12 worlds of knowledge - Portraits of foreign scientists in Germany
Daiju Narita from Japan is investigating the economic impacts of climate change. What damage will occur if the Earth continues to heat up? How can rich and poor countries best reach agreement on climate protection measures? These are the kinds of questions he is studying in an interdisciplinary network of economists and natural scientists.
Read more: “We must protect the climate together”
Aydogdy Kurbanov from Turkmenistan is researching the secrets of the White Huns at the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) in Berlin. Although archaeologists’ work focuses on long-past centuries, it often provides new insights into a country’s history and thereby plays a role in promoting a common identity.
Read more: “We want to learn about new archaeological methods”
Cinzia Casiraghi from Italy is conducting research into graphene, a recently discovered carbon material. This high-tech substance has great potential – above all, in the areas of electrical engineering and computer technology. Germany is one of the leading countries in nanotechnology.
Read more: “Nanotechnology offers fascinating possibilities”
Professor Dennis Dijkzeul discovered just how important it is to have first-hand knowledge of local people’s needs while working in crisis regions in various continents. The Dutch academic now teaches the theory and practice of humanitarian assistance. Working from Bochum with colleagues in other countries, he has spearheaded the discipline of humanitarian studies in Europe – a field with great potential.
Read more: “The importance of humanitarian studies and conflict research will continue to grow”
Anastassiya Semyonova from Kazakhstan conducts research into the German language and how best to teach German as a foreign language. As a member of staff at the Intercultural German Studies Centre, cross-border perspectives and international cooperation are an integral part of her research work.
Read more: "German can be easily learned and taught"
Patricia Chaves from Rio de Janeiro began her training as an engineer in Brazil and made a very conscious decision to specialize in renewable energies in Germany – by completing a postgraduate programme at the University of Oldenburg. Today she is a PhD student at the German Wind Energy Institute (DEWI) in Wilhelmshaven. She regards wind energy as an important future energy source also for Brazil.
Read more: “Germany has an excellent international reputation in renewable energies”
Professor Karlheinz Brandenburg is one of the stars of German research: His work created the foundation for the development of the MP3 standard, one of the greatest high-tech success stories of recent years. The director of the Fraunhofer Institute in Ilmenau is an Ambassador for the European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009.
PhD student Hanna Lukashevich from Belarus works in the Semantic Metadata Systems business area, where she is developing software tools that will recommend and find music.
Read more: "Creativity and innovation play a key role in global competition"
Molecular biologist Dr Damaris Odeny from Kenya is working on decoding the genome of the potato at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne. She wants to learn as much as possible in order to combat hunger in her own country – by breeding more resilient plants, thereby improving harvests.
Read more: "I Want to Make a Difference for My Country"
Rafig Azzam, professor of engineering geology and hydrogeology, researches and teaches at RWTH Aachen University. Important questions relating to environmental and water management are his main concerns. He attaches great importance to international exchange because "we can learn a lot from one another".
Read more: "Science Needs International Networks"
