ChemGeo Alumni-Newsletter SoSe 2023
Dear Alumni and Friends of the Faculty of Chemistry and Earth Sciences,
You can study and do a doctorate at the Friedrich Schiller University. So far, so well known. But less well known is that the university currently offers training for 12 professions. Since June, there has been a new trainer for the aspiring chemical laboratory assistants: Regina Floderer is organisationally part of the Dean's Office of the Faculty of Chemistry and Earth Sciences and now looks after the trainees.
You can read more about her and many other news from the university and faculty in the current issue of our newsletter.
Yours
Claudia Hilbert
(Deans Office Faculty of Chemistry and Earth Sciences)
Content
News from the faculty (and university)
- 3rd MINT Festival Jena from 26-28 September 2023
- Golden Diploma in Chemistry celebrated
- 100 pupils at the Thuringian Chemistry Olympics
- New special exhibition in the Mineralogical Collection shows stone souvenirs
- New trainer for chemical laboratory assistant apprentices
News around research and teaching
- Thuringian Research Prize for Jena Team from the Department of Physical Chemistry
- New institute comes to Jena
- Scientists of the University of Jena publish brochure on the development of the concept of sustainability
Impressions from Jena: IAAC briefly becomes the Institute of Forensic Medicine again
3. MINT Festival Jena from 26-28 September 2023
A good reason to come to the University of Jena again!
From 26-28 September, the Ernst-Abbe-Platz campus will be transformed into a colourful STEM world for discovering, exploring and experimenting: Because the 3. MINT Festival will take place - the science festival all about mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology. "MINT" is the German acronym for "STEM".
The regular programme is aimed at school classes. For the interested public, there is the "MINT for everyone" programme:
- Panel discussion on 26 September 11:15 a.m. on the topic "Inspiring young people for STEM: How can this succeed?"
- Family afternoon on 27 September from 4 p.m. with science shows, hands-on stands and lectures
- On-site lectures of the regular programme daily at 1 p.m.
- Online lectures on STEM professions
The festival takes place every two years and is an initiative of the natural science faculties of the Friedrich Schiller University. The Faculty of Chemistry and Earth Sciences is also taking part. For example, mineralogist Dr Birgit Kreher-Hartmann will be one of the speakers of the afternoon for families, and the CEEC Jena will present itself with a hands-on stand.
Come and visit us - admission is free!
All offers for everyone for the 3. MINT Festival Jena 2023 at a glance (in Germany)
Golden Diploma in Chemistry celebrated
Celebrations are made as they fall: That's why former students meet regularly for annual reunions and sometimes there's even an anniversary to celebrate.
This was also the case on 12 May 2023: On this day, the chemistry class of 1973 celebrated their golden diploma. Dean and chemist Prof. Dr Hans-Dieter Arndt congratulated the jubilarians personally and gave an insight into current activities of the faculty in a lecture in the University Senate Hall.
Events like this are regularly supervised by the "JenAlumni" alumni office of the University of Jena. The contact person is Dr Nadine Ritter.
More information about "JenAlumni"
100 pupils at the Thuringian Chemistry Olympics
For around 100 chemistry-enthusiastic pupils in grades 8, 9 and 10, it was a matter of putting all their knowledge of formulae and equations together on 22 March 2023 at the pupils' competition "Chemie - die stimmt!" at the Institute of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry. The Institute hosted the Thuringian Chemistry Olympics for the fifth time.
After the competition, there was an extensive supporting programme, including laboratory tours and a lecture. The winners in each age group received a certificate and valuable book prizes. The six best from the 9th and 10th grades went on to the Central German finals in June, a preliminary stage of the grand national finals in September in Leipzig.
More information and photos about the Thuringian Chemistry Olympiad 2023 (in German) de
New special exhibition in the Mineralogical Collection shows stone souvenirs
"Summertime - Travel Time - Mineralogical Souvenirs & Stowaways" is the title of the new special exhibition in the Mineralogical Collection, which can be seen until 15 October 2023.
Custodian Dr Birgit Kreher-Hartmann takes guests on a journey around the world in the new show - from the Baltic Sea to the Alps to Afghanistan. The special exhibition features precious treasures that scientists have specifically sought out on excursions or that passionate amateurs with a "mineralogical eye" have found by chance on their travels.
More information on the special exhibition and opening hours (in German)
New trainer for chemical laboratory assistant apprentices
The faculty has a new trainer: Regina Floderer has been responsible for the currently four prospective chemistry lab assistants since 1 June. In parallel, Stefanie Müller-Kröckel is now taking care of the currently two prospective biology lab assistants. The two women have taken over from Angela Jacobs, who went into well-earned retirement and was the contact person for the trainees of both professions - at this point we would like to thank her for her many years of commitment!
Regina Floderer has a degree in chemistry and has gained professional experience as a trainer in Weimar as well as in the chemical industry abroad and in research at Jena institutes. Her goal is to attract young people with an interest in science and technology to the university and train them to become solid technical employees, as they are the foundation of research.
In the future, two biology lab assistants and two chemistry lab assistants will be trained at the university each year.
Thuringian Research Prize for Jena team from physicochemistry
Prof. Dr Benjamin Dietzek-Ivanšić, Dr Linda Zedler and Dr Carolin Müller have been awarded this year's Thuringian Research Prize 2023 in the Applied Research category. The prize is endowed with 25,000 euros and was presented by Thuringia's Science Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee on 19 April.
The research team from the Institute of Physical Chemistry at the University of Jena and the Leibniz Institute for Photonic Technologies e. V. has succeeded in using newly developed spectroscopic methods to observe the processes involved in photocatalysis with unprecedented temporal resolution and accuracy.
More about the Thuringian Research Prize for the Jena physicochemistry team (in German) de
New institute comes to Jena
Friedrich Schiller University Jena and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB) have jointly founded the "Helmholtz Institute for Polymers in Energy Applications" (HIPOLE) on 1 July 2023. The aim of HIPOLE is to develop sustainable polymer materials for energy technologies that can be rapidly brought into application.
The founding director and spokesperson of HIPOLE is Prof. Dr Ulrich S. Schubert from the University of Jena; the co-spokesperson is Prof. Dr Yan Lu, an internationally recognised polymer expert at HZB, who will take up a professorship at the University of Jena in the winter semester.
More about the new Helmholtz Institute HIPOLE
Scientists at the University of Jena publish a brochure on the development of the term "sustainability".
Is there a magic formula behind the term "sustainability" or is it rather a marketing tool? The social geographer Dr Karsten Gäbler and the biology didactician Prof. Dr Uwe Hoßfeld from the University of Jena clarify this in a recently published book. Together, the two scientists published the booklet "Sustainability" on behalf of the State Centre for Civic Education of Thuringia. The booklet is written in German and it is aimed at the general public.
The brochure (ISBN: 978-3-948643-96-6) can be ordered from the Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Thüringen.
More about the brochure on "Sustainability" (in German) de
Large-scale police operation at the Institute of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry (IAAC)? Not really. Rather, the IAAC was once again the setting for the filming of the ZDF crime series "Theresa Wolff" in July. Theresa Wolff, played by Nina Gummich, is the head of the Jena Institute of Forensic Medicine - and in the film, that is precisely the IAAC building
