Prof. Michael Weber, president of Ulm University, opened the event, followed by warmest greetings expressed by Ulrich Steinbach (Ministerial Director, Baden-Wuerttemberg Ministry of Science, Research and Art), Dr. Burkhard Jahnen (Program Director, German Research Foundation - DFG), Prof. Michael Lehmann (President of the German Society of Electron Microscopy, DGE), Prof. Josef Zweck (President of the European Society of Microscopy, EMS) and Prof. Barry Carter (Vice President of the International Federation of Societies of Microscopy, IFSM).
The core of the ceremony was the speech of Prof. Ute Kaiser presenting the outline and the history of the SALVE project as well as important results obtained already with the new instrument. Within this talk Prof. Max. Haider (CEOS, Heidelberg) reported on the technological advances in electron optics triggered by the project.
The invited lecture of Prof. Klaus Müllen (MPIP Director, Mainz) elucidated the diversity of graphene chemistry, Prof. Klaus von Klitzing (Nobel Laureate, MPI Stuttgart) presented the inherent presence of electron microscopy in most ambitious and prominent research and technological projects of the last century awarded with the Nobel prize.
The ceremony had a profound festive note supported by musical performances by members of the Kaiser group, the string quartet and the chamber choir of Ulm University, and a performance of the Ulm University ballet.
The ceremony was completed by two after-dinner talks performed by Prof. Hannes Lichte (Senior Professor, Technical University Dresden) and Prof. Wolfgang Schleich (Head of Institute for Quantum Physics, Ulm University) giving a retrospective on the development of the Schrödinger equation in the last century and the importance of creativity, serendipity and inspiration in scientific life.
Further information:
News article in German language
Event page of the SALVE inauguration and 3rd SALVE Symposium