PANORAMA. Research, Teaching, Learning.
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Roman small change was rather bigAlthough the coin collection of the Department of History's Ancient History division at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) fits into a single vault, it still holds quite a few surprises – at least for the layperson. Huge Roman coins sit beside ranks of imperial representations. Alexander the Great and Cleopatra can be admired here in silver, gold, and bronze.
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The collection is growing and growingThe herbarium at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) is hardly known – although it includes a number of rare plants and fungi, some of which are still awaiting proper classification. In addition to the extensive array of fungi and plants native to the Rhineland-Palatinate region and gathered from the Mainz Sand Dunes nature reserve, there are also exotic specimens from Costa Rica and Rwanda. Dr. Gudrun Kadereit shows what the herbarium has in store.
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Discovering natureRobots search for new drugs to fight cancer and Alzheimer's and analyze the effects of nanoparticles in humans: at the Mainz Screening Center, Professor Dr. Roland Stauber and his colleagues work in a whole range of fields. The Mainz Screening Center is at the hub of a widely distributed network consisting of a group of highly varied institutions.
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A Warhol under the hammerA group of 56 students staged a major auction at the Institute of Art History of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). Their fictitious auction houses, Phoenix and Galla, offered works ranging from Otto Dix and Salvador Dali to Andy Warhol and George Grosz – bringing in nearly EUR 6 million in bids from the public. A tremendous success, even if no real money changed hands.
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Mollusks chronicle the climateMammoths and mussels, dragonflies and corals: the Paleontology Collection at the Institute of Geosciences at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) is incredibly diverse. What's missing is a proper curator. Because the million or so specimens in the collection are too much for anyone to manage on a part-time basis.
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4,000 litmus tests from historyThe Hymnbook Archive of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) holds perhaps the world's most important collection of utilitarian Christian literature, making it an essential resource for scholars. Hymnbooks reflect history in a unique way. Professor Dr. Hermann Kurzke invites us to take a tour through the centuries.
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Future doctors practice for the real thingAt the Skills Lab of the Mainz University Medical Center students learn from fellow students what is often covered all too briefly in standard study programs. Whether it be intubation or catheter placement, ultrasound examinations or medical history-related aspects, the courses on offer are diverse and help fill gaps in the curriculum.
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When ants stir up a rebellionIt has long been known that certain ants keep other ants as slaves. However, Professor Dr. Susanne Foitzik of the Institute of Zoology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) has discovered that these slaves have what it takes to rebel. And she can explain how this ability has developed during the course of evolution.
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A place at dOCUMENTA (13)Nine students from the Mainz Academy of Arts took part in the dOCUMENTA (13) exhibition. Professor Andrea Büttner was the driving force behind the initiative. She arranged that her students from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) were invited to serve as artistic assistants to Canadian Gareth Moore at one of the world's leading exhibitions of contemporary art.
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Calling the university hotlineThe Student Service Hotline of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) is the first point of contact for anyone with questions about student life. Up to 1,500 calls are taken each day. JGU's hotline service was the first of its kind at a German university and now it celebrates its 10th anniversary.
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African music from the basementThere are more than 10,000 recordings stored in the Department of Anthropology and African Studies at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). The African Music Archives (AMA) represents a unique treasure trove of African music. There are old shellac disks from Tanzania, LPs from Mali, and the latest CDs from Senegal. Archive Director Dr. Hauke Dorsch invites visitors on a tour of this diverse aural landscape.
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Most Germans would vote for ObamaExactly one week before the final decision is reached in the US presidential election, the relative chances of success of Barack Obama and his Republication opponent, Mitt Romney, were discussed in the largest lecture hall on the campus of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). Germany would clearly vote for Obama – but what about the Americans?
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Law students behind barsThe 'Prison Group' of the Department of Criminology, Juvenile Criminal Law, the Penal System, and Criminal Law of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) has a long history – and a successful one. Students get to experience what it is like behind bars, and prisoners on remand get to have contact with the outside.
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Of resources, conflicts, and the view of Europe3,500 participants, 400 speakers, 99 dedicated helpers on site and two years' preparation time: the 49th German Historikertag (German Historians Conference) at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) turned out to be a major event. For four days, one of the largest European conferences for humanities scholars focused on the topic of "Resources – Conflicts" and much more.
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Ancient mythology conquers modern cultureDr. Irene Berti has no doubts: "The echoes of antiquity are everywhere as modern culture has stolen a lot from it. The past is still present." The scholars of the IMAGINES research network made this their focus at the "Magic and the Supernatural from the Ancient World" conference at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), where the subjects included sorceresses and zombies, mythical creatures and superheroes.
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Students tear down language barriersThose who need to make a visit to the authorities but are afraid that their German language skills are insufficient can now turn to the interpreter pool in the Germersheim region. Thirty students of the Faculty of Translation Studies, Linguistics, and Cultural Studies at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) help during interviews with social services, the youth welfare office, and other government authorities. The interpreter pool was set up in early 2012; the Rhineland-Palatinate Commissioner for Integration will finance the project in 2013.
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Traditional plants, newly grownMombacher Winter, Gonsenheimer Treib, and Hunsrücker fava bean – the Kitchen Garden on the premises of the Botanic Garden at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) has all these and many other rare agricultural crop plants and regional varieties that have been almost forgotten. An immense variety can be found on only 100 square meters, providing a number of surprises: flowering lettuce over here, and an onion watching the carrots over there.
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A portal to the wonderful world of the UniversityWith its internet portal, the association Campus Mainz e.V. opens up new routes of communication at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). It gathers together information and helps with problems. But that's not all: The internet portal also wants to portray the campus in all its various aspects. There is a lot that can be discovered at www.campus-mainz.net with just a few clicks.
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Learning in the land of freedom and narrow lanesThe German language is not difficult and it even can make fun to learn it – this is the motto promoted by Michaela Küper and her team. They welcomed 115 participants from 31 nations at this year's 64th International Summer Course at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), who were eager to discover not only the German language, but also the country.
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Discovering the Botanic GardenOn the hottest day of the year, the Botanic Garden of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) held its summer festival. Thousands came to inspect the grounds, attend concerts and the children's theater, meander between couscous and bratwurst, or rush to the popular plant bazaar.
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Wearing white lab coats and discovering colorsThe NaT-Lab school laboratory at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) has moved to its latest home in the Institute of Physical Chemistry's new building – just in time to undergo its first major field trial: For four days, pupils will be using it to track down dyes. By performing a range of experiments, they will gain completely different insights into chemistry, biology, and physics than they would during normal lessons.
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No gap between foreigners and GermansIt is no longer possible to clearly differentiate between foreigners and immigrants on the one hand and Germans on the other. These are the preliminary findings of the "Survey of Migration in Mainz" undertaken by the Institute of Geography and the Center for Intercultural Studies (ZIS) at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), in which hundreds of students participated.
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Archiving West African settlement historyAnthropologists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and Goethe University Frankfurt have documented an extensive record of the settlement history of more than 200 villages in Burkina Faso and Ghana that had previously only been handed down in oral form. The researchers' findings have been presented to the National Archives of Burkina Faso where they represent an important contribution to the long-term preservation of this country's intangible cultural heritage.
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Mainz 05 reinvents itself as a carnival clubWhat form does regional identity take in an increasingly globalized world? This was the subject of the inaugural lecture of cultural anthropologist Dr. Christina Niem. Her talk was entitled "Regional representation or competing regional identities? Two Rhineland-Palatinate Bundesliga soccer teams in comparison", and she used it to provide an analysis of 1. FSV Mainz 05, 1. FC Kaiserslautern, and their fan clubs.
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The action cinema of the ancient worldPowerful ancient masterpieces, detailed paintings on Greek ceramic vessels, and much more are on offer in the cast and original collections of the Institute of Classical Archeology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). Not only teaching staff but also students are involved with the collections. They jointly develop design concepts and organize exhibitions.
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"Can it really be called academic research?"Friedemann Schrenk, the 13th scholar to hold the Johannes Gutenberg Endowed Professorship, often seems to stray from the normal path. The paleoanthropologist demonstrated this ability once again in his final "Out of Africa" lecture. Moving from fossilized teeth through racist thinkers and genetic findings, he ended up by encouraging people to become members of the Friends of Mainz University association.
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A state with big differencesThe first handbook of the history of Rhineland-Palatinate is now available. There has not been a book like this before and the 40 authors who worked on it have charted new territory. Co-publishers Professor Dr. Michael Kißener, Professor for Contemporary History at Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz (JGU), and Dr. Pia Nordblom, coordinator of the handbook project at JGU, talk about the challenges they faced in the momentous project.
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Outstanding young researchers and forgotten collectionsOn its Dies academicus, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) celebrates its young researchers. 14 outstanding dissertations were honored this year. In his ceremonial address, Dr. Andreas Brandtner, Director of the University Library, dealt with a topic that has come back into style after being long ignored: university collections.
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The story of the continent with no historyThe cradle of humanity is in Africa, yet the continent is still considered by many to have no history. It is the intention of Professor Dr. Andreas Eckert to change this preconception. Gutenberg Endowed Professor Friedemann Schrenk invited him to rectify this distorted image of Africa in the lecture series "Out of Africa: The Global History of Homo Sapiens".
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Immortal mineralsThe Mineralogical Collection of the Institute of Geosciences is housed in a simple room with 60s charm. Here, rubies, emeralds, gold, and much more sparkle in plain glass cabinets. Professor Dr. Wolfgang Hofmeister guards these treasures and is responsible for adding new items – sometimes even vaporizing a diamond in the service of science.
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JGU runs in FrankfurtA team captain, two photographers, 28 runners, and the motto "The Gutenberg Spirit: Moving Minds – Crossing Boundaries" – this is how JGU presented itself at this year's J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge event in Frankfurt am Main.
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Renewable resourcesThe magic word that promises to facilitate energy transition is "renewable resources". They seem like the perfect solution: environmentally neutral, versatile, and constantly replenishing themselves. But are they really a panacea? Dr. Ralf Omlor, custodian of the Botanic Garden at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), is using the occasion of the "Renewable Resources – Plants, Products, Perspectives" Week to put his case that we need to take a more critical approach to this complex aspect.
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 ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIP 2012
Meave Leakey encounters relatives in MainzThe famous British paleoanthropologist Meave Leakey came to Mainz at the invitation of Professor Friedemann Schrenk, holder of the 2012 Gutenberg Endowed Professorship. She gave a lecture at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) in which she reviewed six million years of human history. But before that, she met with her ancestors in the Mainz Museum of Natural History.
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 MODEL EUROPEAN UNION MAINZ
Europe meets in MainzStudents from around the world met at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) in order to simulate the activities of the European Parliament. Thanks to the Model European Union Mainz (MEUM), participants can experience the EU's legislative process up close. The idea is to promote the concepts underlying the formation of the European Union.
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 NEW BUILDING
A new home for excellent researchThe Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) is a new center for life sciences on the campus of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation is providing EUR 100 million over 10 years in support for running the project, while the state of Rhineland-Palatinate is financing the institute's construction and building. In a special tour given for the JGU MAGAZINE, Dr. Bernhard Korn, Director of Scientific Core Facilities and Technology, highlights the work completed to date.
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 ETHNOGRAPHIC COLLECTION
Bronze head tells a tale of African culture and European plunderersThe Ethnographic Collection of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) is tucked away in the basement of the Forum universitatis. The more than 3,200 objects not only tell the stories of foreign cultures but also reveal just as much about the culture of European collectors over the past century. Custodian Dr. Anna-Maria Brandstetter provides insight into this treasure trove.
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 A CAPPELLA
EURO 2012 in their hearts, summer on their mindsFive students at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) are making a musical contribution to the European Football Championship 2012. As the a capella group So! ... und nicht anders, they sing about winning the championship and have made a quirky video that even professional footballers could learn from. In the interview, they talk about friendship, fans, and the art of making music simple.
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From container ship to artworkThe light and sound installation "resonate" was a huge success at the Frankfurt Luminale. Approximately 2,000 visitors a day came to see the container ship transformed into a work of art. The project was made possible through a joint project of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and Mainz University of Applied Sciences (MUAS). Students from the design faculty collaborated with Kaspar König of the School of Music.
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 POETRY
One poet, six translatorsHe is famed in Chile, yet rather unknown in Germany, although Raúl Zurita is one of the most important figures in Latin American literature. Six women – three students and three instructors – from the Faculty of Translation Studies, Linguistics, and Cultural Studies (FTSK) at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have now opened a gateway to his writing for German readers: They translated selected works by the poet.
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German ministers are not the only ones who have problems with plagiarismOn May 30th, the University Library (UB) of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) will be playing host to a conference with experts which is dedicated to a very topical subject: "Plagiate & Co – Wissenschaftliches Fehlverhalten ist (k)ein Kavaliersdelikt" ("Plagiarism and other transgressions – Academic misconduct is (not) a trivial offense"). Prior to this, UB director Dr. Andreas Brandtner talks about the nature of plagiarism and the objectives of the conference.
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 MUSICAL
Spring awakes with strong voice powerThis June, the association Musical Inc. will be performing their version of the hit Broadway musical "Spring Awakening" on the campus of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). A public rehearsal gave a foretaste.
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 JGU ALUMNA
University and children go well togetherTo German TV viewers, she is better known as "Super Nanny". Katia Saalfrank got great ratings but also garnered a lot of criticism. Before commencing her TV career, she studied education at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). It was not easy for the mother of four children; she always had to work hard to combine looking after a family with her university course. At the invitation of the Office of Gender Affairs and Equal Opportunity, this graduate of JGU came to Mainz to speak about how she managed it.
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 GIRS' DAY
Girls can do everything190 schoolgirls came to the 10th Girls' Day at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). Under the motto "Science is Exciting", they built computers, discovered the chemistry of colors, and solved tricky crimes. The mentors of the Ada Lovelace Project (ALP) were there to advise and guide them.
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The search for the "missing link" is called offThe evolution of mankind did not begin with a bigger brain, it began with the upright gait. As curtain raiser to his lecture series "Out of Africa: Zur Globalgeschichte des Homo sapiens" ("Out of Africa: On the global history of Homo sapiens"), Professor Dr. Friedemann Schrenk, the 13th holder of the Johannes Gutenberg Endowed Professorship, takes his audience back to the roots of humanity.
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One man gets excited about tiresome teachingMass universities need to place greater emphasis on teaching, says Dr. Malte Persike from the Institute of Psychology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). He has just been awarded the Ars legendi Prize for Excellence in University Teaching from the German Rectors' Conference and the Donors' Association for the Promotion of Sciences and Humanities in Germany – even though he teaches a subject that most of his students dread: Psychological methodology
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Germans spend EUR 103 billion on sportSport is dear to German hearts, but before Holger Preuß conducted his study nobody had any idea just how dear it is. The professor of Sports Sociology and Sports Business Administration at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) presents figures that provide impressive proof of the economic impact of sport: Germans spend at least EUR 103 billion on sport every year.
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Six years of filming on the riverThe video installation 'fliozan' invites visitors to lose themselves in the fascinating network of German riverscapes. It took six years for Professor Dr. Harald Schleicher of the Academy of Arts at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) to complete this monumental project. It is now on display in Duisburg.
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University trains first-class mechanicsEverybody knows that you go to university for studying. But who knew that Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) is also the largest vocational training institution in the region? The workshop at the Institute of Physics has now modernized its training facilities for precision machinists and presented its new CNC machines.
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Images of an unfamiliar universityUnder the name 'campus digital', five experienced amateur photographers have taken it upon themselves to capture as many facets of the university as possible on film. The group puts on a new exhibition every six months. Their latest show, 'laboratories’, has just opened.
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A weekend with brain researcher Hans FlohrIn January, medical and theology students of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) met for a weekend seminar which focused on an exchange of ideas between neuroscience and fundamental theology. Unsurprisingly, there was a clash of perspectives. But the students definitely benefited from the dialog between the two disciplines.
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Failures fuel scienceLeonie Mück and Thomas Jagau found they were meeting a previously unexpected need when they started their "Journal of Unsolved Questions" in 2011. The two doctoral candidates at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) were surprised by the positive response that their journal elicited from all sides. Even though the interest in the publication is still considerable, the future of their "Journal of Unsolved Questions" remains uncertain.
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A treasure chest of everyday Jewish life in the 18th centuryThe geniza of the old synagogue in Weisenau provides an in-depth look at the culture and everyday life of this old Jewish community. Professor Dr. Andreas Lehnardt of the Faculty of Protestant Theology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) has spent the last two and a half years carefully combing through this legacy from the 18th and 19th centuries. In the process, some very unique items have been discovered.
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Jesus didn't know of chocolateThe Green School at the Botanic Garden of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) is not yet two years old but it has already established itself as a popular educational institution for young and old alike. Some 4,700 visitors came in 2011. UNESCO, the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and the Chamber of Architects have also honored this exceptional institution.
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Record turnout for the Student Paper Info NightThe number of students who attended the first-ever Student Paper Info Night at the University Library of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) was much larger than expected. Director Dr. Andreas Brandtner was highly pleased with the enthusiastic student response to this event.
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Gutenberg's types move around the worldA special kind of world map, a photo gallery of JGU history, and a wall sculpture - these are the winning ideas developed by members of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) to embody the motto of its Institutional Strategy "THE GUTENBERG SPIRIT. Moving Minds – Crossing Boundaries."
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Poetry for all the sensesIn the Mainz LyricsLab, poems emerge as multimedia experiences. Poetry is seen and heard, sometimes even smelled and tasted. This unusual teaching project began in 2011. In it, students at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and the University of Applied Sciences Mainz work together to cast lyrics in new forms.
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IFuL tempts students to think outside the boxThe integration of the General Studies program in the new Bachelor's and Master's degree courses at Mainz University is in full swing. The interdisciplinary Research and Instruction (IFuL) Department has designed its courses to encourage students to move outside their individual subject to question their own methods and learn about other working methods.
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All humans come from AfricaFriedemann Schrenk is the 13th scholar to hold the Johannes Gutenberg Endowed Professorship. His lecture series on paleo-anthropology for the summer semester 2012 will focus on the evolution of human beings. Under the title "Out of Africa: The Global History of Homo Sapiens" he wants to look at the spatial, biological and cultural connections that have led to the human beings of today.
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