Science show instead of hangover
Eleven minds, eleven lectures: The Culture Sunday at the Bürgerfest was definitely a cheerful affair
Prof. Dr. Matthias Breuning (Organic Chemistry III) kicked things off, working with students (in white lab coats) to spark interest in the subject of chemistry. How? With experiments, of course, which amazed the children in particular as liquids suddenly changed color as if by magic. The experiments were broadcast on a large LED screen via camera.
While the lecture “Tiny Nanoparticles and Biological Crystals” by Professor Dr. Anna Schenk, who brought peacock feathers and other visual aids with her, was aimed primarily at children and focused on tiny objects, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Schafföner from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Bayreuth looked at ceramic composites, which, due to their weight and high durability, are also used in aerospace and thus in huge parts.
Professor Christian Fikar from the Chair of Food Supply Chain Management at the University's Kulmbach campus addressed a completely different topic: “Franconia eats regionally – a question of logistics?” Why did he come on stage with a fabric strawberry? Because he used the example of nuts to illustrate the impact of consumer purchasing behavior on logistics chains.
In their informative and vivid presentations, Agnes Koschmider and Lena Kästner highlighted the importance of artificial intelligence, a topic that both professors deal with extensively in their everyday scientific work at the University of Bayreuth. Koschmider's parting words at the end of her presentation: “There are no machines that can think.”
The presentation “My fish smells so flowery” by Dr. Matthias Schott (Chair of Animal Ecology/SFB Microplastics), who illustrated his slides himself, also demonstrated how wonderfully colorful and entertaining the presentation of scientific results can be today.
Images were also the focus, albeit in a completely different way, of the presentation by Prof. Dr. Lars Grüne. The mathematician explained to the audience how computers can recognize images using mathematics.
The penultimate presentation by Prof. Michael Guthe (Faculty of Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science) also dealt with visuals. Guthe explained how, with a lot of research, a good plan, and the help of a clever program, history can be made perceptible in a new way—Guthe's concrete example was the “Virtual Reconstruction of the Giech Family Collection.”
Professor David Stadelmann spoke on the university stage without a manuscript about how political economy can save the world. Among other things, Stadelmann dispels the theory that artificial intelligence could make us all unemployed. Wrong, says Stadelmann: AI will change work, but it will not take it away from us. And that, the scientist concludes, is not a scandal, but a great thing.
Prof. Dr. Sascha Kurz from the Chair of Mathematical Economics concluded the varied morning science show at the Bürgerfest with his lecture “Networks, Codes, and Optimization,” using a flip chart and colorful markers. His presentation was followed by an attentive audience and received abundant applause.