RESEARCH & SCIENCE
SCHOPENHAUER RESEARCH CENTERA philosopher not suitable for a university curriculum?
For a long time, it was the only academic institution at a German university dedicated to the study of Arthur Schopenhauer and today it is still the best place to go for anyone wanting to know more about the philosopher. The Schopenhauer Research Center was founded in 2001 by Professor Matthias Koßler at the Philosophy Department of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU).
BOOK STUDIESArtificial intelligence as reviewer, text to speech reader – and author?
At the beginning of the year, Professor Christoph Bläsi hosted the 14th Mainz Colloquium on te topic of Artificial Intelligence in the Book World – Machines as editors, Machines as Readers? at the Gutenberg Institute for World Literature and Written Media of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). We talked with Professor Bläsi and learned what is currently feasible in the field of Book Studies and where it might be heading in the future.
AFRICAN LINGUISTICSPilot project on linguistic integration and strategies of language acquisition
The Department of Anthropology and African Studies of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and the Institute of African Studies of Goethe University Frankfurt initiated the joint pilot project "Africans in the Rhine-Main region" in early 2019. It is dedicated to the currently much-debated sociopolitical issue of linguistic integration. The Rhine-Main Universities (RMU) Initiative Funding for Research finances this partnership undertaking.
ATMOSPHERIC PHYSICSTracking the climate using MESSy
Professor Holger Tost wants to find out what is going on in the atmosphere and uses computer simulations to investigate the processes influencing our climate and weather. He was appointed to the Carl Zeiss Foundation Endowed Professorship on Environmental Modeling in the Climate System at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) in 2016.
GEOINFORMATICSA model of urban climate
With the help of ENVI-met, it is possible to determine the microclimate of a city down to the square meter, while effects of construction projects, soil sealing, and green spaces can be exactly predicted. Professor Michael Bruse of the Institute of Geography of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) has been working on this software for 25 years. As time went by, the specialist in geoinformatics incorporated increasingly more factors and made the 3D simulation more complex. ENVI-met is now in use around the world.
COMPARATIVE LITERATUREEuropean travelogues in context
Dr. Sandra Vlasta joined the Gutenberg Institute for World Literature and Written Media of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in October 2017 with a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship. Here, the Viennese expert in comparative literature is currently working on her research project on European Travelogues in Context. The Socio-Political Dimension of Travelogues in Europe: 1760 – 1850.
JIHADISM ON THE INTERNETTracking down Islamist propaganda
The Jihadism on the Internet interdisciplinary junior research group started last year. The researchers analyze online radical Islamist propaganda and track down all individuals that respond in any way to this kind of material. The group is also preparing a unique online platform. The project at the Department of Anthropology and African Studies at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz receives funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) to the tune of EUR 2.7 million.
EVOLUTIONARY SBIOLOGYOn the trail of biodiversity
In order to research the mechanisms involved in speciation, Dr. Michael Pirie has selected a plant genus which actually originated in Europe but which has developed into an unbelievable number of varieties mainly in South Africa. The botanist, who works at the Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (IOME) at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), has been following the trail of the Ericaceae (heather) family for a decade now.
PRISMA CLUSTER OF EXCELLENCEThe proton radius puzzle
His results have made headlines beyond the academic world of physics. In May 2016, Randolf Pohl was appointed to a professorship at the PRISMA Cluster of Excellence of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). Using a new technique, he succeeded in measuring the size of the proton, one of the fundamental building blocks of the atomic nucleus. According to his results, the radius of the proton is four percent smaller than the previous value accepted by science. This result is puzzling and could have serious consequences for the Standard Model of particle physics.
RESEARCH ROCKETPioneering measurements in space
The MAIUS-1 sounding rocket mission has enabled physicists to generate a Bose-Einstein condensate in space for the first time. This will allow them to measure the Earth's gravitational field more precisely in the future and, crucially, to test Einstein's equivalence principle more accurately than ever before. The research group Experimental Quantum Optics and Quantum Information at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) is closely involved in the project.