The question is answered by a researcher, a staff member and a student at the university

Innovative research and teaching in a network of six young European universities away from the big metropolises: With this vision, the university, together with five partner universities, is applying to become a "European university". What does Europe mean for research, studying and working at university? The question is answered by a researcher, a staff member and a student at the university. 
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Bielefeld University coordinating programmes in computer science and economics

The European Commission has funded two new doctoral training networks for early career researchers at Bielefeld University. Over the next four years, doctoral researchers in computer science will be investigating how genomes can be sequenced and analysed, and doctoral researchers in economics will be developing computer-assisted methods of political analysis for the areas of climate change and innovation. Both programmes have been awarded close to eight million Euro in funding. In addition to this, two more doctoral training networks in which Bielefeld University is participating have also been approved: one in personalised service robotics, and the other in social work.

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Bielefeld University, together with five other universities, is applying for the title "European University". The decision will be made in July. In an interview, Professor Angelika Epple, Vice Rector for International Affairs and Diversity, explains the background.

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Researchers develop biotechnological production process 

Plants produce the hormone jasmonic acid as a defence response when challenged. This is how they ensure that their predators no longer like the taste of their leaves. Biologists want to find out whether biological precursors and other variants of jasmonic acid lead to similar or different effects. But such derivatives of the hormone have so far been too expensive for experiments and difficult to come by. Researchers from the Faculties of Chemistry and Biology at Bielefeld University have now found a method that might make the production of a biologically significant precursor of jasmonic acid more efficient and cheaper. Their innovation: they imitate how plants produce the hormone. The result is 12-OPDA, a central precursor of jasmonic acid. In the long term, it could also be a potential precursor for high-quality perfume. The researchers present their method today (29.05.2020) in the research journal Advanced Science.

 

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Fibre laser microscopy to be used in clinical applications

When investigating how tumors grow, or how pharmaceuticals affect different types of cells, researchers have to understand how molecules within a cell react – and interact. This is possible with modern laser microscopy. Until now, however, molecules in cell specimens had to be labelled with fluorescent substances in order to make them visible, and this can distort the very behavior of the molecules. Research groups from Bielefeld University and the University of Hong Kong have developed a laser microscope that works without having to label the molecules. For this, the researchers innovated a unique compact fibre laser instead of the solid-state lasers that had previously been used. The new microscope generates far less noise when in use than customary designs, making it suitable for use in operating rooms. The researchers presented their innovative technology in the journal ‘Light: Science and Applications,’ which is published by Springer Nature.

 

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New ZiF research group on the effects of digital media

Social media is changing communication just as much as the dissemination of news. Radical positions that used to be voiced in the private sphere can now reach a worldwide audience. The research group "Multimodal Rhetoric in Online Media Communications" at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF) at Bielefeld University will investigate how sub-communities and other interested parties create, manage and disseminate information across media platforms. The researchers will focus specifically on the role of language, images and videos in this process. The group starts on May 18, with a virtual opening conference. The aim is to develop analysis tools that will allow us track the development and flow of different kinds of information, particularly false information, across media platforms.[Weiterlesen]

Cooperation among Bielefeld University, University of Applied Sciences Bielefeld & v. Bodelschwingh Foundation Bethel

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Daily Estimates for the Spread of COVID-19

A new website tracking the COVID-19 epidemic which is updated daily allows everyone to stay informed about the speed of epidemic spread in Germany and the rest of the world. To this end, scientists of Technische Universität Ilmenau cooperate with public health scientists of Universität Bielefeld to estimate the reproduction number, i.e. the mean number of people one infectious person will in turn infect. It allows to quantify the impact of the countermeasures that have been imposed, and also to continuously track the epidemic‘s progress over time. As such it is an important tool for policymakers.[Weiterlesen]

 

The World Health Day, which is held on 7 April is meant to highlight the importance of healthcare and disease prevention around the world. In many countries, however, these public health objectives are under threat. Researchers from Bielefeld University diagnosed this problem in a recent ‘Letter to the Editor’ published in the journal Science. As argued by the research team, the Coronavirus crisis lays bare just how essential evidence-based research is – and how dangerous it is for public health when information on disease from scientists and medical professionals becomes subject to political repression. 

 

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Bielefeld University heading EU project on ultra-thin membranes

Researchers and engineers from seven countries want to develop special filters on the nano scale. They are cooperating in a new project that has now been approved by the European Union. The new filters are to produce ultrapure water for applications in, for example, industry and research. At the same time, they should make it possible to extract water from liquids such as milk or fruit juice to produce concentrates. The project is being funded with a total of three million euros. Bielefeld University will be in charge of the research cooperation that will run until 2023.

 

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