Dr. Ulrike Kuch, Vice President for Social Transformation, and Prof. Dr. Guido Morgenthal, Vice President for Projects and Research, opened the 2025 Science Day in the Oberlichtsaal and set the mood for the afternoon events together. Prof. Dirk E. Hebel, Professor of Sustainable Construction at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), as invited as a guest speaker and spoke about reusing building materials and implementing low-emission technologies in existing buildings. Most importantly, he emphasised the need for a shift in mentality – not just society, but also in research.

Four junior professors from all faculties presented the broad range of research already being carried out on the topic of sustainability at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. Prof. Tim Simon-Meyer, Junior Professor of Constructive Design and Experimentation, made the case for rethinking architectural conventions and accepting a higher amount of sustainable materials. Prof. Dr. Luise Göbel, Junior Professor of Mechanics of Engineering Materials, shared insights into her work on intelligent concrete, which can be flexibly adapted through the help of additives and can even self-heal in the event of structural damage. 

Prof. Kerstin Ergenzinger, Junior Professor of »Akustische Ökologien und Sound Studies«, took the audience on an acoustic journey through the Arctic: At a research station on Spitsbergen, parameters such as light irradiation, humidity, and temperature have been recorded as sounds since 1998. Together with a team, the scientist transformed these abstract sounds into musical stories so that listeners can audibly perceive climatic changes in the Arctic as, for example, guided concerts. In the final lecture of the event, Prof. Dr. Maurice Jakesch, Junior Professor of Computational Social Science, turned the attention to artificial intelligence: What are the opportunities it offers for understanding climate change? And what risks does it carry?

Prof. Dr. Conrad Völker and Prof. Dr. Jan Willmann moderated the discussions and guided the audience through the event. 

Text: Luise Ziegler
Photos: Thomas Müller