Discover, experiment and marvel: that was the theme of Ulm University’s Long Evening of Science on 8 May. More than two thousand visitors – including many families – came to the Oberer Eselsberg to see for themselves what the university has to offer in research and teaching. With an enormous variety of experiments, demonstrations, tours, guided visits and lectures, the four faculties presented themselves from their best and most colourful side.
The hands-on activities were met with great enthusiasm, particularly among the children: there were batteries made from lemons, DNA extraction, molecular building blocks, programming games and distribution experiments with sweets, as well as technical demonstrations of VR headsets, vehicles, drones, microchips and microscopes; and so much more. However, adults also crowded into the more than 40 stands in the Uni Süd forum, in over a dozen showrooms and event venues, as well as in the large lecture theatres, where they listened to the scientists explain what they were researching and why it matters. Numerous school pupils also showed great interest in the researchers’ work and were able to enquire on the spot about degree programmes and vocational training opportunities. The School of Advanced Professional Studies and the Centre for General Scientific Continuing Education presented part-time training programmes and intergenerational continuing education. The Ulm Student Services Association was also represented with a stand.
The programmes offered by the medical school and the TTU Teaching Hospital were also in high demand. These provided insights into emergency medicine and diagnostics, as well as interesting facts about human genetics and paediatrics. Through a medical detective game, for example, children could learn how to detect illnesses or make three-dimensional DNA models using sheets of paper. Visitors practised resuscitating people and stitching wounds on manikins. The Botanical Garden also showcased botanical wonders in its outdoor grounds and greenhouses. The Scientific Workshop offered guided tours and demonstrated the craftsmanship involved in producing unique items for research – whether on the CNC milling machine or in the glassblowing workshop.
Theme Focus M4Night – On Patterns, Models, Markets and People
This year, the Faculty of Mathematics and Economic Sciences provided a special highlight with its theme focus M4Night and a wide range of lectures and presentations. These covered mathematical modelling and artificial intelligence, insurance and financial services, as well as incentive structures and management strategies. A specially developed app designed to raise young people’s awareness of critical social media use also attracted great interest, as did behavioural economics experiments in which sweets were distributed according to specific rules.
The highlight of the evening was the MatheMind show programme featuring maths influencers and Spiegel bestselling authors Johannes Mensing and Josef Naber. Mensing presented surprising phenomena from nature and explained the mathematics behind them. From the aesthetic and biological significance of the Fibonacci sequence – which, for example, governs the structure of snail shells – to the over 2,300-year-old mathematical determination of the Earth’s circumference based on the shadow angle of wooden sticks by Eratosthenes of Cyrene. The audience’s enthusiasm for mathematics was evident not only in the multitude of children’s fingers eagerly raised, but also in the obvious delight of many adults in the educational number games, including the mathematics professors in attendance.
Science plays a fundamental role in the search for truth
Professor Julian Nida-Rümelin enriched the event with a political-philosophical dimension. On the occasion of the Day of the Basic Law (Grundgesetz), the philosopher spoke in the packed Lecture Hall 11 on the relationship between “democracy, truth and science”. Nida-Rümelin, who became known to the public as Minister of State for Culture in the Schröder cabinet, explained why claims to truth are not only legitimate but also essential for democracy. As for the role of science, whilst it plays a fundamental role in the search for truth, this does not confer any priority in the political decision-making process. “Politics is and remains a matter for politicians, although they are, of course, well advised to listen to science,” said the political thinker. Visitors to the Long Evening of Science were able to see and hear for themselves what science achieves and how it works. The event was organised by the Marketing Department at Ulm University.
Further information: Vera Löw, Marketing Department, email: vera.loew(at)uni-ulm.de
Information is available online here! You can find a photo gallery here.
The programme as a PDF
Text and media contact: Andrea Weber-Tuckermann