PERSPECTIVES

Additional Positions for Excellent Female Scientists

New initiative offers long-term prospects for female junior scientists with outstanding qualifications

With the Lise Meitner Excellence Program, the Max Planck Society is strengthening its commitment to supporting high-achieving women in their scientific careers. Starting in the spring of 2018, up to ten additional Max Planck Research Group positions will be made available each year for female scientists. The positions will be filled through a multi-stage selection process in close collaboration with interested Max Planck Institutes. The Group Leaders will receive a fixed-term, five-year W2-level contract. In addi- tion, they will have the opportunity to participate in a ten- ure-track procedure that, following a comprehensive assess- ment, will secure them a permanent W2-level position with group facilities. “This new program offers unique opportu- nities,” emphasizes Max Planck President Martin Strat- mann: “free scientific development, long-term job security and clear career prospects. I am convinced that this will help us attract future Directors.” The Max Planck Society is set to invest more than 30 million euros by 2022 to enhance career prospects for female scientists.

Opening the door for talent: The Max Planck Society aims to enhance its pool of high-calibre female researchers through the Lise Meitner Excellence Program.

Innovation to Improve Machine Text Comprehension

Spin-off company of the Max Planck Institute for Informatics develops technology to automatically comprehend information

The ability to understand texts correct- ing too easily. For machines, such inter- biverse, a spin-off company from the ly remains a challenge for computers, as pretations are barely possible – yet they Max Planck Institute, used the data- such content often contains ambigu- are essential if we hope to make com- base to develop an intelligent software ous terms that are hard to interpret. For prehensive use of digital content. solution for automatic and accurate example, humans can decipher the To solve this problem, researchers recognition and interpretation of am- meaning of the headline “Sterling tum- at the Max Planck Institute for Infor- biguous words and phrases in texts. bles once again” based on the context. matics in Saarbrücken created the Ambiverse aims to tailor search and An informed reader would recognize knowledge base Yago. It’s a semantic analysis tools to suit companies’ re- that, rather than reporting a drop in the database containing more than ten quirements, making them better able currency market, the article relates to million entities (names, organizations, to electronically evaluate such data England soccer player Raheem Sterling, cities and similar items) and is some- from news archives, company docu- a midfielder with a reputation for fall- thing like a lexicon for machines. Am- ments and product reviews. Photo: Wolfram Scheible

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“Moral courage is needed everywhere”

Anna Baumert is investigating which personality traits enable fearless intervention in the face of injustice

Moral courage is a quality we hold in high sition. How conscious is a person of mor- regard. But why do we so often hesitate al issues? How important are their moral to stand up for justice? And how do mor- principles to them? How strongly do they ally courageous individuals differ from tend to react with negative emotions others? Together with her team, Anna when they experience injustice or witness Baumert, Leader of the Max Planck Re- immorality? It’s also a question of impul- search Group on Moral Courage at the siveness: How strong is a person’s impulse Max Planck Institute for Research on Col- compelling them to intervene in certain lective Goods in Bonn, is currently search- situations? Their willingness to break in- ing for answers to these questions. One ternalized social rules also plays a role. thing is certain: wise and supportive in- Most of us have learned to conduct our- tervention can be learned everywhere – selves in a controlled manner, manage our even on a small scale. emotions and leave others in peace.

Anna Baumert Dr. Baumert, moral courage is often sen­ So are these societal norms the reason why sationalized in the press. Where does your few people intervene? focus lie? That’s our assumption, yes. In situations Anna Baumert: We’re concerned with where there is a perpetrator who could allies, get help and then stay on the scene basic research. We investigate situations be detained, a person must first defy nu- as a witness. in which someone commits an injustice, merous internalized conventions. It’s not breaks rules or behaves immorally – and that easy. You’re hoping to develop a characterology is observed by another person. The psy- of courageous helpers through your study. chological processes and mechanisms It’s also often not clear whether intervention What is your approach? that dictate whether a bystander inter- is actually justified or not. We invite people who have shown moral venes against a perpetrator are presum- With actions driven by moral courage, courage in the past to take part in our ably quite different than, for example, the there is certainly a risk of falsely accusing study. These are people who have been processes that dictate whether a person someone – and thus getting yourself into an recognized in Germany for their actions. helps a stranger. embarrassing situation. Intervening can be We also issued a more general call for par- just as much of a mistake as doing nothing. ticipants who experienced injustice as a So, just how courageous are we humans? Ultimately, you must ask yourself what the bystander and intervened in some way. When an injustice occurs, far fewer people consequences of each “mistake” might be. We send everyone to whom this applies intervene than you might expect. I don’t a two-part questionnaire that can be exclude myself from this. I would hope Should I feel bad if I don’t intervene? completed online and then analyze their that, if I were to find myself in a sticky sit- From a psychological perspective, there answers anonymously. uation, I would be prepared to come up are many hurdles that make not interven- with an effective way to intervene. How- ing understandable. However, everyone There are training schools for moral courage– ever, research confirms that my thinking should realize that their behavior impacts can anyone learn to act courageously? that I would intervene doesn’t necessarily the behavior of others. If you remain inac- This is a very individual matter. Schools are match the reality. We described a scenar- tive and do nothing, the risk increases that positive and helpful, and I’m sure our re- io to participants and then placed them in others will follow suit and do the same. It’s search findings can also be relevant for the actual situation. It became clear that important to weigh up each situation. We such training courses. But it isn’t only there are major discrepancies between in- recommend not always getting right in about major conflict situations; moral tending to intervene and actually inter- the middle of something – or you just courage is needed everywhere – in schools, vening. Many people overestimate their might find yourself in great danger. in neighborhoods and even in the work- will or ability to act. place. There are plenty of minor situa- What should we do if things become tions in which people can intervene But there are always people who intervene in precarious? against injustice. Becoming more con- difficult situations. What sets them apart? Essentially exactly what the police rec- scious of injustices is something you can So far, we can only speculate about that. ommend: Engage other people and point learn anywhere.

Photo: Private collection First of all, there is a certain moral dispo- the injustice out to them. Look to make Interview: Martin Roos

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Twofold Partnership with Harvard

Max Planck Society launches two new collaboration projects with leading US university

Max Planck scientists work closely with their colleagues at elite US universities in a number of fields. Now two new collaborative endeavors have been established at the insti- tutional level. In October 2017, work commenced on a new center to research the ancient Mediterranean region. The primary focus of the Max Planck-Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean is mo- bility in the Mediterranean region between 1600 and 1000 BCE. The Center will enable scientists at Harvard University in Cambridge (Massachusetts) and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena to combine estab- lished archaeological and historical approaches with state- of-the-art biotechnological methods. The Max Planck Harvard Research Center for Quantum Optics took up its work in January. One hundred years after the quantum nature of light and matter was discovered, quantum physics is currently experiencing something of a revolution: new techniques are laying the foundations for major discoveries in particle physics and for innovative devices, such as the quantum computer. The joint Center combines the expertise and infrastructure of the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in Garching and Harvard Uni- Opening handshake: Mark C. Elliott, Vice Provost for International Affairs at Harvard, with Max Planck President Martin Stratmann at the versity, offering new ways to address the unsolved problems inaugural ceremony for the joint Research Center for the Archaeo­ of quantum physics. science of the Ancient Mediterranean.

Fourfold Success

Four Max Planck Directors awarded this year’s Leibniz Prize

The German Research Foundation into metabolism and immune process- Planck Society’s prizewinning quartet (DFG) selected 11 successful candidates es. The prize was also awarded to Jens is Bernhard Schölkopf of the Max Planck from among 136 nominations for this Beckert of the Max Planck Institute for Institute for Intelligent Systems in year’s Leibniz Prize – and four Max the Study of Societies in Cologne in Tübingen. The computer scientist has Planck Directors were among the win- recognition of his accomplishments in made key contributions to the theory ners. Alessandra Buonanno of the Max renewing an interdisciplinary perspec- and success of machine learning. The Planck Institute for Gravitational Phys- tive in social sciences, particularly at prizes, which carry an endowment of ics in Potsdam received the honor for the interface of sociology and econom- 2.5 million euros, were awarded at a her theoretical models that make it ics. The fourth member of the Max ceremony in Berlin in March. possible to identify and interpret grav- itational waves. Erika L. Pearce from the Max Planck Institute of Immuno- biology and Epigenetics in Freiburg was honored for her exceptional research

The triumphant four (from left): Alessandra Buonanno, Jens Beckert, Erika L. Pearce and Bernhard Schölkopf receive the Leibniz

Prize 2018. Photos: Harvard University (top), Sven Doering, Jürgen Bauer, private collection, Wolfram Scheible (bottom, from left to right)

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Amazon Arrives in Cyber Valley

The technology company is supporting a project to develop artificial intelligence in the Stuttgart-Tübingen region

Cyber Valley has gained another industry partner: Ama- zon wants to take part in the research project initiated by the Max Planck Society in December 2016. The technolo- gy company plans to contribute 1.25 million euros to re- search groups in the Stuttgart-Tübingen region over the coming years. Furthermore, Amazon will establish a re- search center of its own near the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Tübingen and intensify its collabo- rative work with the Max Planck Society. Max Planck Pres- ident Martin Stratmann welcomed the decision, saying: “We are gaining yet another strong partner that will fur- ther enhance the international significance of the research in Cyber Valley.” For the collaborative project – one of Europe’s largest initiatives in the field of artificial intelligence – the Max Planck Society has joined forces with the German federal state of Baden-Württemberg, the universities of Stuttgart and Tübingen, and such companies as BMW, Bosch, Daim- ler, Porsche and ZF Friedrichshafen. The aim is to promote research into intelligent systems and create a suitable en- An example of Cyber Valley success: Apollo the robot is expected to learn vironment for a series of successful spin-offs. to move autonomously at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems.

On the Net

How to Reach 100 – In the Heart of Wendelstein 7-X Computer Vision and Enjoy It The new 360-degree panorama on the The International Max Planck Research That’s the motto of “A Life Journey,” Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics School for Intelligent Systems (IMPRS) a demographic app produced by (IPP) website leads straight into the plas- has launched an introduction video Population Europe in Berlin. In ad- ma vessel of the Wendelstein 7-X fusion re- aimed at students who have obtained an dition to texts, infographics and search facility in Greifswald, Germany. Vis- outstanding master’s degree and want videos, the app for iPad and iPhone itors to the website can also explore the to do extraordinary research in the field includes a series of interactive experiment hall and visit the facility that of intelligent systems. This interdisci- games to introduce users to the heats plasma to several million degrees plinary PhD program offered by the Max topic of demographic change, for Celsius. Using a PC, tablet or smartphone, Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, example by letting users calculate they can gain insight from every angle and the University of Stuttgart, and the Uni- their life expectancy. The app, zoom in to see even the smallest detail. versity of Tübingen has 29 PhD students which is available in ten languages, With the click of a mouse, visitors can and 21 faculty members working in differ- is aimed primarily at students and start and stop short videos in which IPP ent areas of intelligent systems, includ- teachers seeking an enjoyable scientists describe their workplace, while ing computer vision, machine learning, method to explore demographic pop-up information panels explain key robotics, haptics, control systems, per- topics. A tutorial explains how to components. The panorama was captured ceptual inference, computer graphics and use the app, and additional teach- by Munich-based photographer Volker micro- and nanorobotics. The School is ing resources and webinars round Steger, who previously produced the pan- looking for young people with new ideas out the app’s content. orama of the IPP ASDEX Upgrade fusion on how to shape the future. www.population-europe.eu/video/ device in Garching, near Munich. www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXrW_

Photo: Wolfram Scheible how-use-app-life-journey www.ipp.mpg.de/panoramaw7xeng yXJUaI

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