forsch - the University of Bonn Magazine

As a senior physician at a rehabilitation clinic at the Nordseeklinik Borkum hospital, Dr. Holger Aulepp looked after patients with chronic skin conditions and allergies. Following his retirement, he finally found time to devote his attention to Protestant theology—and also began funding archaeological trips for students out of his own pocket. This engagement was made permanent last year with the establishment of a foundation trust under the umbrella of the University of Bonn Foundation.

Down the ages, power and domination have shaped how human beings have coexisted. “Power and Domination—the Bonn Center for Premodern Orders and their Forms of Communication” at the University of Bonn is studying the characteristics of regimes and how they communicated in premodern times, focusing particularly on rulers and the ruling elites. The researchers are incorporating angles taken from Egyptology, English studies, archaeology, German medieval studies, history, art history, Oriental and Asian studies and Romance studies and are covering a span from antiquity to the early modern period and from Central Europe to Egypt. In an interview, Prof. Dr. Matthias Becher, the Center’s Director and Spokesperson for the Present Pasts Transdisciplinary Research Area, discusses the research work that has been done to date and is lined up for the future.

Rowing like the Romans: when Sören Wader, Amadé Sirokay and Jakob Hetfleisch took up their invitation from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg to be part of the EU’s “Living Danube Limes” Interreg program, the three trainers from University Sports at the University of Bonn did not know much about their upcoming adventure down the Danube. In an interview, Amadé Sirokay talks about their two-week trip in a specially made oak boat that took them 120 kilometers from Budapest to Baja.

Few people will forget 2022 in a hurry. The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the disruption it caused to the supply of raw materials sparked real fears of a severe energy shortage. Like many, the University was also forced to take action. It drew up an energy strategy that identified areas where savings could be made. Now the first figures have been released, showing how successful this has been. 

Quickly read to the end of your chapter, summarize the slides from your lecture, then pop to the shops, cook some dinner and put together a learning plan for your next written examination. The daily life of a student can often be highly stressful and demanding. But what happens when things get too much? When stress and strain boil over into anxiety? Many students are afflicted by a fear of failure, exam anxiety and self-doubt or even depressive moods. The Central Study Advisory and Counseling Service is there to show students that they are not alone.

At German universities and colleges, significantly fewer women teach than men. According to the Federal Statistical Office, in 2022, only slightly over one-fourth of full-time professorships were occupied by women. From 2020 until now, the University of Bonn has sponsored 90 female scientists through the STEP program. We would like to introduce three of them.

Hannah Weisheit felt the damp heat of Ghana hit her face the moment she exited the Air France Airbus. The thermometer showed 28 degrees—back in Bonn it was still wintry. Weisheit was there on an eight-day conference trip to Kumasi and Accra organized by the ijgd, as part of a voluntary social service year she was doing at the University of Bonn, in the field of politics (FSJ-P). Moments of culture shock awaited on this fascinating and emotional adventure!