uni'alumni 2012_ENG

Heat builds up under the ceiling. Near the exit, where the Freiburg summer is pumping even more humid July air into the big tent, 40 people are crowded around a table. A television crew is focus- ing a camera on the crowd. Just one step more – and the 50-centimeter-tall robot Nao sets his foot on the last step of the wooden spiral staircase. A triumph. The robot raises both arms in the air with a whir. “Wow, he can walk all by himself,” exclaims a little boy with astonishment and claps his hands. His father scratches his chin and shakes his head in amazement. There’s always a big crowd at the stand of the Department of Microsystems Engi- neering, where scientists are demonstrating the Faculty of Engineering’s star attraction. They answer questions all day – posed by adults and children alike: “Can he play soccer, too?,” “How does he know what direction to walk in?” Once every two years the University of Freiburg invites the public to experience research up close and personal at its Science Fair. In June 2011 the Cathedral Square was transformed from its usual function as a farmer’s market into a gigantic campus with over 12,000 visitors. Where farmers usually sell fresh vegetables or hot sausages, scientists pre- sented their research projects and fields of study at over 50 stands – from biology to mathematics to neuroscience. Science Fair: Campus on Cathedral Square The University of Freiburg demonstrates that re- search is not just a matter for dusty old scholars who hardly ever venture to leave their ivory tower. The exchange between researchers and the general public brings society forward, provides orientation, and motivates people to question ingrained ways of thinking, says Prof. Dr. Heiner Schanz, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs of the University of Freiburg. And this means translating the specialized knowledge of the researcher into a generally com- prehensible form: “We are all part of the university – as seekers, knowers, thinkers, teachers, decision- makers, and tax payers. We should thus also all be aware of what we’re conducting research on.” Freiburg students conduct interviews with re- searchers from morning to evening on the Science Fair stage in the middle of Cathedral Square. “How Many Trees Are There in How the University of Freiburg Communicates Research in an Understandable and Entertaining Way The growth rings re- veal how old a tree is, explains Arno Mattes at the Freiburg Science Fair. But the young journalist would ­rather know why the Black Forest is called the Black Forest. Photo: Kunz RESEARCH FOR ALL 4 Cover Story uni'alumni 2012