Issue No 5

UoC Research News

Reply

UoC Research and Academic Activities

 

 

 

Japanese University Awards Honorary Doctorate to Franziska Ehmcke

Kansai University in Osaka, Japan, has awarded Franziska Ehmcke, professor emerita of Japanese studies at the University of Cologne, an honorary doctorate. This is a rare distinction for scholars of Japanese studies. Decisive for the decision was Ehmcke’s discovery and analysis of two screens depicting the Osaka (Naniwa) region.

Kansai University is a partner university of the University of Cologne. In the past, Professor Ehmcke has cooperated with colleagues from Kansai University on the decoding of the first screen (early seventeenth century), which was discovered in the Austrian city of Graz and depicts Osaka castle before its destruction in 1615. As one of the few remaining artefacts of the time, the screen is particularly significant. The second pair of screens traces over 100 famous sites in Osaka around 1830, depicting the prosperous culture of its inhabitants.

 

 

North Rhine Westphalia Wants to Know How Its Elderly Would Like to Live

Ministry of Science funds representative survey among very old persons conducted by the Cologne Center for Ethics, Rights, Economics, and Social Sciences of Health at the University of Cologne with 1.5 million euros

In North Rhine-Westphalia, approximately 1,000,000 people are over eighty years of age. The proportion of very old persons has become the fastest growing age group in our society.

However, we lack basic insights into the quality of life and life circumstances of the very old that would allow us to better understand their needs and how society can accommodate them. In the framework of the three-year study NRW80+, the scientists will research the circumstances in which elderly people live, the role they play in society and how they would like to live. This will make a valuable contribution to the development of an age-friendly culture… read more

 

 

How an Arabic Philosopher Brought Aristotle to the West

A research project on Averroes at the University of Cologne’s Thomas Institute will receive over 10 million euros in funding over the next 25 years

The writings of Averroes (1126-1198) created a stir in the Arabic, Latin and Hebrew world. The Arabic philosopher, who is also known by the name Ibn Rushd, is among the most important medieval writers. For centuries, his Aristotle commentaries were must-reads for scholars of different disciplines. Like no other philosopher, he thus made the works of Aristotle accessible to the western world… read more

 

 

International Research Project on EU-Turkey Relations

Horizon 2020 awards 2.5 million euros to the University of Cologne’s Jean Monnet Chair

In an intense competition, the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation has awarded a grant of 2.5 million euros to the Jean Monnet Chair for European Politics at the University of Cologne. The proposed project addresses relations between the European Union and Turkey…. read more

 

 

Tug of War Among Bacteria

Mechanical forces control the architecture of bacterial biofilms

As hide-outs for bacteria, biofilms cause problems for antibiotic treatment or the cleaning of medical tubes. They contribute to the spreading of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. A biofilm is created when bacteria attach to surfaces and multiply. Gradually, bacterial subpopulations can develop different properties although they originated from the same cell. However, very little is known about how this heterogeneity contributes to the development of structure in such biofilms… read more

 

Sven Bernecker Nominated as Alexander von Humboldt Professor

Philosopher to found a center for contemporary epistemology and Kantian tradition in Cologne

The University of Cologne nominated Sven Bernecker, Professor of Philosophy at the University of California at Irvine, as Alexander von Humboldt Professor. Sven Bernecker is one of the most acclaimed philosophers of our time. He works in the areas contemporary epistemology, theory of knowledge and classic German philosophy. Among his particular fields of specialization is philosophy of memory. In this area, he is regarded as a pioneer in the renaissance of the philosophical treatment of memory. At the heart of his work is the question of what memory is. In this context Bernecker also draws on approaches from cognitive research, psychology and sociology. As Humboldt Professor, he is to found and later head a center for contemporary epistemology and Kantian tradition in Cologne. Moreover, cooperation with the Humboldt Professor and philosopher Michael Neil Forster, who is based in the neighboring city of Bonn, is conceivable… read more

 

 

The Ranking: University of Cologne Among the 160 Best Universities in the World

In the current university ranking of the Times Higher Education magazine, the University of Cologne came in at position 156. This is a significant improvement of approximately 150 positions in comparison to last year.

In Europe, the University of Cologne is among the 75 best universities. In all, German universities were able to improve their position in the international comparison. Among them, the University of Cologne took the biggest step forward. The rector of the University of Cologne, Professor Axel Freimuth, explains this improvement with the accomplishments that have been implemented in the course of the Excellence Initiative and other development programs, as well as the hiring of top researchers of international renown. “Of course ranking positions are only one indicator of a university’s quality. However, our improvement by a factor of two confirms our accomplishments over the last few years, which are also reflected in greater international visibility,” says Freimuth… read more

 

 

University of Cologne and Dschang University Sign Cooperation Agreement

The University of Cologne and Dschang University (Cameroon) signed a cooperation agreement formalizing the exisiting collaboration between both universities. A delegation from the University of Cologne consisting of three scientists from the Faculty of Medicine and a representative of the International Office traveled to Cameroon from 26 September to 2 October. In consultations, workshops and visits to local facilities, both sides discussed possibilities to intensify and enhance the existing cooperation, particularly in regard to the joint founding of a Medical Faculty at Dschang University… read more

 

 

Poorly Qualified Workers with a Migration Background Have Income Advantages in Germany

An analysis of data collected in the German micro-census 2005–2011 has revealed that contradictory to popular perception, the economic situation of poorly qualified workers from immigrant families is not worse than that of their German peers. Surprisingly, it is even slightly better. The reasons for this on the one hand lie in the educational system, and on the other in the ambitions of immigrants to build a better life, which also affect following generations… read more

 

 

„Crisis – Criminality – Criminology“

Annual Conference of the Criminological Society at the University of Cologne from 24 to 26 September 2015

More than three hundred participants are expected to take part in the fourteenth annual conference of the Criminological Society, which is hosted by the UoC’s Institute of Criminology (Professor Frank Neubacher) this year. Beginning at noon on Thursday, guests from Germany and abroad will discuss manifestations of international crisis and criminality. In his opening speech, Professor John Hagan (Chicago) will address state criminality and war crimes using the example of the Iraq War…. read more

 

 

University of Cologne Founds Business School Und Launches Executive MBA in Cooperation with Rotterdam School of Management

The University of Cologne cordially invites you to take part in the official opening ceremony of the University of Cologne Executive School on 18 September. The celebration also marks the official beginning of our cooperation with the Rotterdam School of Management.

On this occasion, we are hosting a press conference on Friday, 18 September 2015. The rector of the University of Cologne, Professor Axel Freimuth, the dean of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, Professor Steef van de Velde, the dean of the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences of the University of Cologne, Professor Werner Mellis and the manager of the University of Cologne Business School, Professor Ulrich Thonemann, will be available for interviews from 1.00 to 1.45 p.m. (WiSo conference hall, room 20, WiSo wing, Universitätsstrasse 24, 50931 Cologne; parking is available in front of the WiSo high-rise). Please contact us if you are planning to attend. Further interviews outside the launch event can be arranged…. read more

Cologne-Rotterdam Executive MBA

 

 

Enhancing Digital Research in the Humanities

University of Cologne signs cooperation agreement with the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences, Humanities and the Arts

Digital technologies shape the way we do research – in the humanities as in all other disciplines. A long-term cooperation agreement between the University of Cologne and the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences, Humanities and the Arts intends to facilitate the development of the “digital humanities” and to lay the groundwork for collaboration between the two institutions… read more

 

 

Cologne Scientists May Be Able to Solve the Mystery of the Crash Site of MH 370

Goose barnacles discovered on wreckage of lost Malaysia Airlines Boein

On the 29th of July, airplane wreckage washed up on the island of Réunion. It is highly likely that it belongs to the missing Malaysia Airlines airplane MH370. The Cologne geologist Prof. Dr. Hans-Georg Herbig and the biologist Philipp Schiffer may be able to identify the site of the crash using the wreckage. Organisms that only live in certain places of the earth may be stuck to the debris… read more

 

 

Prof. Dr. Matthias Sutter Wins “Exeter Prize”

Prof. Dr. Matthias Sutter (Chair of Economics: Design and Behavior) is a winner of the 2015 Exeter Prize for Research in Experimental Economics, Decision Theory and Behavioral Economics for the paper “Experimental games on networks: underpinnings of behavior and equilibrium selection” with Gary Charness, Francesco Feri and Miguel Melendez, published in Econometrica. This paper provides a balanced portfolio of theory, experimental design, and the pursuit of alternative explanations for behavioral puzzles… read more

 

 

More research news in German from the UoC’s press office

 

 

 

UoC Research – Miscellaneous

 

University of Cologne Biocenter Energy Efficient
Article in English on the dena company website

 

 

 

 

 

Aticle on LABIOTECH.EU

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

■ Content Issue No 5

– 3 –

Reply

Destination Cologne

Cologne Has a Lot to Offer as a Place to Live and as a Place for Research:

 

Information on the video copetition (German)

 

“The density of first-class research facilities in Cologne and the Rhineland is exceptional!”
Photo: Jens Willebrand

 

■ Content Issue No 5

– 4 –

Reply

Offers for Refugees at the
University of Cologne

The UoC wants to sustainably integrate qualified refugees into the German science and education system. A central problem hindering integration is a lack of German language proficiency in all age groups and educational levels… read more

csm_START_TEASER____RefugeeAcademicSupport_93badd8395

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Statement by the Rectorate
of the University of Cologne
against Racism and Xenophobia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

■ Content Issue No 4

UoC Short Term Fellowship

Reply

Round VI of
Albert’s Researcher Reunion Grant

 

 

22 international researchers have been granted this fellowship for short research stays at the University of Cologne offered by Albert’s Global Researcher Network so far.

This is an equivalent of 120 weeks of supported research since 2013.

Researchers came back to Cologne from Egypt, Bulgaria, China, Finland, France, Georgia, Italy, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Sudan, UK, Hungary, and the USA.

Next chance to make use of this opportunity to start a new collaboration with the UoC is to apply before 1st September, 2015.

 

InfoReunionGrant


Learn the details on the Network Homepage.

Inform your potential research partner from the UoC.

Round V:
Congratulations: Five members of Albert's Global Researcher Network have been awarded with Albert's Researcher Reunion Grant this time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

■ Content Issue No 4

Network Events

Reply

Researcher Alumni Events

 

 

● AvH Research Alumni Conference in Berlin

Albert’s Global Researcher Network will participate in the Research Alumni Conference Germany 2015 of the Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation together with 2 selected members.

More information will follow.

Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation: Promoting research alumni activities in Germany

 

● Falling Walls Conference in Berlin

 

 

■ Content Issue No 4

Webrelaunch 2015

Reply

The New International Face of the UoC

 

 

Since 30th June 2015 ‘UoC International’ is the place to go first for all things international at the University of Cologne. With the new responsive design you can now conveniently use the UoC websites on your mobile devices.

 

©Fabian Stürtz | Oleksiy Mark – Fotolia.com

UoC International Homepage

 

 

 

■ Content Issue No 4

UoC in Japan – Spring 2015

Reply

Japan is One of the UoC’s Global Focus Areas

 

  see also ►   international.uni-koeln.de/japan.html 

 

UoC International Office Visiting the University of Tsukuba and Attending the European Higher Education Fair
May 2015

Find pictures and information on Facebook.

 

European Higher Education Fair at Meiji University
May 2015

 

■ Content Issue No 4

UoC in Turkey

Reply

A Turkish Week – Rector Prof. Dr. Axel Freimuth Headed a Delegation Visit to Ankara and Istanbul
  see also ►    international.uni-koeln.de/turkey.html 
KOPFBILD

 

From Sunday, 26 April 2015, to Friday, 1st of May 2015, a delegation headed by Rector Prof. Axel Freimuth traveled to Turkey and visited a number of prestigious and renown Universities in Ankara and Istanbul, concluding several Exchange Agreements.

 

 

 Middle-East Technical University

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On Monday, 27 April 2015, the first University on the agenda was Middle-East Technical University, one of Turkey’s finest Higher Education Institutes with an all-English course program. Rector Freimuth signed a new Exchange Agreement with METU’s President Prof. Acar and celebrated the publication of a new reader co-authored by scholars from METU and UoC’s Prof. Wolfgang Wessels. Political Science will certainly continue to be at the centre of cooperation between METU and UoC. We also visited METU’s impressive Technopark, where science meets entrepreneurship.

 

 

 Ankara University

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tn_03-AnkaraU
Next on the program was Ankara University, the oldest academy in Ankara.

Though Rector Prof. Erkan Ibis wasn’t in town, we were welcomed by Vice Rector Prof. Elmali, who had assembled a huge number of scholars from various faculties in order to allow for in depth discussions of future projects.The finally signed Cooperation Agreement started with a broad range of projects and plans!

Before leaving, Rector Freimuth had to inscribe into the Golden Book of Ankara University and did so – of course citing Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s “West-Eastern Divan”.

 

 

 

Reception by German Ambassador to Turkey

tn_04-KocatepeAnkara

 

In the afternoon the delegation from Colgne was received by H.E. Eberhard Pohl, German Ambassador to Turkey.

Since we arrived a little early in Ankara’s lively centre, this was a good opportunity to do some sight-seeing: This is Kocatepe Mosque, said to be one of the largest Mosques in the Middle East.

Ambassador Pohl gave us some insights into the current political situation in Turkey and in particular into the Turkish policies with view to higher education and science.

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Gazi University

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Tuesday, 28 April 2015, started with a visit at Gazi University. Following a warm welcome by Rector Prof. Büyükberber, the delegation met representatives from various faculties. In particular the Medical Faculty is already cooperating with UoC’s department of pathology, mainly in the field of Oral pathology.

After lunch, the delegation hurried to Hacettepe University, where Rector Prof. Tuncer welcomed the guests from Cologne and signed a new Exchange Agreement with UoC’s Rector Prof. Freimuth. So far, UoC and Hacettepe U are cooperating in the field of Molecular Biology, but the new Agreement will certainly open up to other fields and disciplines as well.

tn_09-Galataturm

 

Our tight schedule forced us to a precipitant departure: We left Ankara in the early evening for Istanbul, where we arrived just in time for a late evening walk through the centre – this is Galatatower.

Our hotel was located right in the touristic heart of Istanbul, next to the famous Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. Early birds were able to get a glimpse the next morning (29 April 2015), though we had to leave already by 8:30 am: Traffic in Istanbul is imponderable and you better set off early, if you have to cross the city.tn_10-BlaueMoschee2tn_11-HagiaSophia

 

 

The Turkish-German University

The Turkish-German University in Beykoz, a quarter just at the end of Istanbul, requested, indeed, to cross the city.

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TDU is a very young University – just 5 years old – and still “in the making”. Buildings are provisional, but planning is advanced: within five years TDU will host 5000 students within five faculties. Each faculty has as German “sponsor”; for the Faculty of Economics and Administration this sponsor is the University of Cologne in person of Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Wessels. Given the close relation, First Mayor of Cologne Jürgen Roters joined the delegation and assisted the signing ceremony of a general Exchange Agreement with Rector Prof. Akkanat and Rector Prof. Freimuth.

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Istanbul University, Sabanci University, Orient Institute

 

tn_16-IstanbulU   Istanbul University

 

First Mayor Jürgen Roters was also with us in the afternoon, when we visited Istanbul University, the eldest University in Turkey – founded in 1453, the year of the Fall of Constantinople, as it is proudly written on the University’s main entrance.

While UoC’s Rector Prof. Freimuth with one half of the delegation met Istanbul University’s Rector Prof. Ak, UoC’s Vice Rector Prof. Gersmann headed the other half and visited the private Sabanci University and its Vice President Sondan Durukanoğlu Feyiz.

The delegation reunited again in the evening, when we were received by Prof. Raoul Motika, director of the Orient Institute, a German research institute in the heart of Istanbul – and with a marvelous terrace on the Bosporus!

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Bilgi University & Bogazici University

 

_tn_18-BogaziciCampus   Bogazici University

 

The next day, Thursday, 30 April 2015, the delegation split up again: the group headed by Vice Rector Prof. Gersmann went to private Bilgi University, with which UoC runs a double degree program in Law. The other group, led by Rector Prof. Freimuth, had appointment at the small, but fine public Bogazici University. Originally an American college, Bogazici University was passed over to the Turkish state in 1971, but preserved its Anglo-American profile: courses are in English and “liberal arts” aka humanities are particularly strong – among other strong research fields, covering also natural sciences. Hence, UoC’s Rector Prof. Freimuth was pleased to sign an Exchange Agreement with Bogazici U’s Rector Prof. Barbarosoglu.
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Bahcesehir University

 

Again with the entire delegation, the last University to be visited was Bahcesehir University, a private foundation, nicely located at the shores of the Bosporus. As we first had talks with Bahcesehir’s Faculty of Media Design at the Galata Campus, we were shipped by a University-owned boat to Beskitas Campus a little up the Bosporus. Rector Freimuth and the delegation were, of course, delighted by this wonderful opportunity.

 

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Bahcesehir University proved a very hospitable Institution, but also a very ambitious one, eager to cooperate with UoC in various field – namely in Media Science and Media Design, in Educational Sciences and in Law. Enver Yücel, Founder and Chairman of Bahcesehirs Board of Trustees, and President Prof. Senay Yalcin both engaged in vivacious discussions with Rector Prof. Freimuth on perspectives and projects after signing a new Exchange Agreement between UoC and BAU. This is certainly the beginning of an active partnership.

 

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Friday, 1st of May, the delegation returned to Cologne after a busy, but very satisfying and successful Turkish week.

Dr. Johannes Müller
International Office

 

 

■ Content Issue No 4

 

University Run 2015

Reply

We Run International Science!

 

 

 

The UniLauf is an annual running event of the University of Cologne. Maybe next summer you will be in Cologne to participate? Or you just go and cheer for the many runners…

 

Startschuss_web
 

Starting Shot

by UoC Chancellor

Dr. Michael Stückradt

 

 

 

 

Runners Whirling Up Quite Some Dust

The run has been advertised as the most challenging inner-city mountain track. One lap of 2.5 km lead the contestants around the pond (Aachener Weiher) and up and down the hills of the Hiroshima-Nagasaki-Park. Depending on which of the several runs they participated in, they had to conquer those mountains twice or four times. For the 10 km route a new course record (30:52min) has been set by Eyob Solomun.
DUSTweb

 

 

Within ‘Cologne Internationals’ the Team of International Science/Welcome Centre Was There to Run the Show!

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See you next year?

■ Content Issue No 4

Facebook

Reply

Renamed: University of Cologne International Office

 

 

 

■ Content Issue No 4

Research in Cologne: Interview with Dr. Olga Stavrova

Reply

As an International Researcher, I Feel Very Much at Home Here

 

 

Dr. Stavrova is a postdoc at the Institute for Sociology and Social Psychology (ISS) at the University of Cologne. She works with Professor Fetchenhauer at the Chair for Economic and Social Psychology. Dr. Stavrova recently received a UoC Postdoc Grant for her research funded in the frame of the University’s Institutional Strategy. Congratulations, Dr. Stavrova! Read the interview about her time in Cologne on the UoC International website.
 

■ Content Issue No 4

UoC Research News

Reply

UoC Research and Academic Activities

 

 

University of Cologne Wins Renowned Japanese Physicist

Yoichi Ando appointed to a chair at the Institute of Physics II

Professor Yoichi Ando, previously at Osaka University in Japan, has been appointed professor of physics at the Institute of Physics II of the University of Cologne’s Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Ando’s acceptance of the offer in Cologne is an exceptional success in the university’s competition for the brightest minds… read more

 

 

Tibesti Expedition Has Returned From Chad

Stefan Kröpelin headed scientific mission to the peaks of the Sahara desert

A scientific expedition to the Tibesti Mountains led by Dr. Stefan Kröpelin of the University of Cologne’s Africa Research Unit has returned to Cologne. The multidisciplinary research team explored the two highest volcanoes of the Sahara’s major mountain range and succeeded in collecting geological samples in the deep volcanic craters of Tarso Toussidé and Emi Koussi. Their analysis will contribute to the reconstruction of the past climatic cycles in the Sahara. The multidisciplinary team also conducted archaeological, botanical and wildlife surveys yielding interesting first results… read more

 

 

Bruno Latour at the University of Cologne

Albertus Magnus Professorship 2015 – networks and modes of existence

The French social scientist and philosopher Bruno Latour holds this year’s Albertus Magnus Professorship at the University of Cologne. From 15 to 18 June, he will give two public lectures and a seminar addressing an “anthropology of modernities” and the questions it entails. In the framework of his guest professorship, Latour will also hold a graduate seminar at the a.r.t.e.s. Graduate School for the Humanities Cologne… read more

 

 

UoC Professors Popular Among Students

Cologne ranks tenth among 151 universities on MeinProf.de

Every year, students can assess the quality of teaching at their university on the online platform MeinProf.de. Today, the platform published the results of its annual vote in the form of a university ranking. The University of Cologne attained tenth place in the overall ranking. There were only three full-scale universities among the top ten – the University of Cologne, RWTH Aachen University and the University of Giessen. The others were colleges and universities of applied science… read more

 

 

The Taming of the Shrew

Scientists from Cologne decipher the spectrum of CH5+ for the first time


Read on the UoC website

 

 

New Ways to See Light and Store Information

Physicists from the University of Cologne are Developing New Possibilities in Organic Electronics

Silicon based chips and transistors have been at the heart of all electronic devices since the 1950s. Driven by economic and environmental factors, and by the need for renewable energy resources, there is currently an enormous scientific and technological interest in transitioning away from silicon based electronics to new organic electronic devices. Just like living organisms, organic electronics use carbon in complex molecules as their key functional component. These new organic electronic devices are less expensive, more environmentally friendly and better recyclable than the older ones. Today the most commercially successful organic electronic devices are OLEDs (organic light emitting diodes) found in smart phone displays. Other promising devices include very inexpensive solar cells for low-cost and low-carbon electricity generation, and ultra-efficient building lighting which could substantially lower electricity consumption… read more

 

 

Glaciers in Equatorial Regions

New Study Confirms Periods of Extreme Cold

It is probable that planet Earth was completely covered by ice several times over the course of its history, geologists say. From a distance, it would have looked like a huge snowball. A new study conducted at the University of Göttingen now confirms that the Earth underwent episodes of extremely cold climates millions and billions of years ago. In so-called “Snowball Earth” periods, glaciers even covered equatorial regions. The geologist Daniel Herwartz has reconstructed the oxygen isotopic compositions of ancient (sub)tropical glaciers. “The oxygen isotope composition of the glaciers can provide information about the climate conditions on an Earth totally covered by ice,” says Dr. Herwartz, the lead author of the study who now works at the University of Cologne. The results were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (PNAS) on April 13, 2015… read more

 

 

Greener Pest Control

Scientists plan to fight insect pests by turning their own hormones against them

An international research project funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 program will develop new pest control methods that neither cause environmental pollution nor harm beneficial insects… read more

 

 

New findings on how cardiac arrhythmias develop

Cardiac arrhythmias affect a high proportion of the aging population. Mitochondria are the ‘powerhouses of the cells’, and scientists in Cologne have now shown that even a few heart cells with reduced mitochondrial function are sufficient to trigger arrhythmias.

Mitochondria are cell organelles that are involved in many functions. They are considered to be the ‘powerhouses of the cells’ because they convert nutrients into energy. They are involved in the regulation of programmed cell death, when a cell is no longer needed or even constitutes a risk to the body. Mitochondria have their own DNA (mitochondrial DNA, mtDNA), which accumulates point mutations in its sequence or loses large portions (mtDNA deletions) during the aging process. If the number of altered mtDNA copies increases too much, there is a dramatic disruption of mitochondrial function and, as a result, of cell function. This phenomenon occurs in individual cells in many organs during the aging process, giving rise to a ‘tissue mosaic’ of a few isolated cells with mitochondrial dysfunction scattered amongst many normal cells… read more

 

Get your UoC research news from our press releases
More news available in German

 

 

UoC Research – Miscellaneous

 


Abstract on NCBI

Follow us on Twitter for more

 

 

■ Content Issue No 4

Photo: Frank Hasenstab

Autumn 2014    

Content:

■ Vacation/Season’s Greetings
■ Albert’s Researcher Reunion Grant
■ Albert’s Virtual Conference Hub
■ Checklist for Guest Scholars

■ Cologne Article at ‘Study in Germany’

■ Cooperation with the Global South
■ New UoC-Blog From Overseas
■ International Office Mobile App
■ Guest Scholar Newsletter
■ Dr. Ruth Gruber
■ Jobs and Other Opportunities at the UoC

■ Internationalisation at the UoC
■ TOTAL E-Quality Award
■ UoC Key Profile Areas
■ UoC Competence Areas
■ Research News from the UoC
■ Award for UoC International Students Association

■ UoC on SoundCloud and iTunes

this issue is in ☐ progress ☑  concluded

Closed for Christmas/New Year

Reply

Albert’s Gonna Be on Vacation

Closed14_15

To applications for Albert’s Researcher Reunion Grant coming in
during that time we will reply in January.

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■ Content Issue No 3

Alumni Meeting in NY

Reply

Rector Freimuth Held Reception for UoC Alumni in New York

 

[English version will follow]
Im Rahmen seiner USA Reise ludt Rektor Axel Freimuth die in New York lebenden Alumni der Uni Koeln am 18.09.2014 zu einem Alumni-Empfang. Die Organisation wurde vom New York-Buero der Universitaet übernommen und die Leiterin des Büros, Frau Stefanie Grupp-Clasby, freute sich, die in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey und Maryland lebenden Köln Alumni in einem besonderen Rahmen zusammenbringen zu koennen – auf dem Dach “A60” des Boutiquehotels Sixty Thompson im Herzen des Stadtteils SoHo (South of Houston Street) in Manhattan.

Der Rektor begruesste rund 30 Alumni, Boardmitglieder des Beirats des New Yorker Büros sowie lokale Kontakte des Büros. Er betonte in seiner Begruessung die Wichtigkeit der Alumni für das nachhaltige weltweite Wirken der universitären Forschung und Lehre in Köln. Beim anschließenden Treffen tauschten sich Alumni aus unterschiedlichen Fakultäten aus und genossen den urbanen Ausblick nahe des World Trade Center gelegenen roof tops bei bestem Wetter. Besonders erfreulich war, dass sich zwei US Cologne Researcher Alumni, etliche Köln Alumni in New York und zwei Teilnehmerinnen der Summer School WiSo @ NYC 2014 mit US Forschern aus der Johns Hopkins University, Yale University und City University of New York sowie mit drei aus Köln präsenten Fakultätsmitgliedern, Rektor und Prorektor Michael Bollig samt Stab unterhielten. Unispitze Axel Freimuth und Michael Bollig, Fakultätsmitglieder Anja Bettenworth und Juergen Dohmen, Alumni und Researcher Alumni Cologne-New York Pendler Professor David Jager (CUNY/UZK WiSo), Alan Shapiro (JHU/UZK Morphomata) und Henry Sussmann (Yale U/UZK Morphomata) führten Fachgespräche in den Themen Campusentwicklung, Ökonomie, Germanistik und Classics.

Die Branchen der teilnehmenden Alumni waren Kommunikation (UN), Presse (Handelsblatt), Forschung (Columbia University, Rockefeller University, Rutgers University, Yale University, City University of New York (CUNY), Albert Einstein College of Medicine) und Wissenschaftsmanagement (DFG New York und Prorektorat Internationales).

Die teilnehmenden Boardmitglieder sind Kontakte der rechtswissenschaftlichen Fakultät (Alumna Frau Dr. Sandra Friedrich und Professor Hannah Buxbaum).

Das University of Cologne New York Office Corporation ist eine for-non-profit organization unter US-Recht. Spenden sind willkommen und steuerlich absetzbar. Das Buero beraet Sie hierzu gerne telefonisch unter der Rufnummer +1.212.758-5893 oder via email s.grupp-clasby@uni-koeln.de  Weiteres über das Büro in New York hier in den Blogs der Aussenstellen:

https://blog.uni-koeln.de/international-letters/

 

Fotos: Elisabeth Smolarz

 

Stefanie Grupp-Clasby

 

University of Cologne New York Office Corporation

Director

 

871 United Nations Plaza

New York, New York 10017, USA

Phone +1 (212) 758-5893

s.grupp-clasby@uni-koeln.de

UNIVERSITÄT ZU KÖLN

GUTE IDEEN. SEIT 1388.

■ Content Issue No 3

Short Time Fellowship for Researcher Alumni

Reply

Three Network Members to Receive Albert’s Researcher Reunion Grant in Round IV

 

 

 

 

 

Albert’s Researcher Reunion Grant is a short term fellowship of  two to eight weeks for former international scholars at the University of Cologne: a fellowship allowance of  500 Euro per week + possibly travel cost lump sum

■ Content Issue No 3

Videoconferencing and Online Broadcasting for UoC Researcher Alumni

Reply

Albert’s Virtual Conference Hub

AVCHUB_LOGO_HOVER_4Animation800

Albert’s Virtual Conference Hub is the mobile videoconferencing system of Albert‘s Global Researcher Network. It allows the active involvement of individual scientists from abroad e.g. in smaller workshops and meetings.

In the future it will also be possible to broadcast all kinds of events on the internet with minimal effort and making them available for an individually customized group of users.

If you would like to use this option, please contact us. We are pleased to provide this service to interested chairs and institutes of the UoC and to Members of Albert’s Global Researcher Network for their contact with the UoC

For updates have a look at our website.

■ Content Issue No 3

Checklist for Guest Scholars

Reply

Use this ‘Checklist for Guest Scholars’ in good time before you set off towards Cologne: http://t.co/mjdqUjKu2j

 

Pre-Arrival_Checklist_GW

Your hosting institution in Cologne can also help preparing your stay well in advance with this checklist (German): http://t.co/S3uzrLdQkX

 

■ Content Issue No 3

Cologne: »Metropolitan Village with a Famous Cathedral«

Reply

Do You Miss Cologne? Read Rahel Klein’s Article, Interesting Not Only for Students!

 

 



Study in Germany‘s New Series:
»We introduce German university towns with the most foreign students to you!«

Cologne Cathedral and Hohenzollern Bridge
© Klein/DAAD

»Cologne is world-famous for its cathedral and Carnival. In addition to a vibrant media sector, the city is a centre of the automobile manufacturing industry. It’s also where many different people and cultures meet. Life in Cologne has a very special feel. Despite its size, you never feel like a number.« read more

 

■ Content Issue No 3

Facebook Content Related to Germany, the Global South and Our Partners

Reply

Like Our Department ‘Cooperation with the Global South’ on Facebook

 

 

Global south facebook

»The Department Cooperation with the Global South at the International Office of the University of Cologne is in charge of facilitating and enhancing the exchanges with academic partners in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. The services offered by this department range from administrative and strategic support for the implementation and management of contacts in these regions, to networking and facilitating partnerships. On our facebook site you can find an array of interesting articles and opportunities related to Germany, the Global South and our partners.

■ Content Issue No 3

New UoC-Blog Brings Latest Information from Overseas

Reply

A Letter from…New York, New Delhi or Beijing, wouldn’t this be exciting?

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This blogging platform keeps you updated on the latest news from the University of Cologne Liaision Offices in Beijing, New Delhi and New York!

The University of Cologne is an international university. With university- and faculty-wide partnerships as well as close strategic cooperations with excellent Higher Education institutions across the world the University underlines its international strengths and outreach.

With the establishment of three liaision offices in New York, New Delhi and Beijing, UoC receives first-hand information on the respective local higher education developments, policies, cutting-edge research and – last but not least – the native culture.

If we can’t go all the way to New York, New Delhi and Beijing at the same time, at least we deliver some interesting information from all three places to you via this blog.

You can always find the RSS feed of the blog in the right column of this newsletter.

Enjoy reading!

 

■ Content Issue No 3

International Office Mobile App

Reply


Stay Up-to-Date with Our Mobile App!

 

 

You’ll find events, contacts, people, web sites, facebook, twitter, weather … everything about the International Office

Just follow the link or scan the QR-Code.
http://bit.ly/uoc-international

and bookmark the mobile website

We are also planning to offer a native app,
that you can install on Android and iOS

 

■ Content Issue No 3

Guest Scholar Newsletter: October – December 2014

Reply

Have a Look at the Quarterly Nesletter
from Our Welcome Centre

Newsletter_2014_04-Seite1_

 

October – December 2014 (PDF)

The current issue is available here

 

 

 

 

 

■ Content Issue No 3

Collecting Opportunities Connected to the UoC via Internet/Social Media – Not at All Exhaustive

Reply

Serendipity Ahoy! by the International Office

■ Content Issue No 3

International Programme at the UoC

Reply

Internationalisation

 

 

■ Content Issue No 3

Third time TOTAL E-Quality Award for the UoC

Reply

www.total-e-quality.de/en

 

via @UniCologne (Twitter)     

■ Content Issue No 3

Excellent University of Cologne KPA

Reply

Have a Look at the UoC Key Profile Areas

■ Content Issue No 3

Excellent University of Cologne CA

Reply

Have a look at the UoC Competence Areas

University of Cologne

■ Content Issue No 3

Research News

Reply

Research News from the UoC

 

 

University of Cologne News: Professor Claus Kreß
receives this year’s M.C. Bassiouni Justice Award

 

 

 

 

 

 

Genome Damage Tolerance Extends Lifespan

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Team of scientists at CECAD, University of Cologne shows longevity assurance program in nematodes increases tolerance to genome damage read more

 

Climate Change in Drylands

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Ecologists from the UoC Analyzing Vegetation Stability during and after Droughts. read more

 

Astrochemical Dating of a Stellar Nursery

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International Research Team Dated Core of Interstellar Cloud with Data from GREAT and APEX. read more

 

Major International Award for Linguist from the University of Cologne

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A publication by Professor Nikolaus P. Himmelmann receives this year’s Best Article in Language Award. read more

 

How Do We Punish Norm Violators?

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People tend to refuse to help rather than directly intervene. read more

 

Cooperation with Taiwanese Medical University

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Signing of an agreement with Kaohsiung Medical University. read more

 

Interstellar Molecules are Branching Out

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Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (Bonn, Germany), Cornell University (USA), and the University of Cologne (Germany) have for the first time detected a carbon-bearing molecule with a “branched” structure in interstellar space. read more

 

Socio-Economic Change Could Have a Much Bigger Impact than Climate Change on Grazing Lands in the World’s Arid Regions

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This is the conclusion reached by scientists from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the University of Cologne, who simulated ecological and social factors in a computer model. read more

 

The Pirate in the Microbe

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Bacteria do not move entirely randomly when they explore the surface of host cells. read more


More Research News from the UoC

 

 

■ Content Issue No 3

Events

Reply

Events at the UoC

■ Content Issue No 3

International Students Association Cologne

Reply

ISAC-Cologne Wins German Federal Foreign Office’s Award for Excellent Support of International Students

■ Content Issue No 3

UoC on SoundCloud and iTunes

Reply

The Sound of Cologne: Lectures and More from the UoC

 

SoundCloud_logo

 

Official Soundcloud profile
of the University of Cologne

 

 

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University of Cologne on iTunes

 

 

■ Content Issue No 3

Issues No 1 and 2 of Albert’s Researcher Alumni Newsletter

Reply

Download

 

 
Issue No 2 (PDF)

Issue No 1 (PDF)