Relevant to us all: Winners of university competition announced

The winners of the university competition “How is this relevant?” have now been chosen. Fifteen project ideas have been identified which present the practical relevance of science in ingenious and engaging ways.

“The range and originality of the entries shows that there are no limits to how science can be communicated to people. The special achievement of the competition “How is this relevant?” is that it bridges the gap between schools and universities”, Federal Research Minister Annette Schavan said in Berlin on Monday.

Under the motto “How is this relevant?”, German universities, institutions of higher education and universities of applied sciences were invited to develop original project ideas to show the practical relevance of scientific topics to the general public, particularly to pupils: What tangible effects do science and research have on society? How do scientific discoveries, inventions and new intellectual approaches change our everyday lives?

The winning project ideas range from sea water desalination plants to mobile sleep laboratories and action games for the better understanding of the immune system. The Federal Research Ministry will give €10,000 to each university for the realization of its project idea.

The “Science Year 2009 – Research Expedition Germany” is the Federal Research Ministry's contribution to this year's 60th anniversary of the foundation of the Federal Republic and the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. The organizations responsible for the Science Year 2009 are the Science in Dialogue initiative (WiD), the German Academy of Natural Scientists Leopoldina, the Robert Bosch Foundation and the Donors' Association for the Promotion of Sciences and Humanities in Germany.

Please find detailed information about the winners of the university competition “How is this relevant?” in the attachment to this press release. Further information and images are available online at: http://www.forschungsexpedition.de.

If you need further information, please contact:

Science Year 2009 Editorial Office

Julia Kranz
Friedrichstr. 78
10117 Berlin
Germany
Phone: +49 (0)30/70 01 86 741
Fax: +49 (0)30/70 01 86 909
julia.kranz@forschungsexpedition.de
Marion Kuka
Friedrichstr. 78
10117 Berlin
Germany
Phone: +49 (0)30/70 01 86 328
Fax: +49 (0)30/70 01 86 909
marion.kuka@forschungsexpedition.de