Research & Teaching

OFFIS - a success story

The OFFIS computer science institute at the University of Oldenburg is one of the most successful in Lower Saxony, according to Science Minister Thomas Oppermann. In fact, the scientists have raised 60 per cent of this year's budget of DM 10 million themselves. Customers include the automobile companies BMW and Daimler-Chrysler. The number of employees has now risen to over 130.

In order to strengthen the economy of the north-west region, OFFIS is committed to enabling as many of them as possible to become self-employed. Under the direction of the Institute, an Information and Communication Centre (IuK) Oldenburg is being built, for which a private investor in the OFFIS neighbourhood has begun construction of two buildings (cost: DM 10.5 million), which will be ready for occupancy in January and March 2000 and are already occupied by young software companies. A third building is currently being planned.

Hannah Arendt Centre now accessible

The Hannah Arendt Centre at the University of Oldenburg was officially opened on 1 July 1999 with ceremonial lectures by Prof. Dr. Jerome Kohn (New School University, New York) and the centre's director, Prof. Dr. Antonia Grunenberg.

The core of the centre is the "Hannah Arendt Archive", i.e. the archived estate of the German-American political thinker Hannah Arendt. The "Hannah Arendt Papers" from the Library of Congress in Washington are available in their entirety as copies, supplemented by numerous microfilms of parts of the estate from the University of Memphis (Tennessee). Further holdings, for example from the German Literature Archive in Marbach, will complete the collection in the foreseeable future. One of the Centre's next projects, in co-operation with the New School University (New York), will be the creation of a critical edition of Arendt's works.

Oldenburg zoologist advances marine biodiversity research

On the initiative of zoologist Prof. Dr Horst-Kurt Schminke, zoologist at the University of Oldenburg and President of the Society for Biological Systematics, the "German Centre for Marine Biodiversity Research" (DZMB) has been founded as a department of the Senckenberg Museum.

Biodiversity can be studied at different levels: genetic, organismic and ecosystemic. Whichever of these levels is chosen, it is never possible without knowledge of species. The known animal species on earth are divided 85:15 between terrestrial and marine species. If the lowest estimates are used, two million species live in the sea, of which only ten per cent are known.

As ecological biodiversity research comes to nothing if the functional elements (species) involved in ecological processes are not known, the centre is taxonomically oriented.

Driftwood: a product of the dyke foreshore

The flotsam (driftwood) on the North Sea coast of Lower Saxony consists of 90 to 99 per cent plant material. Only the rest is floatable "civilisation waste" (plastic, bottles and polystyrene). The plant material comes mainly from the salt marshes and reedbeds in front of the dykes. These are the main findings of a study by scientists from the Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences. The authors are Dr Albrecht Gerlach (project leader) and the Diplom biologists Karin and Thomas Brüning and Ulrich Persicke. Every year, winter storm surges leave large quantities of driftwood on the coasts, which not only disfigures the beaches but also jeopardises dyke safety. The driftwood is deposited in the foreshore areas or directly on the dykes. Removal of the driftwood is absolutely essential for dyke safety, as the turf dies under the decaying plant remains. The researchers found that on average over 70 per cent of the driftwood can be assigned to specific plant species. Of the total of 71 plant species identified, only eight form the main mass of the drift. Five species are halophytes (salt plants) that come from the salt marshes of the dyke foreland, one species group (couch grass) very probably originates from the salt marshes and one species comes from the brackish water. Only the origin of the reeds cannot be easily determined, as they grow in both brackish and limnic areas of the reedbeds.

Laboratory for Thermophysical Properties at the Department of Chemistry

"The Laboratory for Thermophysical Properties (LTP) is the university's first chemical affiliated institute, which is run as a limited company by Prof Dr Jürgen Gmehling (photo) and Dr Kai Fischer (both Technical Chemistry). The Institute carries out experimental investigations to determine substance data and acts as a contact for technical advice. Clients are companies, associations and public institutions. The aim is to optimise industrial processes and develop new methods and processes that contribute to solving technical problems in the field of chemical engineering and process engineering.

New affiliated Institute INTOX investigates pollutants

An effective link between research and application in the field of toxicology is the aim of the newly founded affiliated institute INTOX (Institute for Applied Toxicology and Environmental Hygiene GmbH). The scientists involved from Faculty 7 Biology and Environmental Sciences are building on the successful work of the university's former "Pesticide Advice Centre" with the Institute. The services offered include carrying out research projects on current issues relating to pollutants as well as researching and assessing the toxic effects of chemicals. Finally, INTOX is involved in the development and evaluation of concepts for analysing the effects of pollutants on humans and the environment. While the pesticide advice centre was primarily aimed at private individuals, INTOX's services are also explicitly aimed at companies and authorities.

Internet access for the blind

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is providing DM 1.5 million in funding for the "Access to the Internet for the Blind" (ZIB) project based at the OFFIS Computing Science Institute. Under the direction of Prof Dr Peter Gorny (Department 10 Computing Science), virtual reality techniques are to be further developed so that the graphical interfaces of the World Wide Web can be translated into a stereophonic interaction space for the blind, thus enabling them to access the Internet.

The project is part of INVITE (Intuitive Human-Technology Interaction for the Networked Information World of the Future), a BMBF programme. Twenty-one companies and university institutes are participating in the programme. The aim is to develop technologies that promote creativity, knowledge exchange and continuous learning and support the information-based business world of the future. The aim of INVITE is to make the use of the growing volumes of information and the complex functionality of future information and communication systems manageable and effective.

Debt is not a matter of honour

Even if they don't have the money, young people are reluctant to limit their consumer desires. Instead, they favour consumption on credit. Saving or even doing without is not very popular. Most young people do want to pay back borrowed money, but when and in what amounts - they are not so strict about this. These are the main findings of a pilot study led by household and nutrition scientist Prof Dr Armin Lewald (Department 3 Social Sciences) on the subject of "Children, young people and debt".

When making purchases that exceed their own budget, between 55 and 65 per cent of respondents borrow the money. Only a minority choose not to consume. Borrowing money is almost exclusively in the private sphere (parents, friends). When it comes to "repaying debts", only a minority consider late repayment to be embarrassing for themselves. In contrast, a clear majority categorise unpunctual debt repayment by adults as embarrassing. According to Lewald, there has clearly been a change in values when it comes to debt and indebtedness. Reliability in repayment no longer seems to be a question of honour. Even shame barriers can obviously no longer protect against debt and late payments, as was the case one or two generations ago. The researchers are therefore in favour of including the topic of "debt and credit" more strongly in school lessons. Young people need to be made aware of the dangers of taking out a loan without thinking it through.

20 years of research on the family

Although family sociology is as old as sociology itself, its importance was first publicly emphasised at the University of Oldenburg with the designation of a chair in "Sociology with a focus on family sociology". For Prof Dr Rosemarie Nave-Herz, this denomination was one of the reasons for her move from the University of Cologne to Oldenburg, as she wanted to be able to devote more time to this special sociology.

The research group has carried out twenty research projects over the last 20 years, including three international joint projects. In addition to theoretical treatises, the programme included empirical studies, particularly on family change and special family and living arrangements, as well as comparative cultural family sociology research projects. A new additional empirical focus deals with the topic of "family and health". This resulted in numerous Diplom theses and dissertations.

A total of almost three million DM in third-party funding was raised from the DFG, the VW Foundation, the Hans Lilje Foundation, the Oldenburg/Bremen State Insurance Institute, various federal and state ministries and private foundations.

HWK: Successful launch of the "think tank"

The Hanse Wissenschaftskolleg (HWK) has a unique structure and is well on the way to strengthening the research potential of the universities of Oldenburg and Bremen. With its focus on marine research, neurosciences, cognitive sciences and social sciences, it is possible to bring internationally and nationally recognised top researchers to the college as fellows and integrate them into the research areas of the universities of Oldenburg and Bremen. Another special feature: while other research colleges in Germany and the USA work predominantly in the humanities, the HWK promotes interdisciplinary research including the natural sciences.

Since the opening of the centre in October 1997, 40 scientists from Germany and abroad have lived at the HWK and brought impulses from their research activities to the universities. Their experiences were the focus of a workshop on 11 June 1999 in Oldenburg. They reported on the excellent conditions offered to them at the Centre and at the universities.

The "think tank" under the leadership of its founding rector Prof Dr Dr Gerhard Roth was therefore highly praised. For him, there are currently two important issues to be resolved. Firstly, how to attract younger researchers to the HWK and secondly, how to ensure continuity in the academic appointments of fellows for all specialisations. "Because," says Roth, "it often takes a lot of time for particularly good scientists because they are involved in too many other commitments."

University policy

Grieb and Meyenberg are the new Vice Presidents

Political scientist Prof. Dr Rüdiger Meyenberg has been elected 1st Vice President and Ina Grieb, Head of the Centre for Advanced Scientific Training (ZWW), has been elected 2nd Vice President of the University of Oldenburg by a large majority. Meyenberg, who has taught at the university since 1974 and has made a name for himself particularly in the field of drug and addiction prevention, was most recently Dean of Faculty 3 Social Sciences. There he was particularly instrumental in the introduction of the global budget. In the Presidential Board, he will be responsible for budget and research.

Vice President Ina Grieb is also a political scientist. She has successfully headed the ZWW since 1986. In 1995, she was the first "non-professor" to be elected to the University Executive Board. Following her re-election two years ago, she is now serving her third term of office. On the Presidential Board, she is responsible for the areas of study and teaching as well as international affairs. She has been instrumental in advancing the latter during her time in office.

Performance-orientated budget management

The basic allocation, which accounts for a good 53 per cent of the total sum, is based on the number of students as well as academic and non-academic positions. Just under 42 per cent of the total amount is allocated according to performance in research and teaching over the last three years. In teaching, the criteria are the number of graduates and doctorates, in research the amount of third-party funding and the number of habilitations and publications. Publications are assessed differently in terms of quantity and quality.

For the first time, the promotion of women is also firmly established in the budget management. Approximately five per cent of material funds are allocated according to the proportion of women in academic appointments to professorships in the last four years and the proportion of women in doctorates.

The performance-based indicator model will intensify competition within the university and create "more value" from the available funds, said the head of the Centre for Higher Education Development (CHE), which is supported by the German Rectors' Conference (HRK) and the Bertelsmann Foundation, Prof. Dr Detlef Müller-Böling, on the Oldenburg decision. He is convinced that the university has created a very important instrument to survive the increasing competition among universities.

After the departments, work is now also underway on performance-orientated models for the central facilities and administration. They are to be finalised this year, announced President Prof. Dr Siegfried Grubitzsch.

CHE ranking: Good results, but no reason to rest on your laurels

The University of Oldenburg did well in the study guide compiled by the Centre for Higher Education Development (CHE) and published by "Stern" and "Start", and even did very well in comparison with the other universities in Lower Saxony. The study guide covers the subjects of law, physics, mathematics, economics and chemistry. Oldenburg is only missing in the field of law.

In its ranking, the CHE, an Institute supported by the German Rectors' Conference (HRK) and the Bertelsmann Foundation, refrained from giving a precise ranking, but instead provided an overview of the situation at the universities by means of a very differentiated catalogue of questions. The results were presented in tabular form in three categories: top group, middle group and bottom group. A total of 566 faculties were analysed.

In the overall judgement of the students ("Where the students are most satisfied"), the University of Oldenburg landed twice in the top group (Physics and Chemistry) and three times in the middle group (Mathematics, Computing Science and Economics). The result in the area of research ("Where the most third-party funding is obtained") is also very good: Physics and Computing Science again occupy top places, while Mathematics and Economics are in the middle group. Only chemistry is an exception here and was placed in the bottom group - a problematic presentation, as only DFG funding was taken as a basis in chemistry and not the total third-party funding as in the other subjects. In fact, the total for chemistry in Oldenburg was more than three times as high. In 1998, third-party funding totalled DM 98,000 per scientist and not just DM 30,000. In all probability, this would have secured a middle place.

The ranking also assessed where students study the fastest, where the international orientation is strongest, how students rate the courses on offer, where the supervision ratio (examinations per professor) is best and how the library facilities are regarded.

The CHE study is based on preliminary work by the HRK. Between 1993 and 1996, it developed a catalogue of questions that enables a comparison of the facilities and performance of universities. However, as the HRK Office itself was not in a position to extend the project to all subjects and universities, the CHE was founded with the support of the Bertelsmann Foundation.

News

Co-operation with Turkish university

At the suggestion of Oldenburg economist Prof. Dr Carles Ossorio-Capella, Vice President Ina Grieb has signed a cooperation agreement with the Rector of the University of Sakarya (Turkey), Prof. Dr Ismael Calle. It is intended to enable students from both universities to obtain a double degree in economics. The co-operation will be of particular interest to students of Turkish descent living in Germany. The first Turkish students are due to start their studies this year.

Improved communication

The new LandesWissenschaftsnetz Nord (LWN) opens up a new dimension of communication for science. The state invested 45 million marks in the network, which connects the universities in Lower Saxony, the non-university research institutes and the University of Bremen via a broadband data line with a transmission capacity of 155 megabits per second. This means that multimedia data exchange is now possible with minimal delay. At the same time, the LWN connects the universities in Lower Saxony and Bremen to the nationwide science network B-WiN. The Oldenburg IT institute OFFIS, which also operates the dial-up node in the north-west, was involved in setting up the LWN.

Internet use has become established

The Weser-Ems region has no need to catch up when it comes to Internet use by businesses. This is the conclusion of a study by the "DIALOG Knowledge and Technology Transfer Centre of the Universities in Oldenburg", for which more than 300 companies in Weser-Ems were surveyed. Internet use has become more or less established in all sectors, with large companies using the Internet significantly more and more intensively than small and medium-sized companies. Over 65 per cent of companies in the region have an email connection. However, only around 35 per cent of companies use their own Internet presentation facilities. The survey also made it clear that there is considerable pressure to adapt, so that in the near future around 85 per cent of companies will have e-mail and around 75 per cent will have their own Internet presentation.

Will the Internet replace libraries?

Books and libraries will not die out. The 400 or so experts at the 4th InetBib conference, which took place at the university at the beginning of March 1999, agreed on this. Under the motto "Books, Bytes and Libraries - Integrated Information on the Internet", the experts discussed the improvement of their services on the Internet.

Searching the catalogue, renewing borrowed books, ordering journal articles and many other services have already been possible for years via the comfort of a home PC. Increasingly, electronic books and journals can also be found in virtual libraries worldwide and downloaded to the PC. In future, however, access to information and the service must become even more user-friendly, said deputy library director Hans-Joachim Wätjen.

High honour for Dinescu

Prof. Violeta Dinescu, composer and musicologist at Faculty 2 Communication/Aesthetics, has been honoured with the "1999 INMC Composition Award" in New York. The International New Music Consortium (INMC) recognised her with the award for her "outstanding achievements as a composer and promoter of new music". The INMC Composition Award is internationally recognised as a high distinction.

Dinescu, who emigrated from Romania in 1982, was appointed to a professorship for Applied Composition at the University of Oldenburg in 1996. In recent years, she has given important impulses to new music through chamber music, operas for children and adults as well as ballet and film music.

Hahn received the Order of Merit

For his "services to the development of mutual relations between the Republic of Poland and the Federal Republic of Germany", the Oldenburg historian and expert on Eastern Europe Prof Dr Hans Henning Hahn was awarded the "Cavalier's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland". Hahn teaches Modern Eastern European History at the Department of History at the University of Oldenburg, specialising in the history of Poland.

Oldenburg filmmakers represented at the Berlin Film Festival

The two young filmmakers and Oldenburg students Daniela Abke and Dorothee Brüwer have had a great success: their short documentary film "go to shanghai" was selected from more than 2000 applications for several screenings at the 49th Berlin International Film Festival. The premiere of the film took place on 10 February in the sold-out Filmpalast am Kurfürstendamm.

The 15-minute documentary film describes in images and sounds the construction of a ship for China by shipyard workers from Emden. An unusual copying process was developed for the film. The result is an exceptionally hard and brilliant black and white image.

Start-up idea honoured

In the "Multimedia 1998 start-up competition" organised by the Federal Ministry of Economics, Oldenburg Computing Science graduate Dietrich Boles was awarded prize money of 10,000 marks for his idea "Development of virtual laboratories and internships on the Internet". In his application, Boles was able to demonstrate how preliminary work at the Computing Science Institute OFFIS on the development of a genetic engineering laboratory and a physics practical course can be consistently continued. The idea is to set up computer-aided laboratories and internships in the field of science and technology with as little effort as possible to supplement and improve existing training and further education, not only in the university sector.

Flower of the Year 1998 acutely endangered

The population of the "Flower of the Year 1998", the crayfish claw, an aquatic plant native to slow-flowing waters, has declined dramatically by over 70 per cent in the Wesermarsch and Bornhorster Wiesen within just a few years. This is the result of a study carried out by the Plant Morphology working group at Faculty 7 Biology, Earth and Environmental Sciences under the direction of Prof Dr Wolfgang Eber. As agricultural use is severely restricted in these areas, agriculture cannot be the sole cause of the decline. More decisive and more likely are changes in ditch maintenance, which were also carried out in the interest of greater protection of the vertebrate fauna (especially amphibians).

Announcements from the University Society

1000 members in the year 2000?

A group of three members of the University Society's Advisory Board has presented a comprehensive catalogue of measures to increase the number of members and improve the efficiency of the University Society's work. The aim is to raise the profile of the University Society both inside and outside the university and to improve information and contacts with decision-makers in politics, business and society. Initial measures have already been implemented. These include recruiting members with original bonuses and a targeted approach to university employees and senior students to get involved in the University Society. In addition, all presidents of the Lions and Rotary clubs in the region have been asked via an information letter to promote the idea of the University Society to their members.

The development in the number of members is extremely positive. For example, the 600th member of the University Society, Axel Hinrich from Oldenburg, was welcomed at the University Ball on 3 July this year. The Chair of the University Society, Peter Waskönig, invited Hinrichs to a gourmet restaurant in Oldenburg to thank him. Overall, it does not seem impossible to reach the membership target of 1,000 for the year 2000.

Tour of the Rügenwalder sausage factory

The University Society's offer to visit companies known far beyond the region's borders met with a great response. Invited to visit the company Carl Müller Rügenwalder Wurstfabrik GmbH & Co KG (Kayhausen, municipality of Bad Zwischenahn) were not only the members of the University Society but also numerous personalities from public life.

National meeting in Oldenburg

A meeting of university societies is planned for spring 2000 in Oldenburg. Of the 45 university societies contacted, 39 responded in favour. They signalled their interest in a meeting to exchange experiences and discuss common problems.

Promotion of the university library

The University Society intends to support the University Library. At the same time, the management of the University Library has agreed to help with the recruitment of new members. Among other things, University Society brochures are sent to private users of the University Library.

Academic appointments SoSe 99

Prof Dr Katharina Al-Shamery has been appointed to the Chair of Physical Chemistry in Department 9 Chemistry. After studying chemistry at the Universities of Göttingen and Paris (Orsay), Al-Shamery completed her doctorate at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. In 1992, the chemist received a Lise Meitner habilitation scholarship from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. She completed her habilitation in 1996 with a thesis on "Stereodynamic studies on UV laser-induced desorption of small molecules from oxide surfaces". After research stays at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society in Berlin, the Ruhr University Bochum and the University of Oxford, Al-Shamery was appointed to the University of Ulm. Her research focus is on the use of laser technology in surface chemistry.

Prof Dr Michael Kleyer has been appointed to a chair in Nature Conservation and Landscape Planning at Faculty 7 Biology and Environmental Sciences. Kleyer studied agricultural biology at the University of Hohenheim, where he also gained his doctorate and habilitation in 1990. After working as a research assistant in the field of landscape planning and ecology at the University of Stuttgart, Kleyer was appointed to the University of Rostock in 1996. His research focus is on nature conservation planning for agricultural landscapes. Between 1992 and 1995, for example, he was involved in the landscape-ecological inventory of land-use changes in the rainforest region of the Mata Atlantica of Bahia (Brazil).

Prof Dr Jörg-Olaf Wolff has been appointed to a chair in Physical Oceanography at the ICBM. Wolff studied oceanography, meteorology and physics at the University of Hamburg, where he obtained his doctorate in 1990 in the subject of physical oceanography. He worked as a research assistant at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg until 1992. From 1993 until his appointment at the University of Oldenburg, he conducted research at the Co-operative Research Centre for the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Environment in Hobart, Australia.

Prof. Dr Astrid Kaiser, educational scientist at the Department 1 of Education at the University of Oldenburg, has decided to decline an appointment at the University of Münster for educational science with a focus on primary school education. According to her, the most important reasons for her decision were the beautiful city of Oldenburg with its good housing options, the well-developed women's and gender studies programme at the university, the good research opportunities and the accommodating nature of the university.

Dr habil. Mathilde Niehaus, a research assistant specialising in disability education at Department 1 of Education since 1992, has accepted a professorship in special and remedial education at the University of Vienna. At the same time, she declined the offer of a professorship for Educational Psychology at Fulda University of Applied Sciences.