Galaxis Galaxis Consortium for International Higher Education Marketing Education Higher International for Consortium Galaxy Forschungserfolge deutscher Hochschulen Imprint Scientific editors Prof. Dr. Volker Trommsdorff (Technische Universität Berlin) Dr. Wolfgang Merten (Technische Universität Berlin) division design lok. Schnepf, Marion Layout Commissioned by GATE-Germany, Consortium for International Higher Education Marketing HRK Wahlers, Marijke Dr. Nina Lemmens, DAAD Lemmens, Nina Dr. Ulrike Koch, HRK Koch, Ulrike Authors DAAD Jansen, Irene Dr. Frank Brunner (Berlin) DAAD Hase-Bergen, Stefan Martina Hinz (Berlin) Koordination Carsten Jasner (Berlin) Annekatrin Looss (Berlin) wbv Dammann, Katja Dr. Wolfgang Merten (Berlin) Redaktion Dr. Monika Offenberger (Munich) Prof. Dr. Volker Trommsdorff (Berlin) (wbv) KG Co. und GmbH Verlag Bertelsmann W. Andrea Walter (Berlin) Gesamtherstellung Production (Berlin) Walter Andrea W. Bertelsmann Verlag GmbH und Co. KG (wbv) (Berlin) Trommsdorff Volker Dr. Prof. Dr. Monika Offenberger (München) (München) Offenberger Monika Dr. Editorial department (Berlin) Merten Wolfgang Dr. Katja Dammann, wbv (Berlin) Looss Annekatrin Carsten Jasner (Berlin) (Berlin) Jasner Carsten Coordination (Berlin) Hinz Martina Stefan Hase-Bergen, German Academic Exchange Service (Berlin) Brunner Frank Dr. Irene Jansen, German Academic Exchange Service Autoren Ulrike Koch, German Rectors‘ Conference Dr. Nina Lemmens, German Academic Exchange Service Marijke Wahlers, German Rectors‘ Conference Hochschulmarketing internationales für Konsortium im Auftrag von GATE-Germany, GATE-Germany, von Auftrag im Layout Marion Schnepf, lok. design division, Bielefeld Berlin) Universität (Technische Merten Wolfgang Dr. Prof. Dr. Volker Trommsdorff (Technische Universität Berlin) Universität (Technische Trommsdorff Volker Dr. Prof. Translation Herausgeber The Brenn-White Group, LLC: Talia Bloch, Megan Brenn-White, Laura Montgomery Impressum Inventions Insights Existence Information Responsibility Economics Society Galaxy Dear reader, Distinguished by its centuries-long tradition of scientific and scholarly achievement, Germany remains one of the most important centres of research and scholarship in the world today. This publication seeks to offer an overview of some of the research highlights and scientific achievements emerging from German univer- sities, schools of applied sciences, and aca- demies of art and music that have contributed to this success story. Research achievements Creative genius flourishes under favourable at German universities conditions. By providing an open and stimula- ting environment and maintaining state-of-the- art facilities, German universities help support their scholars and scientists to develop their creative powers. These settings provide fertile ground for cultivating internationally success- ful research careers as well as highly regarded research work. We would like to highlight several of the Exchange Service (DAAD) and the German leading figures and significant achievements Rectors’ Conference (HRK). Trommsdorff and that have emerged across various fields at Merten selected a representative collection of German universities over the past fifty years exemplary work from across all disciplines – each has had an important impact on all of and from a range of higher education insti- our lives or is certain to influence us in the tutions, with an emphasis on more recent future. These achievements have significantly achievements. They then collaborated with a enriched the world’s store of knowledge, and team of authors to write up descriptions of their effects will be felt for a long time to the chosen research work. come. We hope you enjoy this fascinating material! The following ground-breaking discoveries, Should you be interested in learning more inventions, and findings were selected by about any of the work described here, you Professor Volker Trommsdorff and Dr. Wolf- can find information for further reading at gang Merten of the ScienceMarketing the end of this publication, or you may visit department at Technischen Universität the links provided after each individual Berlin, on behalf of the German Academic article. Prof. Dr. Margret Wintermantel Prof. Dr. Horst Hippler President of the German Academic Exchange Service President of the German Rectors‘ Conference Inventions Inventors solve problems by finding tech- helped make the production of low-cost nical solutions. As early as half a millen- pharmaceuticals possible, and the engineer nium before the advent of the internet era, Ernst Ruska, whom we can thank for the Johannes Gutenberg caused a paradigm development of electron microscopes that inventions shift in the media world. With the construc- allow us to see atoms. And without the physi- tion of the world’s first printing press in cist Peter Grünberg, super-fast computers Germany, books became a mass-market would remain in the realm of science fiction. product. The car, tram, light bulb, television, computer, and the MP-3 audio file format Excellent support for young scientists will are also products of German ingenuity. guarantee that “Made in Germany” con- tinues to be the hallmark for outstanding The articles in the following “Inventions” inventions. At present, a completely novel section are not limited to a narrowly defined type of aircraft is being developed in Ham- subset of the engineering sciences, such as burg. In Dresden, researchers are seeking to those examples we have provided from the identify tumour cells more rapidly through fields of materials research, manufacturing the use of nanotechnology. Meanwhile, a technology, and computer electronics. In team in Stuttgart headed by Nobel Prize touching on so many areas in the following winner Klaus von Klitzing is planning the pages, it’s no accident that many Nobel Prize next revolution: the end of the digital age, winners are showcased. There’s the chemist brought about by quantum technology. Georg Wittig, for example, whose research A master of molecules A sandwich structure for chemists Impulsive yet pensive, a man of the world ischer had planned to study art history, who loved his own country, and as ardently Fbut the Second World War derailed his devoted to the fine arts as to the natural plans. It was then, rather by chance, that he sciences, Ernst Otto Fischer was a portrait in discovered his love of inorganic chemistry. inventions contrasts. Even as a scientist, he was able to Fischer was especially interested in matter reconcile apparent contradictions. Fischer that combined organic elements, such as combined metals and carbon compounds to carbon, with inorganic elements, such as iron create complex substances with previously or other metals. He wanted to understand unknown properties. In 1973, his ground- how such dissimilar elements could bond, and breaking work earned him the Nobel Prize in in the process of studying them, he discov- Chemistry. ered an unknown molecular composition: the “sandwich structure”. ischer’s pioneering achievements in the Ffield of organometallic chemistry laid the foundation for the synthesis of numerous new substances and many synthetic materials. To this day, Fischer’s students continue to expand the field both in academia and in industry. A1 | Ernst Otto Fischer, Technische Universität München | www.ch.tum.de/ernst_otto_fischer Test-tube vitamins A simple way to produce complex natural compounds synthetically Vitamin D protects infants against rickets; elements attached to – their scaffolds. If vitamin C strengthens the immune system – you want to produce a specific compound in nature, these vital substances occur synthetically, you first have to construct naturally as complex compounds. Nowadays, the appropriate scaffold. inventions it is cheap and easy to produce vitamins synthetically, due primarily to the work of he discovery was pure coincidence. chemist Georg Wittig, who died in 1987. T“Wittig neither invented nor envisaged The carbonyl olefination reaction, which he this reaction. He discovered it. And that discovered and named, has since become proves once again that important research known as the Wittig reaction and has brought cannot usually be planned,” says Reinhard W. the researcher from Heidelberg international Hoffmann, professor emeritus at Marburg fame. In 1979, he was awarded the Nobel University and former colleague of the Nobel Prize for his work. laureate at Heidelberg University. Today, the Wittig reaction is used around the world ike all other organic substances, the in the synthetic production of natural subs- Lvitamins our bodies need are made up of tances such as vitamins, hormones, and a complex scaffold of carbon and hydrogen medicines. atoms. The characteristic traits of individual substances are determined by the structure of – and by the groups of other synthetic A2 | Georg Wittig, Heidelberg University | www.uni-heidelberg.de/nobellaureates The factory of the future When are industrial companies successful? ore than 60 doctoral students from When they manufacture goods that are Mproduction technology, materials sustainable, cost-effective, and reliable. They engineering, electrical engineering, and must also have production processes that can business management receive an interdisci- be adapted quickly to changing conditions. plinary education at GSaME and work in The Graduate School of Excellence advanced teams to conduct research into key topic Manufacturing Engineering (GSaME) at the areas and application-oriented solutions. University