Understanding the worldwide flow of people, goods and information is important in today’s globalized world. Information influences the life of the individual and the cohesion of societies and cultures in many different ways. Expertise in different disciplines, such as computer science, communication technology, logistics, mathematics and psychology are brought together in the development of new solutions.
COVID-19 is a driver of innovation in university teaching; Francesco Maurelli, Professor of Robotics at Jacobs University, is convinced of that. Students in the Robotics and Intelligent Systems program at Jacobs University Bremen can now use their robots for autonomous driving at a distance – from their rooms, for example. Professor Maurelli recently held a digital talk about adaptations to teaching due to the virus at the 12th International Conference on Robotics in Education in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Whether it is about the study of planetary motions, weather forecasts or the growth of bacterial cultures – involved are dynamical systems, which are mathematical models of real development processes. Although mathematicians have been working on such systems for a long time, many questions are still unanswered. Dr. Igors Gorbovickis, Professor of Mathematics at Jacobs University, is trying to close some knowledge gaps: in an international research project funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), the German research funding organization.
With its Thesis Award, the Supply Chain Network BVL (Bundesvereinigung Logistik) honors outstanding bachelor's and master's theses in the field of logistics. Two graduates of Jacobs University Bremen recently received the award: Yousuf Farooq and Valeria Núñez Alfaro. Both studied Industrial Engineering and Management at the international university and both dealt with sustainability in their bachelor’s theses.
The aim is to improve climate analyses and their prediction accuracy. The German research foundation Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) has extended the interdisciplinary project Energy Transfers in Ocean and Atmosphere until June 2024. The project involves oceanographers, meteorologists and mathematicians from Bremen, Hamburg and Rostock, including Marcel Oliver, Professor of Mathematics at Jacobs University Bremen. The DFG is funding the second project phase with approximately twelve million euros.
The international, English-speaking Jacobs University welcomes over 450 new students from 82 nations to its campus in northern Bremen, Germany, for the academic year 2020/21. With the start of the new academic year, 362 young people started their undergraduate studies in the 15 bachelor's programs at Jacobs University. Although the number of new students is slightly lower than in 2019/2020, President Loprieno sees the high demand for study places in view of the current coronavirus pandemic as an extraordinary confirmation of the educational concept of the international university. In total, more than 1,550 people from over 110 countries are studying at Jacobs University.
The use of green electricity is a common practice for private households, but not for energy intensive industrial companies. How can they too succeed in consuming more electricity from renewable sources in the future? This is the subject of a project initiated by Hendro Wicaksono, Professor of Industrial Engineering at Jacobs University, together with SWT, the public utility company in Trier, and seven other scientific and economic partners. The three-year project is being funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy with around 2 million euros. Around a quarter will go to Jacobs University.
Thinking beyond national borders is important – especially in science. Every year, renowned scientists from abroad decide to spend a research stay at Jacobs University. According to the recently published Humboldt Rankings, the international university in Bremen is one of the most popular universities among researchers from abroad. The English-speaking Jacobs University ranked an outstanding seventh place in the Germany-wide comparison.
One of the world’s most renowned university rankings has again impressively confirmed the high quality of research and teaching at Jacobs University Bremen. In the World University Ranking 2021 of the British magazine "Times Higher Education" (THE), Jacobs University was placed among the 300 best universities. In terms of international orientation, it was ranked first place among German universities. More than 1,500 universities worldwide are represented in the THE Ranking this year.
They help lowering the blood sugar level, reduce the risk of diabetes and have a positive effect on the liver: chlorogenic acids are considered beneficial for one’s health. In researching coffee beans from Brazil, the work group of Nikolai Kuhnert, Professor of Chemistry at Jacobs University, came to an apparently surprising result: organically grown coffee contains fewer chlorogenic acids than conventional coffee. "But that doesn't mean that consumers shouldn't buy organic coffee anymore," emphasized Kuhnert. The study was recently published in the journal "Food Research International".
Jacobs University offers excellent study conditions to math talents. The Sparkasse Bremen also contributes to these conditions: it has now extended the cooperation agreement for the promotion of particularly talented students at the international University for another ten years. Students from the fields of Mathematics and Data Engineering will benefit from the cooperation with the financial institution, which has been in place since 2011. The up to eight young talents come from Germany and abroad and are distinguished by outstanding achievements.
The coronavirus threatens and changes our lives in many ways: It attacks individual cells, influences the value system of humans and has massive economic consequences. At Jacobs University, scientists from a wide range of disciplines are researching its effects. "We want to contribute to a better understanding of the virus and to its successful control. In doing so, it is important to us to draw lessons for the future," says Prof. Thomas Auf der Heyde, Provost at the international university.
Jacobs University has established itself as one of the world's best young universities. For the third year in a row, the private university performed excellently in the Times Higher Education (THE) Young University Ranking, one of the leading global university comparisons for universities younger than 50. In this year's ranking, Jacobs University took 33rd place out of 414 participating universities worldwide. In a Germany-wide comparison, it is among the four best young universities.
It was the largest armament project of the German war navy: Built mainly by forced laborers, the submarine bunker Valentin in Bremen-Farge is a noticeable reminder of the crimes of the Nazi dictatorship. An interdisciplinary research project at Jacobs University is digitally surveying the ruins, which house a memorial, using air, ground and underwater robots. First results of the project led by Andreas Birk, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, are now available.
The promotion of young scientists and strengthening the common good are part of their guidelines: As one of Bremen's major scientific foundations, the Wolfgang Ritter-Foundation is committed to opening up opportunities and enabling talented young people to study at Jacobs University. "When I see that our support has an effect, that young, committed people are seizing their opportunities, I am deeply moved," says Alexander Witte, member of the Board of the Wolfgang Ritter-Foundation.
Jacobs University’s economics students receive an excellent education. This confirms the latest CHE-university ranking. The private, English-speaking campus university receives particularly good marks for the support at the beginning of studies, which lays the foundation for later academic success, and for its efficiency: almost all economics students complete their studies within the standard period of study.