uni.news

» Published on 31. Juli 2017

Leaf beetles: Even a tiny dose of pesticide will impair reproduction

Biologists at Bielefeld University reveal effects of using chemicals

The number of insects in Germany is declining rapidly – in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia alone, it has dropped by three-quarters within only 25 years. In a new study, biologists at Bielefeld University show the effects of pesticides and how even slight traces lead to long-term damage to beetles. One finding is that leaf beetles lay roughly 35 per cent fewer eggs after coming into contact with traces of a frequently used pesticide – a pyrethroid. The researchers also showed that female offspring develop malformations through the poison. The biologists have published their study in the journal ‘Environmental Pollution’.

» Published on 26. Juli 2017

How a robot is teaching language to preschool children

Team at Cluster of Excellence CITEC present progress made on EU project

Researchers at Bielefeld University’s Cluster of Excellence Cognitive Interaction Technology (CITEC) are investigating what a robot needs to be able to do to teach a second language to preschool children. Since 2016, they have been researching whether and how social robots are suitable for teaching language. This research is part of the international project L2TOR, which is funded as part of the European Commission’s Horizont 2020 research program. A preliminary finding, according to the researchers: robots can motivate children to learn, and help them retain more vocabulary. On 13 July 2017, the Bielefeld project team demonstrated how the robot supports preschool kids in their learning.

» Published on 13. Juli 2017

Bielefeld University Staff News

• Chancellor Dr. Stephan Becker appointed to the board of the Digital University NRW
• Professor Dr. Helge Ritter joins Senate of the German Research Foundation (DFG)
• Professor Dr. Michael Röckner receives honorary doctorate
• Interim Professor Dr. Fabian Wendt awarded Sanders Prize in Political Philosophy
  

» Published on 12. Juli 2017

Another Two Turkish Academics Find Refuge at Bielefeld University

Vice-Rector Epple: “Building bridges for colleagues in need”

Bielefeld University takes in another two refugee academics from Turkey. Funding is secured via the Philipp Schwartz Initiative, which provides universities and research facilities in Germany with the means to host threatened researchers with a full scholarship for a period of 24 months. This brings the total number of fellows hosted at Bielefeld University to four. The first two fellowships were awarded back in December 2016.

» Published on 6. Juli 2017

BGHS Annual Seminar: the Nation State under Debate

Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology of Bielefeld University

Boundaries are created not only by walls and toll gates. Even in academic discourse, the nation state is still a major delimitation criterion and sometimes obscures the big picture. Young re-searchers at the Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology (BGHS) are organising the 9th International Annual Seminar of the BGHS from 13 to 15 July to expose and break down the “boundaries in the heads” of sociologists and historians.