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.
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.
Jacobs University is suspending in-person teaching activities on their campus in Bremen starting Friday, 13 March 2020. The international university is transferring their teaching operations to electronic platforms by 23 March. The decision was reached after assessing the risk and high level of concerns relating to the spread of the coronavirus. The suspension is in place until 14 April with the option of extension if deemed necessary.
Their task was to develop an algorithm that recognizes and visualizes errors in steel production. In the SMS digital Data Challenge, Gari Jose Ciodaro Guerra finished second and Avinash Niroula fourth. Both of them are currently in their second year of the Master’s Program in Data Engineering at Jacobs University Bremen. The victory went to two students from the University of Duisburg-Essen, third place was taken by a team from the South Ural State University Chelyabinsk.
Record growth at Jacobs University: At the beginning of the semester 2019/2020, the English-medium university welcomes over 610 new students to its campus in Bremen, the largest group of freshmen in its history to date. The high demand for the coveted study places is brought forward by the excellent international reputation of Jacobs University: According to the recently published Times Higher Education (THE) World University Ranking 2020, Jacobs University ranks among the 25 percent of the best universities worldwide.
Never before has so much information about the Earth been available to mankind. Every day, satellites provide an enormous amount of data, for example on the climate, on changes in the atmosphere, or land use. The "DIN-SPEC 18114" standard developed by Dr. Peter Baumann, Professor of Computer Science at Jacobs University Bremen, makes this data more readily available – and thus enables a multitude of new, societally relevant applications. Baumann’s groundbreaking work has now been recognized with the DIN Innovation Prize 2019, which is awarded by DIN German Institute for Standardization (Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V.).
Great success for a joint project of Jacobs University and the University of Bremen: The German Research Foundation (DFG) has approved funding for a Research Training Group at the jointly operated Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS). Within the framework of the research and qualification program, 14 young academics in the disciplines of psychology, sociology and political science can earn their doctorates. The first seven doctoral candidates will start their training in 2020, with a second group expected to follow in 2021. The DFG will finance the research training group with around three million euros over a period of four and a half years.
Jacobs University has gained an internationally experienced and worldwide respected university leader, lecturer and researcher as its new President. On 1 December 2019, Professor Dr. Antonio Loprieno, President of the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities (ALLEA) and former Rector of the University of Basel, will assume office. Prof. Loprieno succeeds Professor Dr. Michael Hülsmann, who, in August of this year, announced his forthcoming departure from the private, international University after six successful years.
An internationally renowned scientist and science manager strengthens Jacobs University’s management board. On November 1st, 2019, Prof. Thomas Auf der Heyde, PhD, will take up his post as Provost and thus as Head of Academic Operations at the private university. Auf der Heyde has a wealth of experience in science and university administration. Most recently, he was Deputy Director General of the South African Department of Science and Technology.
They teach and do research in different subject areas and come from different countries. All of them share a very similar motivation however: they want to teach and do research at an international, English-medium university, with students from over 100 nations and small learning groups. The team at Jacobs University Bremen is strengthened by a whole series of professors and university lecturers.
Innovative and groundbreaking new ideas for future higher education were sought: In an international competition, the Jacobs Foundation and Jacobs University invited scientists from all disciplines to participate. The Jacobs Foundation provided 650,000 euros to support groundbreaking research projects following the "B3 - Bildung Beyond Boundaries" symposium. The third, and final project, has now been approved.
Their work sets standards, they are scientifically excellent: At the beginning of its academic year, as is tradition, Jacobs University awarded the Deans Prize to graduates who wrote outstanding bachelor and master theses. In addition, at the suggestion of the students, the university teachers of the year were chosen and the prize of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) was awarded.
Instead of going to swim or for ice cream with their friends, students from Germany and all over the world used their free time during the summer holidays to study – and that even voluntarily. Summer Camps, educational programs for young people, have long been established in an international context and typically take place during the summer holidays. Jacobs University, together with the Association of German Engineers (VDI), Germany's largest engineering association, has organized an English-language Summer Camp on the campus in Bremen for the fourth year running.
Three of Professor Sören Petrat’s students have recently been granted spots in prestigious summer schools at renowned US universities: Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University, and a Utah branch of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. Professor Petrat himself did postgraduate work at Princeton University. When he came from there to Jacobs University in fall 2017 to take up a post of Assistant Professor of Mathematics, one of his immediate objectives was to be a good teacher.
Jacobs University Bremen participates in International Education Week in China
International orientation of science and teaching is a significant and important topic in China. The first International Education Week of the China University of Petroleum (UPC), one of the country's most renowned universities, took place from 30 June to 6 July 2019 under the motto "innovating training pattern, building an international campus, broadening an international perspective, cultivating top talents". Five professors from Jacobs University Bremen gave lectures as experts and pointed out international perspectives
Once again, Jacobs University performed excellently in a university ranking. In the 2019 Times Higher Education (THE) Young University Ranking for universities which are younger than 50 years, the international, English-language campus university ranks 26th out of 351 participating universities from 60 countries. It was graded as one of the five best young universities in Germany.
One might imagine them as a training camp where like-minded people from all over the world come together to work on highly complex topics and inspire each other. Access to these camps is limited, only the best of the best can participate. Three mathematics students from Jacobs University Bremen are part of this group. Benedikt Stock, Malte Haßler, and Prabhat Devkota are currently participating in very special summer programs at renowned universities in the USA.