uni.news

» Published on 2. März 2012

Every third 15-year-old has several experiences of being completely drunk

Bielefeld research team studies the health behaviour of youth in North Rhine-Westphalia

According to a new study, every third boy and every fourth girl living in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia says that they have already been drunk at least twice by the age of 15. The study 'Health Behaviour in School-aged Children" (HBSC) is being run by a research team at Bielefeld University headed by Professor Dr. Petra Kolip from the Faculty of Health Sciences.

» Published on 16. Februar 2012

Bielefeld mathematician receives China's top award for international scientific cooperation

Professor Andreas Dress honoured in Peking

The Bielefeld mathematician Professor Dr. Andreas Dress has been honoured with the 'International Science and Technology Cooperation Award' for his scientific achievements and for setting up the Max Planck Partner Institute for Computational Biology in Shanghai. This award, considered to be China's top award for international scientific cooperation, was given to Andreas Dress in a ceremony held on the 14th of February in Peking's Great Hall of the People. Andreas Dress taught and researched at Bielefeld University from its foundation in 1969 until his retirement in 2003. His scientific interests range from topology and classical algebra across structure formation processes and visualization procedures, to the application of combinatorics in biology and chemistry.

» Published on 4. Januar 2012

Songbirds recognize relatives by their smell

Biologists at Bielefeld University make new discovery in zebra finches

The behavioural scientists Dr. Tobias Krause and Dr. Barbara Caspers from Bielefeld University have discovered that songbirds use their sense of smell for social communication and can apply this to distinguish relatives from non-relatives. The scientists' study is being published today (4 January) in the online version of the journal Biology Letters published by the renowned British Royal Society. Only recently, the two biologists were able to confirm that songbirds – in contrast to previous claims in the textbooks – have a sense of smell.

» Published on 23. Dezember 2011

Taking stem cells from the nose for new medical treatments

Bielefeld biologist's research team develop method for isolating and cultivating adult stem cells

A research team headed by the cell biologist Professor Dr. Barbara Kaltschmidt from Bielefeld University has successfully cultivated stem cells from the human nose and transformed them into nerve, bone, fat, and cartilage cells. The researchers report that one advantage of their method is that it can be used to produce large numbers of cells in a very short time. This can lead to new treatments of acute and chronic face injuries. They have now published their findings in the journals "Stem Cells and Development" and "European Cells & Materials".

» Published on 19. Dezember 2011

New supercomputer for Bielefeld's high-energy physicists

Federal and state governments investing 1.1 million Euros

Bielefeld University's Faculty of Physics is getting a new high-performance computer. Researchers will be using it to study strongly interacting matter in order to learn about the properties of matter as it existed in the early universe immediately after the Big Bang.  The supercomputer, costing 1.1 million Euros, is being financed with federal and state government funds. On Wednesday 25 January from 4 p.m. onwards, it will be presented at an inauguration colloquium in the university lecture hall H2.

» Published on 12. September 2011

New modular system for controlled synthesis of metal/metal oxide nanocomposite thin films

Concept is based on research at Bielefeld University

Semiconductor thin films with special electronic, magnetic or optical functions are widely demanded for technical applications in increasingly smaller and efficient devices: they are indispensable in high-efficiency solar cells, bright light-emitting diodes and magneto-electronic devices. Especially interesting are nanostructured materials where several crucial functions such as electrical conductivity and optical properties can be precisely controlled. At Bielefeld University, chemists have now developed a modular system for this purpose: their approach enables flexible design and deposition of nanocomposite thin films of metal oxides with embedded metallic nanoparticles, enabling reliable control of their functionality. Their report about this novel approach is published in the renowned journal "Angewandte Chemie International Edition".

» Published on 2. September 2011

Bielefeld Robot Barthoc on the Cover of the National Geographic

German edition of this international magazine also reports on research at the CITEC Center of Excellence

The humanoid robot Barthoc, developed at Bielefeld University, graces the cover on several international editions of last month's National Geographic magazine including Australia, Great Britain, and New Zealand. In the new month of September, robotics research at Bielefeld University is also reported in the German edition of the National Geographic.

» Published on 8. August 2011

Gaining energy from waste heat

Online edition of the journal Nature Materials publishes research findings from a physics consortium

A consortium of scientists from the universities in Bielefeld, Gießen, and Göttingen has obtained their first findings in the pioneering research field of 'spincaloritronics'. These are now being published in the online edition of the specialist journal Nature Materials. Together with their colleagues, the Bielefeld scientists Professor Dr. Günter Reiss and Dr. Andy Thomas are working on thermoelectric components that can be used to control, for example, waste heat usefully.

» Published on 5. August 2011

Alexander von Humboldt scientists at Bielefeld University's Faculty of Physics

Currently, two researchers with the highest international reputations in the field of magneto- and spinelectronics are working together with Professor Dr. Günter Reiss and Professor Dr. Andreas Hütten in Bielefeld University's Faculty of Physics. The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation's sponsorship programmes are enabling the research stay of Professor Dr. Arunava Gupta and Professor Dr. Yalcin Elerman. The scientists are conducting research on promising materials with special magnetic and conductor properties.

» Published on 3. August 2011

Therapy for former child soldiers in Uganda

Publication of a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association

Child soldiers in Uganda have gone through terrible experiences through being kidnapped and forced to fight and kill other people. As a result, many of them are suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): they are continuously living through situations in their minds without being able to process them. They cannot access the information that an event is long past and no longer a threat to them. After being freed, some of these former child soldiers took part in a therapy study run by Bielefeld University's Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy Department. This study is being published on Wednesday 3 August in one of the leading medical journals, the Journal of the American Medical Association.