Adopting the tagline “Together WE are excellent,” Germany’s most successful University of Excellence introduced itself and its eight Clusters of Excellence to the audience drawn from the spheres of state and federal politics. The message is clear: At the University of Bonn, excellence is not just an attribution but an attitude, and the transfer of research and teaching through dialogue with society and policymakers is an integral part of its mission.
Physics on a big scale for curious minds of all ages
Professor Herbert Dreiner, Mika Thein and Luke Loll from the University of Bonn’s Physics Show demonstrated how top-level research certainly does not need to be dry. Lifted out of the lecture hall and plumped right in the center of Berlin’s political scene, their hands-on experiments elicited gasps from their guests.
Among the keenest experimenters in the audience were NRW’s State Premier Hendrik Wüst, its Minister of Science and Research Ina Brandes and Germany’s Federal Minister for Family Affairs Karin Prien, who visited the University’s booth to find out just how illustrative and entertaining excellent research can be.
Rector Professor Michael Hoch explained to the illustrious visitors what makes the University of Bonn’s Excellence Strategy unique: strong research, transdisciplinary collaboration and a mission to combine scientific findings with societal impact.
Games, gummy bears and good conversation
In among the experiments and discussions, the fun element was definitely not neglected. The University’s very own wheel of fortune had prizes for everyone, including gummy bears brought all the way from Bonn. Thus the booth soon became a lively meeting point for inquisitive visitors, old friends and new faces.
The guests also included numerous alumni of the University of Bonn, many of whom took the opportunity to chat some more with their alma mater. A fair few of them even decided to sign up to the University’s Alumni Network there and then.
Flying the flag for the University of Excellence
The idea to take part in NRW-Fest originally came from University Communications, who wanted to allow people from state and federal politics to see and experience the University of Excellence for themselves. Thanks to experiments, conversations and that unmistakable Bonn charm, it is safe to say that this aim was fully achieved.
