Humboldt-Regionalgruppe Karlsruhe-Pforzheim e.V.

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The German Society of Humboldtians founded the Humboldt Regional Group Karlsruhe - Pforzheim e.V. in May 2011, purpose of the association is the promotion of international academic and cultural exchange in the Federal Republic of Germany. The Regional Group serves as a forum for former and current fellows and the promotion of networks. As spokesman for the group Professor Dirk Wentzel was elected, chairholder of the Jean Monnet Chair of European Economic Relations of the Pforzheim University and lecturer at the KIT. Deputies are Caroline Y. Robertson - von Trotha; Professor and Director of the ZAK | Centre for Cultural and General Studies at KIT, Alexey Ustinov; Professor of the DFG Center for Functional Nanostructures ( CFN) at KIT and Peter Henning; Professor of computer science at the University of Applied Sciences Karlsruhe.

The Regional Group promotes the exchange of Humboldtians with each other and provides mutual assistance, as in the integration of international scientists and reintegration of German Humboldtians and dialogue with the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and other Humboldt associations. Several times a year the Regional Group Karlsruhe- Pforzheim presents scientific lectures by top scientists from different fields to the interested public.

Contact person:
Prof. Dr. Dirk Wentzel
Phone: 07231 28-6293
E-Mail:
dirk.wentzel∂hs-pforzheim.de

Hochschule Pforzheim
Tiefenbronner Strasse 65
75175 Pforzheim

Membership application of German Society of Humboldtians

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Current Events

International Excellence Talks jointly presented by International Affairs and the Humboldt-Regional Group Karlsruhe-Pforzheim - Please find the recordings of the last International Excellence Talks on our Youtube Channel.

Wednesday, November 29, 2023 at 5:00 pm CET - The event will be held online via Zoom and in-person (please register online in order to attend in-person)


We cordially invite you to join the next International Excellence Talk with Prof. Dr. Daniel Cziczo on the topic “Improving our understanding of Earth’s upper troposphere and lower stratosphere”.

Abstract: Until the late 1990s, the particles found in the upper tropospheric / lower stratospheric (UTLS) were an area of uncertainty in atmospheric science. At about the same time, instruments were developed that could be flown on high altitude research aircraft to determine particle composition and large chambers were built that allowed us to mimic the conditions in this remote region of the atmosphere. This talk will review how aircraft measurements and laboratory studies have been, and will continue to be, used in concert to better understand atmospheric chemistry, precipitation and our climate.

Venue: Lehmann Lecture Hall, Building 30.22 or online via Zoom.

After the keynote lecture, we invite you to join the networking session with Prof. Dr. Daniel Cziczo and other participants with drinks and snacks. Read more about the speaker and the details of the event as well as find the Zoom Link on our website.

The International Office and the IMK-AAF are looking forward to meeting and exchanging ideas with you!

The lecture series is organized by the International Scholars and Welcome Office (IScO) of KIT in the framework of the International Excellence Grants Program with funds granted to the University of Excellence concept “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association I Living the Change” in cooperation with the Humboldt-Regional Group Karlsruhe-Pforzheim.

Veranstaltungen 2023

Friday, November 24, 2023 at 11:30 am CET - Prof. Stefan Felder on the topic New measurement methods to improve design and safety of hydraulic structures

Hydraulic structures, such as dams fulfill many societal functions including water supply, flood mitigation and generation of hydropower. Their safety is paramount and a failure can be catastrophic. The design of hydraulic structures must therefore be conducted with the highest technical standards using state-of[1]the-art measurement approaches. Despite their significance, current design practice for flood release and energy dissipation facilities is limited to small scale physical modeling combined with numerical modelling while significant limitations exist due to scale effects and missing prototype validation data. In recent years, some new advances have been made in the use of instrumentation and post-processing methods that can provide more confidence in the design of hydraulic structures and that may change the way we design structures in the future. Herein, this talk provides an overview about recent developments in the instrumentation relevant for hydraulic structures including phase-detection intrusive probes, remote sensing with LIDAR and camera technology as well as lagrangian-type sensors for fish safety assessment.

 

Thursday, July 20, 2023 at 5:00 pm CET 

We cordially invite you to join the 20th International Excellence Talk with Prof. Dr. Adam Jatowt on the topic “Automatic Question Answering from Archival Document Collections”.

Open Domain Question Answering (ODQA) has been researched for a while as a task in the intersection of NLP and IR that seeks to answer user questions against an underlying collection of documents. We focus here on answering questions from large scale news archives that span several decades, as a new subtype of ODQA which requires proper handling of temporal information. We will present several approaches to this variant of ODQA, and we will discuss the challenges and opportunities of accessing detailed information from temporal document collections, particularly, in the current era of large language models.

 

Wednesday, July 05, 2023 at 5:00 pm CET 

This talk will provide an overview of past and ongoing research in Prof. Dr. Andrés Díaz Lantada’s research team at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Spain. Prof. Dr. Andrés Díaz Lantada research interests lies in design for additive manufacturing, additive manufacturing technologies, smart materials and structures, 3D and 4D printing, engineered living materials, engineering education. Currently Prof. Dr. Díaz Lantada is an International Excellence Fellow at the Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT-KIT) under guidance from Prof. Dr. Jan Korvink, KIT 2023. In his speech, Prof. Dr. Díaz Lantada will show results from 4 European projects from Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe programmes (TOMAX, UBORA, INKplant and BIOMET4D), in which he has led UPM’s participation. He will also explain important advances of the recent highly competitive iMPLANTS-CM “Synergy Project”, funded by Madrid’s General Directorate for Research and Innovation. 

 

Thursday, May 25, 2023 at 5:30 pm CET 

"Applications of Machine Learning in Climate Change and Environmental Modeling" by Dr. Zoe Li  - This is the title for the 18th KIT International Excellence Talk. The talk will provide an overview of past and ongoing research in Dr. Zoe Li’s research team at the Department of Civil Engineering, McMaster University, Canada. 

Dr. Li´s research focuses on environmental risk analysis and management, where she introduces new uncertainty quantification methods for climate-hydrological and environmental modeling and develops robust optimization tools to support risk analysis and management. With a focus on how to leverage machine learning techniques to solve environmental problemsDr. Li will present several applications of machine learning for climate downscaling, hydrological forecasting, river ice prediction, and wastewater modeling.

 

Thursday, February 09, 2023 at 5:00 pm CET 

Electrocatalytic Materials and Design: Towards Hydrogen Energy Sustainability - This is the title for the 16th KIT International Excellence Talk, which will be held virtually via Zoom. On Thursday, 9 February 2023 at 5:00 PM (CET), Dr. Po-Ya Abel Chuang will elaborate on fuel cell and electrolysis technologies as key solutions to future energy sustainability. Furthermore, he will introduce his research efforts that are centered around the fundamental electrochemical study for applications such as low-temperature PEM and AEM fuel cell and electrolyzer. Affiliated with the School of Engineering, University of California, Merced, USA, Dr. Chuang is currently conducting his research at the Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU), a facility launched by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology together with Ulm University, as an International Excellence Fellow.  

Events 2022

Thursday, October, 2022 at 5:00pm CET 

Rational Design of Materials for Energy Production and a Cleaner Future - This is the title for the 15th KIT International Excellence Talk, which will be held as an attendance event and virtually per Zoom. On Wednesday, 23 November 2022 at 3:00 PM (CET)Dr. M. Veronica Ganduglia-Pirovano will elaborate on the potent greenhouse gases methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) and the significance of their conversion to valuable resources to a greener future. Furthermore, she will discuss recent results on metal/CeO2 systems which point toward a possible strategy for designing active and stable catalysts that can be employed for methane activation and conversions. Affiliated with the Institute of Catalysis and Petrochemistry of the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Spain, Dr. Ganduglia-Pirovano is currently conducting her research at the Institute of Functional Interfaces (IFG), KIT as an International Excellence Fellow.

 

 

Thursday, October, 2022 at 5:00pm CET 

Order Fulfillment Design for an Omnichannel World - This is the title for the 14th KIT International Excellence Talk, which will be held as an attendance event and virtually per Zoom. On Tuesday, 25 October 2022 at 5:00 PM (CEST), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jennifer Pazour will elaborate on the ongoing transformation to retail and distribution operations due to the proliferation of e-commerce and present an overview of omni-channel material handling challenges and opportunities. This includes research on new operational designs, facilities, equipment, methodologies and business models. Affiliated with the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), USA, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pazour is currently conducting her research at the Institute for Material Handling and Logistics (IFL), KIT as an International Excellence Fellow.  

 

 

 

Thursday, September 29, 2022 

Towards Physical-Conceptual Modeling of Mass, Energy and Information Flows Using Machine Learning Technology- This is the title for the 13th KIT International Excellence Talk, which will be held as an (1) attendance event and (2) virtually per Zoom. On Thursday, 29 September 2022 at 5:00 PM (CEST), Prof. Dr. Hoshin V. Gupta will discuss the contributing factors for the success of any Machine Learning strategy with regards to its effectiveness and efficiency. He will also expand on his view of the symbiotic relationship between Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence and the Domain Sciences. Affiliated with the Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Arizona, Prof. Dr. Gupta is currently conducting his research at the Institute for Water and River Basin Management - Hydrology (IWG-HYD), KIT as an International Excellence Fellow.  

 

Wednesday, July 14, 2022 at 5:00pm CEST 

Multidisciplinary Design and Analysis of Multifunctional Lightweight Systems - This is the title for the 12th virtual KIT International Excellence Talk. On Thursday, 14 July 2022 at 5:00 PM (CEST), Prof. Dr. Kamran Behdinan will discuss advanced techniques in design and analysis of lightweight structures and summarize major research projects conducted in intelligent manufacturing and lightweight structures at the UofT ARL-MLS.  Affiliated with the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto, Prof. Dr. Behdinan is currently conducting his research at the Institute of Product Engineering (IPEK), KIT as an International Excellence Fellow.  

After the talk, he will be available for an informal discussion with the audience. Read more about the speaker and the talk as well as find the Zoom link on our website

The International Scholars and Welcome Office (IScO) and the Institute of Product Engineering of KIT are looking forward to e-meeting and exchanging ideas with you!

 

Wednesday, May 25, 2022 at 5:00pm CEST online via Zoom (no registration required) 

Design of new materials based on their inner architecture, rather than their atomic or phase composition, is an emerging trend in materials engineering. In the 10th KIT International Excellence talk, Prof. Dr. Yuri Estrin from Monash University, Melbourne, Australia will highlight several promising areas of research into architectured materials. The event will take place virtually, via Zoom, on Wednesday, 25 May, 2022 at 5:00 PM (CEST)

After the keynote lecture, we invite you to join the informal discussion with Prof. Dr. Yuri Estrin and other participants. Read more about the speaker and the talk as well as find the Zoom link on our website

The International Scholars and Welcome Office (IScO) and the Institute of Engineering Mechanics - Continuum Mechanics (ITM-KM) are looking forward to e-meeting and exchanging ideas with you!

 

Thursday, April 28, 2022 at 5:00pm CET online - Please find the record on our Youtube-Channel 

Conventional imaging, as you do with your smartphone, is achieved with ubiquitous optical elements (such as lenses) and has remained more or less unchanged for centuries. On Thursday, April 28 at 5 PM CETProf. Forbes, Winner of the Georg Forster Prize from Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, will outline how spooky quantum light allows us to break the rules of traditional imaging systems, including imaging without interacting with the object, high resolution photos with low resolution detectors, and making the invisible visible.

After the keynote lecture, we invite you to join the networking opportunity with Prof. Forbes where you will have the chance to connect with him and with the other participants during an informal discussion. Read more about the speaker and the talk as well as find the Zoom link on our website

The International Scholars and Welcome Office (IScO) and the Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT) of KIT are looking forward to e-meeting and exchanging ideas with you!

 

Thursday, March 03, 2022 at 5:00pm CET online - Please find the record on our Youtube-Channel

Shifting the Narratives Around Women STEMpreneurs - This is the title for the 8th virtual KIT International Excellence Talk. On Thursday, March 3 at 5:00 PM CET, International Excellence Fellow of KIT Dr. Katherina Kuschel will explain the characteristics and dynamics around women entrepreneurs in STEM fields and propose a new perspective to measure their success. Affiliated to the CENTRUM Graduate Business School and Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Kuschel is currently exploring soft-landing programs and expatpreneurs at EnTechnon, KIT with the funding of DAAD and the KIT International Excellence Fellowship. After the talk, she will be available for an informal discussion with the audience.

Read more about the speaker and the talk as well as find the Zoom link on our websitehttps://www.intl.kit.edu/ischolar/16588.php.

The International Office and the Institute for Entrepreneurship, Technology management and Innovation (EnTechnon) of KIT are looking forward to e-meeting and exchanging ideas with you! 

 

Thursday, January 27th, 2022 at 6:00pm CEST online - Please find the record on our Youtube-Channel

Excellence lives from exchange and networking among the best researchers worldwide. That is why we want to invite you to join us in this new lecture series, International Excellence Talks, where internationally renowned scientists will give insights into their current research topics and, ideally, inspire a broad audience of scholars. This monthly event will include a 30-minute keynote lecture and a platform for networking and informal exchange among researchers with a wide range of interests.

Micro-scale Magnetic Resonance as a Quantitative Tool for Biology – This is the title for this month’s virtual KIT International Excellence Talk. On Thursday, January 27th, 2022 at 6:00pm CEST, Prof. Dr. Marcel Utz from the University of Southampton (UK) will present his findings on this topic and be available for an informal scientific discussion with participants. 

The event will take place on Thursday, January 27th, 2022 at 6:00pm CEST via ZoomIt will be aimed at all interested scientists at KIT of all scientific fields, who would like to get an insight into current research topics presented by international scientists as well as International Excellence Fellows and Humboldt Fellows & Grantees. After the presentation you will have the opportunity to connect with Prof. Dr. Utz and fellow researchers.

•   Date: Thursday, January 27th, 2022 at 6:00pm CEST.
•   Venue: The event will be held online via Zoom. 
•   Topic: "Micro-scale Magnetic Resonance as a Quantitative Tool for Biology". 
•   Target Group: All interested scientists.

KIT International Office and KIT Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT) are looking forward to exchanging ideas with you! 

In case you have any questions or would like to receive updates on topics, lecturers and more, please send us an e-mail.

Events 2021

Thursday, November 25, 2021 at 6:00pm CEST online - Please find the record on our Youtube-Channel

Excellence lives on exchange and networking among the best researchers worldwide. That is why we want to invite you to join us in this new lecture series, International Excellence Talks, where internationally renowned scientists will give insights into their current research topics and, ideally, inspire a broad audience of scholar. This monthly event will include a 30-minute keynote lecture and a platform for networking and informal exchange among researchers with a wide range of interests.

Moving from ‘Human as Problem’ to ‘Human as Solution’ in Cyber Security – This is the title for this month’s virtual KIT International Excellence Talk. On Thursday, November 25 at 6:00 PM CET, Dr. Karen Renaud from the Strathclyde University (UK) will present her findings on this topic and be available for an informal scientific discussion with participants. 

The event will take place on Thursday, November 25, 2021 at 6:00pm CEST via Zoom. It will be aimed at all interested scientists at KIT of all scientific fields, who would like to get an insight into current research topics presented by international scientists as well as International Excellence Fellows and Humboldt Fellows & Grantees. After the presentation you will have the opportunity to connect with Dr. Renaud and fellow researchers.

•   Date: Thursday, November 25, 2021 from 6:00pm CEST.
•   Venue: The event will be held online via Zoom. 
•   Topic: "Moving from ‘Human as Problem’ to ‘Human as Solution’ in Cyber Security". 
•   Target Group: All interested scientists.

KIT International Office and KIT Institute of Applied Informatics and Formal Description Methods (AIFB) are looking forward to exchanging ideas with you! 

In case you have any questions or would like to receive updates on topics, lecturers and more, please send us an e-mail.

 

Thursday, June 24, 2021 at 6:00pm CEST online - Please find the record on our Youtube-Channel

International collaboration is of high importance in particular in top-level research. Excellence lives on competition and on exchange among the best researchers worldwide. That´s why KIT IKIT International Affairs in close operation with the Humboldt-Regional Group Karlsruhe-Pforzheim established the new talk series "International Excellence Talks".

We cordially invite you to join our next talk with Prof. Dr. Dmitry Pelinovsky on the topic "Rogue waves in nature and integrable models". Prof. Dr. Dmitry Pelinovsky is currently a Professor at the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the McMaster University in Canada. His field of expertise covers analysis, differential equations, mathematical modeling and theoretical physics. Prof. Dr. Pelinovsky is recipient of the Humboldt Research Award 2021, Research Fellow of the University of Cape Town (1997), NATO Science Postdoctoral Fellow (1998-2000) and an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow (2006-2007).

The event will take place on Thursday, June 24, 2021 at 6:00pm CEST via Zoom. It will be aimed at all interested scientists at KIT of all scientific fields, who would like to get an insight into current research topics presented by international scientists as well as International Excellence and Humboldt Fellows. The focus will also lie on the possibility of networking and community building.


•   Date: Thursday, June 24, 2021 from 6:00pm CEST.
•   Venue: The event will be held online via Zoom. Participation in the webinar is free of charge.
•   Topic: "Rogue waves in nature and integrable models".
•   Target Group: All interested scientists.

In case you have any questions or would like to receive updates on topics, lecturers and more, please send us an e-mail.

 

Thursday, May 20, 2021 at 6:00pm - Please find the record on our Youtube-Channel

International collaboration is of high importance in particular in top-level research. Excellence lives on competition and on exchange among the best researchers worldwide. That´s why KIT IKIT International Affairs in close operation with the Humboldt-Regional Group Karlsruhe-Pforzheim established the new talk series "International Excellence Talks".
 

We cordially invite you to join the first talk with Prof. Dr. Igor Komarov on the topic "Fighting cancer with light - emerging technologies". Prof. Dr. Igor Komarov is amongst the top-100 most cited Ukrainian scientists, and one of the Ukrainian top-5 in the area of organic chemistry. His research into peptidomimetics, whose biological activity can be controlled by light, has been pursued at the international forefront. Prof. Dr. Komarov is one of the first holders of the International Excellence Fellow of the KIT (2020), an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow (2000-2001) and a holder of the Georg Forster Research Award of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (2015). In his talk Prof. Dr. Komarov will present the results obtained during his collaboration with the scientific group of Prof. Dr. Anne S. Ulrich of KIT suitable for a wide audience and therefore for also non-specialists in the field.

The event will take part on Thursday, May 20, 2021 at 6:00pm via Zoom (the official invitation will follow after registration). It will be aimed at all interested scientists at KIT of all scientific fields, who would like to get an insight into current research topics presented by international scientists as well as International Excellence and Humboldt Fellows. The focus will also lie on the possibility of networking and community building.

•    Date: Thursday, May 20, 2021 from 6:00pm to 7:00pm.
•    Topic: "Fighting cancer with light - emerging technologies".
•    Target Group: All interested scientists.

Please register here for the event. In case you have any questions, please contact Elena Pfeifer. Find further information in the official invitation

Events 2020

Wednesday, June 17, 2020, 7:30 p.m. (Zoom)
Online event in a series on "Effects of the Corona crisis on the EU"
Europe current - from the perspective of Prof. Dr. Dirk Wentzel

Find the registration and further information here.

 

[POSTPONED/VERSCHOBEN] Due to Corona we have to postpone the planned meeting and will contact you, once we have evaluated, for example, a video conference option.

April 30, 2020 at 6:00 p.m.: Lecture as part of the Humboldt Regional Group Karlsruhe-Pforzheim e.V.: "The physics of golf” and “Putting cells in the right place: mastering 3D organization of cells and tissues towards efficient organ printinggiven by Professor Dr. Peter Henning and Dr. Enrico Lemma.
Venue: "Heinrich Hertz Restaurant,” Engesserstr. 3, KIT Campus South, Karlsruhe.

Events 2019

October 09, 2019 at 3:00 p.m.:  15. Humboldt-Day at KIT in context of the International Days - Promotion of internationally mobile scientistsVenue: Building 11.30 Senatehall, KIT-Campus South presented by Anke Hoffmann-Pantha, Welcome adress by Prof. Dr. Dirk Wentzel, speaker of Humboldt Regional Group Karlsruhe-Pforzheim e.V.

May 16, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.: Humboldt Regional Group Karlsruhe-Pforzheim e.V. lecture Natural Sciences and Engineering meet Economics is given by Professor Dr. Dirk Wentzel and Dr. Erik Bründermann. For details see here.

Humboldt-Year 2019

Press release of the Alexander von Humboldt-foundation on the occation Alexander von Humboldt-Year 2019: Futher Humboldt-year events see dedicated website https://avhumboldt250.de

 

Events 2018

06. December 2018 at 10:30 a.m.: Workshop Threatened Researchers IIScience in Exile – Shared ResponsibilitiesVenue: Building 11.30 Senatehall, KIT-Campus South. Program

02. October 2018 at 12:30 p.m.: 14. Humboldt-Tag am KIT. Promotion of internationally mobile scientists. Venue: "Ballroom" Adenauerring 7, 76131 Karlsruhe, Campus South.

Events 2017

30. November 2017 at 7:00 p.m.: Humboldt Lecture: A glimpse into partial differential equations by Dr. Alberto Saldaña

 
Dr. Alberto Saldaña holds an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship for Postdoctoral Researchers and is conducting research at the Institute for Analysis at KIT. His host Professor Dr. Wolfgang Reichel holds a chair at the Department of Mathematics at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).
VenueGastdozentenhaus Engesserstr. 3, Campus Süd, KIT.

After the lecture, there will be an opportunity to join our informal dinner (on your own expenses) and to network in an international and multi-disciplinary environment. This lecture is open to everybody interested in this topic. Program

27. July 201713. Humboldt-Tag at KIT - Promotion of internationally mobile scientists. Venue: Building 11.30 Senatehall, 3rd floor.

Events 2016

01. Dezember 2016 ab 19:00 Uhr: Humboldt Regional Group Karlsruhe-Pforzheim e.V. lecture on Quantum information processing using superconducting circuits, given by Dr. Ioan PopVenue"Guest House and Conference Center”, Engesserstr. 3, Campus South, KIT. After the lecture there will be an opportunity to join our informal dinner and to network in a multi-disciplinary environment. This lecture is open to everybody interested in this topic. More Information

28.- 29. Oktober 2016 at 13:00 Uhr: 9th Annual Conference of  German Society of Humboldtians  in Karlsruhe. Venue: Senatssaal des Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT), Engelbert-Arnold-Str. 2, Gebäude 11.30, Adolf-Würth Gebäude. Program and detailed information.

 

Report on the 2016 Annual Conference of the Deutsche Gesellschaft der Humboldtianer (DGH, German Society of Humboldtians) in Karlsruhe at KIT

Organized by: Regional Humboldt Group Karlsruhe-Pforzheim in cooperation with the International Scholars & Welcome Office (IScO) of KIT

On October 28 and 29, 2016, the annual conference of the DGH for the first time took place in Karlsruhe. The conference was organized by the Regional Humboldt Group Karlsruhe-Pforzheim in close cooperation with the International Scholars & Welcome Office (IScO). Since 2012, the Regional Group and IScO have been cooperating successfully in organizing the so-called “Humboldt-Tag.” It has become a regular event at KIT, takes place annually, and brings together many Humboldtians and representatives of the Humboldt Foundation.

The motto of this year’s annual conference was I³: Internationalization, Innovation, and Integration. This motto was developed to reflect the Humboldtian mission of conducting international research and being open-minded.

The conference was opened by Professor Dr. Dirk Wentzel, who referred to the development history of the motto and analyzed it from different perspectives. He was followed by Professor Dr. Thomas Hirth, Vice President for Innovation and International Affairs at KIT, who introduced himself as a long-standing partner of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and emphasized the high innovative power of KIT and its complex network of international collaborations. KIT proved to be an excellent host. It made available to the DGH the just renovated Senate Assembly Hall at no cost. The Vice President of KIT was followed by the Spokesperson of the DGH, Professor Dr. Uwe Dorka, who used his welcome address – as he usually does – to reflect on Humboldt and the present situation. He concluded that scientific excellence and sociopolitical responsibility are inseparably linked in the sense of Humboldt.

The welcome addresses were followed by the first cultural highlight of the event: Tatjana Uhde of the Paris orchestra presented some pieces on her violoncello, much to the delight of the audience.

The panel members discussing the topic I³ were entirely female: Professor Dr. Caroline Robertson-von Trotha, founding member of the Regional Group and Head of KIT’s Center for Applied Cultural and General Studies (ZAK), Professor Dr. Ingrid Ott (Chair for Economic Policy), and Ms. Meri Uhlig, the Integration Commissioner of the City of Karlsruhe. While Professor Ott mainly analyzed the economic aspect of integration in terms of human capital, Ms. Uhlig underlined the diversity and complexity of integration. She also spoke about her own life: As a child of immigrants, she managed to complete school, graduate from university, and assume an executive position in the administration of the city of Karlsruhe. Passionately, she pleaded for advanced integration efforts and open-mindedness.

The spirited panel discussion was followed by another cultural highlight: In groups, the guests were guided through Karlsruhe Palace and informed about the margrave, the palace, and the city of Karlsruhe with its fan-shaped design that served as a model for Washington D.C.

The traditional highlight of the annual conference was the so-called “Humboldt-Abend”. At the Gartensaal of the Palace, Professor Alexey Ustinov from the Regional Group presented a gala evening with Professor Dr. Dorka making the welcome speech for the about 90 guests on behalf of the DGH. He was followed by KIT Vice President Professor Dr. Hirth, who was highly pleased to welcome the Humboldtians in “the living room of Karlsruhe.”

A very touching speech was given by Dr. Enno Aufderheide, Secretary General of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Dr. Aufderheide mainly spoke about the Philipp Schwartz Initiative to support threatened researchers, which unfortunately is very busy at the moment due to persecution and war.

The Secretary General was followed by Dr. Frank Mentrup, Lord Mayor of the City of Karlsruhe, who found highly personal and humorous words for the Humboldtians. He pointed out that all are rather important scientists, but still “normal and down-to-earth” and by no means a “closed society.” Dr. Mentrup also praised the subject of the conference “I³” and referred to the integration efforts and successes of the city of Karlsruhe.

The absolute highlights of the evening and probably of the whole conference were the musical performances by the Head of Karlsruhe University of Music, concert pianist Professor Dr. Michael Uhde (piano), and his daughter Tatjana (violoncello). Professor Uhde, who had come to Karlsruhe with his family (including his new-born grandchild) in spite of the birthday of his son David and an appointment in Munich, and Tatjana turned the Humboldt-Abend into an extra-class concert evening. The Palace as a festive venue, the excellent cuisine of the region of Baden, and local wine rounded off the evening.

The morning of the next day (Saturday) was dedicated to the scientific colloquium on research projects of Humboldt scholars in the region. The event focused on the “I” of Innovation. Current Humboldt Professor Dr. Wolfgang Wernsdorfer first talked about the “World of quantum nanomagnets.” Professor Wernsdorfer just came to KIT from Grenoble. His presentation was followed by Dr. Ioan Pop, winner of the Sofja Kovalevskaja Award, who just came from Yale to KIT. He spoke about “The world of experimental physics.” Both presentations fascinated the audience and provided insight into latest research in the area of physics.

After the coffee break, the colloquium focused on integration. Dr. Petra Roth (IScO) reported about the Philipp Schwartz Initiative at KIT, thus referring to the speech of Secretary General Dr. Aufderheide at the Palace on the evening before. Ms. Roth’s speech was followed by that of a threatened researcher, who is supported by the PSI. In a very touching way, he reported about his escape and his reasons to do so. For his own personal safety, his name shall not be mentioned here. Quite a few persons in the audience had to fight their tears.

The conference was completed by a very special highlight. Professor Dr. Annie Powell was thanked for having been the host of ten Humboldtians while working as a professor at KIT. The laudation was held by Professor Dr. Christopher Barner-Kowollik, who has been the host of seven Humboldt fellows so far. In a rousing speech, he acknowledged the incredible international “spirit” and enthusiasm of Annie Powell. Indeed, hosts are the most important links between the Foundation and the scholarship holders – and the most important prerequisite for the success of research.

At the end of the conference and prior to the start of the assembly of members, Professor Wentzel took over again. He cordially thanked all participants and speakers of the Humboldt Foundation, KIT, Regional Group, City of Karlsruhe, and his staff member Peter Vogel. In particular, he praised the high commitment of the International Scholars and Welcome Office Team, who decisively contributed to the success of the conference.

27. October 2016 at 12:30 Uhr: 12. Humboldt-Tag at KIT - Promotion of internationally mobile scientists. Venue: Geb. 11.30 Neuer Senatssaal, 3. Stock.

12. May 2016 at 19:00 Uhr: Lecture: Resilience assessment for the road networks under the earthquake and landslide risks held by Professor Dr. H. Sebnem Düzgün, Professor at the Middle East Technical University, in Ankara, Turkey. Venue: Zum kleinen Ketterer, Adlerstr. 34, 76133 Karlsruhe. Professor Düzgün has a Humboldt Georg Forster Fellowship for experienced researchers that allows her to stay in Karlsruhe for one year.  Dr. Düzgün is a Professor at the Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey, Department of Mining Engineering. After the lecture there will be an opportunity to join our informal dinner and network in a multi-disciplinary environment. This lecture is open to everybody who is interested in this topic. So please feel free to pass on the information in your academic network to people who might be interested.Invitation

 

Events 2015

  

5. November 2015 at 19:00 Uhr: Lecture Fuel cells for clean energy by Professor Aimy Bazylak, PhD, PEng, Canada Research Chair in Thermofluidics for Clean Energy at University of Toronto, Associate Professor, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Associate Director, Institute for Sustainable Energy, Associate Director, NSERC CREATE Program in DGRCVenue: Kaminzimmer of Heinrich-Hertz Gastdozentenhauses

1. August 2015There and back again: Two Humboldt Fellows at once join FLUTE at KIT

 
  
[left to right] G. Niehues, M. Tani, S. Funkner at the FIR center of Fukui University (FU) in Japan and the Humboldt fellows with their humboldtian mentor E. Bründermann at the FLUTE facility

Recently, Gudrun Niehues and Stefan Funkner joined the department of humboldtian Erik Bründermann at KIT for their research projects in cooperation with their former host Prof. Masahiko Tani, director of the Research Center for Development of Far-Infrared Region at the University of Fukui in Japan.
Both researchers, who have a longstanding expertise in the field of terahertz (THz) spectroscopy, have chosen to pursue their research projects at the new FLUTE accelerator facility. During their stay in Japan, G. Niehues worked on the development of spectroscopic systems, which were designed for polarization sensitive measurements in the THz regime [1], while S. Funkner constructed a new experiment for non-linear Raman spectroscopy at THz frequencies with chirped picosecond pulses [2]. For their work at KIT, the Humboldt Foundation supports both researchers with a Feodor-Lynen Return Fellowship. The two fellows are also supported by the International Scholars & Welcome Office of KIT and Prof. Dirk Wentzel, spokesperson for the regional group of the German Society of Humboldtians, and by their Humboldtian mentor Erik Bründermann, who strives to promote cooperation in research and education with Japan. Both fellows will utilize the femtosecond laser system of the FLUTE facility. Gudrun Niehues aims to develop single-shot electro-optical sampling techniques, which enables the investigation of smart materials. Stefan Funkner's goal is to advance non-linear and ultrafast measurement techniques.
[1] G. Niehues, S. Funkner, D. S. Bulgarevich, S. Tsuzuki, T. Furuya, K. Yamamoto, M. Shiwa, and M. Tani, A matter of symmetry: terahertz polarization detection properties of a multicontact photoconductive antenna evaluated by a response matrix analysisOpt. Express, 2015, 23, 16184-16195.
[2] S. Funkner, K. Saito, G. Niehues, Y. Yazawa, T. Furuya, K. Yamamoto, and M. Tani, Utilization of chirped laser pulses to measure stimulated Raman scattering of organic liquids in the terahertz regimeAppl. Phys. Lett., 2014, 105(2), 021103.

07. May 2015 at 12:30 Uhr: 11. Humboldt-Tag at Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) Campus South, Neuer Senatssaal 3.OG (3rd floor), Buidling 11.30 (Präsidium)

26. March 2015 at19:00 Uhr: Lecture by Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil. Peter Henning, Professor for Computer Science, University of Applied Sciences Karlsruhe and Professor for Business Information Technology, Steinbeis University of Applied Sciences Berlin: Education 2.0: Research trends and global development of technology enhanced learningVenue:Kaminzimmer of the Heinrich-Hertz Gastdozentenhauses

 
Starting with key figures on the growth (rates) of the internet and highlighting the digitalization of communication, he underlined the importance of the digitalization. In the following, he illustrated different forms of technology aided learning and discussed their importance and possible future development. One of the discussed technology aided learning forms was the so called “Massive(ly) Open Online Course” format were thousands of students stream recorded lectures (MOOC). Even though the phenomenon of MOOC’s became viral in the past two years, Professor Henning predicts anything but a bright future for MOOC’s as they lack several important properties of a good technology aided learning format. Closing the presentation with visions of technology aided learning, Professor Henning opened the discussion for the interested audience. As the topic and the presentation were highly interesting, it was discussed a lot and the discussion kept on going during dinner.
After dinner, some last questions were discussed before the get-together started. And as Christian Rembe, one of the founding members of the Alexander-of-Humboldt regional group Karlsruhe-Pforzheim, leaves the regional group, it was time to say farewell.

Events 2014

17. July 2014, 12:30-18:00 Uhr: 10. Humboldt-Tag at Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) Campus South, Adenauerring 7, in the Festsaal of the Studentenwerk.

07. May 2014 at 19:30 Uhr: Lecture by humboldtian Dr. Christian Rembe, physicist and head of development at Polytec, Measuring vibrations in nature and technology with light (Schwingungen in der Natur und Technik mit Licht messen) at Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) Campus South, Adenauerring 2, Building 50.20 in Room 005.

Impressions of the 2016 Annual Conference of the Deutsche Gesellschaft der Humboldtianer (DGH, German Society of Humboldtians) in Karlsruhe at KIT

Prof. C. Barner-Kowollik (ITCP)

Dr. Ioan Pop (PHI)

Prof. A. Ustinov (PHI)

Prof. Wernsdorfer (PHI)

Prof. D. Wenzel
Speaker
DGH regional group
Karlsruhe-Pforzheim

Oberbürgermeister Dr. Frank Mentrup

Dr. E. Aufderheide
Generalsekretär
Humboldt foundation

Prof. Ustinov (PHI)

Prof. Dr. T. Hirth
KIT vice-president
for Innovation and International Affairs

Dr. E. Aufderheide, Prof U. Dorka

from left
Prof. Robertson- von Trotha (ZAK)
Prof. Ustinov (PHI)
Prof. Hirth (KIT vice president)

Frau Tatjana Uhde, Prof. M. Uhde

Prof. A. Powell (AOC)

from left:
Prof. U. Dorka
Prof. A. Powell
Prof. D. Wenzel
Dr. E. Aufderheide
Prof. C. Barner-Kowollik

Frau Dr. P. Roth und Prof. D. Wentzel

Prof. Robertson-von Trotha (ZAK)

Frau Meri Uhlis
Integrationsbeauftragte
der Stadt Karlsruhe

Prof. Ott (EnTechnon)

Frau Tatjana Uhde

Prof. U. Dorka
DGH e.V.

Prof. T. Hirth
KIT vice-president
for  Innovation and International Affairs

Prof. D. Wenzel
Speaker
DGH regional group
Karlsruhe-Pforzheim

Frau Tatjana Uhde

from left
Prof Ustinov
Prof. Wentzel
Prof. Hirth

from left
Prof. Wentzel
Prof. Dorka
Prof. Robertson-von Trotha