german research 2/2009 In this issue Commentary Matthias Kleiner Mirror of Trust and Responsibility ........................ p. 2 research Climate Change Meeting expectations following approval of three research-policy pacts Magazine of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft The large lakes in the Sahara Natural Sciences still hold many secrets. With Stefan Kröpelin the help of the lake sediments, geologists are gaining new Lakes in the Sahara ............................p. 4 insights into the variable his- Friedrich Pukelsheim tory of climate and environ- Zurich’s New Apportionment ................... p. 10 ment in arid Africa. Page 4 How stochastics impacts the electoral process in Switzerland On tour with german research A Chronicle of Old Europe Hans-Dieter Bienert Moving Forward in Central Asia .................p. 13 Harry Graf Kessler kept german New scientific cooperation with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan the diary of his times. The immense diary, which repre- Humanities sents a distinguished source Rembert Unterstell of cultural history, is to be edited step-by-step at the The Diary of a Jack of All Trades ................p. 14 German Literary Archive in Heinz Reinders Marbach. Page 14 A “ Wog”? No Way! ...........................p. 18 An empirical study on the importance of intercultural childhood friendships Catalyst of Life Sciences Disease in View Brigitte Müller The role played by the diets Bright-eyed through the Day ................... p. 20 of children and young people How sensory cells in the retina enable diurnal vision in flying fox who suffer from diabetes type 1 has not yet been fully Sandra Hummel, Maren Pflüger and Anette-G. Ziegler explained. A large-scale Detecting Sugar in Baby Food .................. p. 23 study looks at the importance of gluten as a catalyst. The DFG in the world Page 23 Eva-Maria Streier Welcome to Tokyo! ........................... p. 26 German-Japanese Premiere in Hanoi ............................p. 27 Cooperation Approximately 170 guests - from Germany and Japan attended the official opening of the DFG’s office in Tokyo. Visual Perceptions It is hoped that the new by Day and Night 2 /2009 . Bright-eyed through the Day . A "Wog"? No way! office will expand and inten- . Lakes in the Sahara . Detecting Sugar in Baby Food . The sify scientific collaboration New insights into the vision system in flying fox: with the Far East. Page 26 A spectacled flying fox, native to New Guinea Diary of a Jack of All Trades . Zurich's New and northern Australia, is shown hanging upside Apportionment . Trust and Responsibility Tro Cape Tribulation Australia Cover: Hugh Spencer, Austrop, Station, Research pical down. Page 20 german research 2 / 2009 Commentary s ist vollbracht!” (“Mission tiative for Research and Innovation had the best arguments in favour hile the political deci- an argument which springs from with rectors, presidents and pro- accomplished!”). With these and the Higher Education Pact re- of this. sion-makers recognised our deepest conviction. We firm- fessors, we know that everywhere E words, texted from the Fed- present them on a large scale. The The Excellence Initiative had W all these advantages and ly believe that, in times of crisis in higher education institutions eral Chancellery in Berlin to Bonn decision to continue the initiatives already led to an unprecedent- merits, it still took more than six such as these, it is particularly im- and in research institutes, creative shortly after 4 pm on Thursday, was a decision in favour of this fu- ed spirit of optimism in the Ger- months for the decision in favour portant to invest more heavily in minds are ready to demonstrate 4 June this year, Dr. Annette Scha- ture. This is one of the reasons why, man higher education and scien- of the initiatives to be reached education, science and research. their potential for generating ideas van, the German Federal Minister personally speaking, receiving this tific landscape, with the first two – six months in which we could These fields, after all, are our and achievements. The new round for Education and Research, de- message from Berlin was one of the rounds of the competition resulting not always be sure of how things society’s essential sources of in- of the Excellence Initiative, with livered the most important piece greatest moments in my career as in many impressive and interna- stood. Although there was less novation – and thus of enhanced its competition between previous- of science-policy-related news of President of the DFG to date. tionally visible ideas, projects and debate compared to the disputes growth and prosperity. ly funded and new projects and the next few years: the heads of facilities, will provide the ideal fo- the German federal government rum for this. and states had passed the “three The major scientific organisations major initiatives”. The Excellence will use the newly gained freedoms Initiative, the Joint Initiative for in the Joint Initiative for Research Research and Innovation and the and Innovation just as intensively. Higher Education Pact were not Matthias Kleiner Here at the DFG, we want to pro- only continued, they were also mote young researchers even more given a considerable budgetary effectively in the years to come. boost. By 2018, the federal gov- And we want to forge ahead more ernment and the states will in- strongly with the transfer of knowl- vest 18 billion euros in the three edge from basic research to appli- forward-looking initiatives, of Trust and cation, to follow more consistently which around five billion euros the course which has already been will flow via the DFG into basic set – that of “funding right through research. This is the biggest joint to the prototype”. In this way we, programme for education, science too, will contribute to overcoming and research in German history. Responsibility the crisis – and demonstrate how Or, as Nature put it: “A historic science carries society. deal for German science.” We had fervently hoped for he big issue over the next this message from Berlin and had Meeting expectations after the go-ahead few months will be imple- worked long and intensively to- T menting these concepts in wards it. The fact that we were re- for the Excellence Initiative, the Joint our daily activities, and the ef- ceiving it now, in the Bonn Arith- forts associated with doing so meum, where the DFG and the Initiative for Research and Inno vation will consume everyone involved Federal Ministry for Education in science. This also applies to and Research were, at the pre- and the Higher Education Pact the Deutsche Forschungsgemein- cise moment the political decision schaft. During our preparations was made, awarding this year’s Illustration: Frenz for and implementation of the new Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prizes, was Excellence Initiative, we cannot somewhat surreal. From an inter- allow our actual – and extremely nal standpoint, however, things hat being said, however, it facilities – not to mention several that arose between the parties, the With their decision in favour important – mission of funding couldn’t have been more logical. was not always easy to re- thousand highly qualified jobs for federal government and the states of the three initiatives, politics science and the humanities to be The six new recipients of Ger- T main optimistic throughout scientists and academics. during the setup of the Excellence has recognised and confirmed neglected; rather, we must con- many’s most significant prize for the many months leading up to The major scientific organisa- Initiative, another factor played a this fact. In doing so, it has dem- tinue to enhance our funding op- young scientific researchers repre- the decision and to hold fast to the tions had already been able to use role: the three initiatives became onstrated courage and foresight. portunities and policies. No doubt sented, on that afternoon, the en- belief that these initiatives, which the Joint Initiative for Research caught up in the maelstrom of the Credit is due first and foremost to this will also involve additional tire generation of young talent in were, from the very outset, both and Innovation to expand their global economic crisis. In light of Federal Minister Schavan and the resources and, therefore, a great our higher education and research so desirable and so vital for sci- sponsorship programmes, thus fur- the ever-increasing number of bad science ministers of the federal deal of work and effort. This chal- institutions to whom politics and ence and the humanities, would ther improving the chances for in- tidings from the stock markets states; they deserve our express lenge is, however, well worth it! science have made such tremen- eventually come into being. Af- novative scientists to receive fund- and the headquarters of major gratitude, as do the Federal Chan- dous promises involving the three ter many preparatory discussions ing, while the Higher Education corporations, of new declarations cellor, the minister-presidents and initiatives over the past few years and negotiations, the major scien- Pact contributed to improving the of bankruptcy and fresh contro- the finance ministers. – promises that they will now be tific organisations presented their academic education of more than versies over government-issued All these persons have demon- able to fulfil. specific concepts to the political two million young people in Ger- indemnity bonds and economic strated that politics trusts science, Just as the prizewinning young world last autumn. One thing was man higher education institutions stimulus packages, the three ma- and that it takes science seriously. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Kleiner is President researchers symbolise hope and certain for us all: all three initia- – at the same time guaranteeing jor forward-looking initiatives Science wants to – and will – prove of the DFG. the future of science and research tives must be continued and their the DFG the additional 20 percent faced an uncertain future.