Prof. Dr Elisabeth Naurath, a protestant religious education teacher at the University of Augsburg, has been awarded an Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnership. Together with international partners, the project aims to better integrate topics associated with climate change, climate resilience, and climate justice into the education of religious education teachers in Germany, Austria, Spain, Albania, and Malaysia.

Following orientation week, the lecture period for the new semester 2023/4 begins on the 16th of October. Prof. Dr Sabine Doering-Manteuffel, president of the University of Augsburg, welcomes all new and returning students to the new semester.

As a welcome to the new semester, the Leopold Mozart College of Music will be holding a concert on the 18th of October in the Golden Hall of the Augsburg Town Hall. It also invites members of the university and broader community to its open day at the Grottenau on the 21st of October.

The University of Augsburg and its degree programmes offer special introductory events for all first-semester students who are starting their studies. These take place before the start of lectures on 16 October. Visit the central introduction for first-semester students of all degree programmes on Wednesday, 11 or 12 October 2023, from 1:30 - 3:30 pm (identical event) in the Sigma lecture hall (in the Sigma Technopark). Find out about the events for your field of study.

Researchers at the Universities of Augsburg and Groningen have been able to show that the standard picture of magnetisation reversal needs to be expanded. Their findings were published in the journal Nature Communications and not only enrich basic research, but also open up new perspectives for components in the electronics of the future.

The extent to which smartphones reduce memory and attention was the subject of a recent meta-analysis comparing 22 studies published in the journal Behavioural Sciences. The research team led by Prof. Dr Klaus Zierer confirmed the so-called “brain drain effect.” This poses particular challenges for educating children and young people about media use.

 

The animal kingdom has often inspired technical innovation. Swarms of birds, fish, and insects are fascinating natural spectacles, which have for a long time captured the interest of researchers. While the reasons behind natural swarming behaviour are more well understood as a consequence of years of research, the possibilities for the use of swarms in technical systems is less well-known. At the Institute for Software & Systems Engineering, Prof. Dr Wolfgang Reif and his team are researching how swarming behaviour can be used with flying drones.

The universities of Augsburg, Bamberg, Erlangen-Nürnberg, Munich (LMU), and Würzburg have spent four years researching the healthy use of digital technologies and media. ForDigitHealth has presented its findings in academic publications as well as in an online guide accessible to the public.

The digiBRAVE research project, which is dedicated to the early detection, prevention and treatment of depression, is being funded with 1.3 million euros from the Bavarian State Ministry of Health and Care. Minister of State Holetschek handed over the funding cheque yesterday. digiBRAVE is a joint project of the Medical Faculty of the University of Augsburg and Augsburg University Hospital.

As part of its commitment to transparent and proactive communication about animal experiments and experimental animal research, the University of Augsburg together with Augsburg University Hospital has been awarded a seal of quality approval by “Understanding Animal Experiments,” an initiative of the Alliance of Science Organisations. 

The University of Augsburg has received million of euros in support from the Free State of Bavaria for the expansion of the installation of photovoltaics on its campus buildings. From 2023 to 2026, a large part of the campus will be equipped with photovoltaic (PV) systems. The extensive rollout of photovoltaic systems is beginning with their installation on the physics and mathematics buildings and the building housing the lecture theatres of the Faculty of Business and Economics.

As part of the 20th anniversary of the Universität Bayern e.V. held at the Deutsches Museum in Munich, the president of the University of Augsburg, Prof. Dr Sabine Doering-Manteuffel, was awarded the Christoph Mendel von Steinfels Medal. The medal is the highest award conferred by Universität Bayern e.V. and was presented by the association’s chairman Prof. Dr Stefan Leible, who is also president of the University of Bayreuth.