News — University of Bonn

ZEF Researchers to Blog about Trip to Japan

Ten doctoral students from the Center for Development Research (ZEF) of the University of Bonn have embarked on a research trip to the Japanese capital Tokyo and the island of Hokkaido. They will be tackling some urgent questions relating to the marine environment, agriculture and resource management at the University of Tokyo over the next eight days. The group has a decidedly international makeup, with the doctoral students from the ZEF hailing from Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, India, Namibia, Nigeria, Sweden, the Philippines, Tanzania and the US. They will be writing a blog about their journey and their research activities in the field, which they will be carrying out together with a group of ten researchers from the University of Tokyo and its International Program in Agricultural Development Studies (IPADS).

Do Oyster Mushrooms Make Us Feel More Full?

Containing little fat but lots of protein, mushrooms are also rich in beta-glucans and soluble dietary fiber. They are believed to bring health benefits and can help us feel more full after eating, qualities that could inform a strategy for people who are severely overweight, or obese. Nutritionists from the University of Bonn now want to investigate this idea in more detail and are inviting overweight adults to take part in their trial.

What is Love?

What is love? And how does love work? What is beauty? These were the questions tackled in the inaugural Annemarie Schimmel Lecture. Jordanian Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, a professor of philosophy, explored the topic on three consecutive days - an evening talk in Bonn Minster followed by two further events in the University of Bonn’s Grand Hall.

A Legal Angle on Green Urban Planning

What legal levers can cities pull in order to reinvent themselves as green, equitable, productive and healthy places to live in the spirit of the New Leipzig Charter of 2021? What legal constraints are they subject to? And what answers do constitutions provide to the question of an environmentally sustainable transformation and the social sustainability challenges that it brings? These and other questions are being tackled by the legal expert Jun.-Prof. Dr. Jacqueline Lorenzen, a new Argelander Professor at the University of Bonn. Within the Individuals, Institutions and Societies Transdisciplinary Research Area (TRA), she is working at the interface between law, economics and the social sciences.

Using “Mini-Organs” to Study Disease

Two new assistant professors at the University of Bonn are setting out to develop “mini-organs” in order to study metabolic and disease mechanisms. Elena Reckzeh is using these so-called organoids to identify new drug candidates, while Ana Ivonne Vazquez-Armendariz hopes that they can give her a better understanding of lung disease. As Argelander Professors in the L ife and Health Transdisciplinary Research Area (TRA), the two researchers are working at the interface between various disciplines—and bridging the gap between chemistry, biology and medicine in the process.

Rector Michael Hoch in Japan with State Premier Hendrik Wüst

The Rector of the University of Bonn, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Michael Hoch, is currently traveling around Japan with an extremely high-ranking delegation led by Hendrik Wüst, State Premier of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). One of the main purposes of the trip is to consolidate partnerships in science and research. The Rector is expected back in Bonn at the weekend with some signed cooperation agreements in his suitcase.

Impressive Results in THE Impact Ranking for Sustainability

The Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Ranking 2023 sees the University of Bonn among the Top 50 universities worldwide in two of five ranked categories. The study highlights the impact of universities on the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). It is the first time that the University participated in this relatively new ranking.