Welcome at JGU MAGAZINE
|
 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. |
|
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. |
 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. |
|
Writing about 9/11"Ground Zero Fiction: History, Memory, and Representation in the American 9/11 Novel" is a 500-page analysis of American novels dealing with the events of September 11 written by Birgit Däwes, Junior Professor of North American Studies. The book has been awarded the American Studies Network Book Prize for 2012. |
|
From war in Biafra to the conflict in the Niger DeltaProfessor Edlyne Anugwom of the Department of Anthropology and African Studies at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) is working on a project entitled "From Biafra to the Niger Delta Conflict: Memory, Ethnicity, and the State in Nigeria". We asked him to talk about his country, which is suffering not just from the current conflict but also, it seems, from denial of the past as well. |
 A 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. |
 10th Girls' 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. |
|
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. |
|
Privacy is just an illusionFrom party photos to relationship status to sexual orientation – self-disclosure in the social web has become part of our everyday lives. But, users rarely make distinctions between good friends, acquaintances or workmates when posting private information. As a result, the 'private sphere' is disappearing. Dr. Leonard Reinecke, Junior Professor at the Institute of Media and Communication Studies at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), has been looking closely at this trend; how are users of social network platforms like Facebook dealing with this problem of self-disclosure and the protection of their private sphere? |
|
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 |
|
"I have never experienced such a mode of disinformation before"Günter Meyer is a popular interview partner when the crisis in Syria is the subject. Media representatives arrive in droves to talk with the professor, who works at the Institute of Geography at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). The expert on the Middle East is trying to correct the picture being propagated by mainstream journalism with its excessive bias in favor of the opposition. |
|
Germans spend €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 €103 billion on sport every year. |
|
A molecule folds itself into a solar sailProfessor Dr. Harald Paulsen and his team are researching the characteristics of the light-harvesting protein LHCII. The protein and its unusual self-organization skills have fascinated biologists for twenty years. It plays an important role in photosynthesis and may one day majorly increase the efficiency of solar cells. |
|
Straight from university to the opera stageIn 1988, the famous mezzo-soprano Claudia Eder brought a breath of fresh air to the School of Music at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). Appointed to a professorship, the singer was able to combine study and practice in a unique way. Her concept continues to be very successful and she now has many imitators. |
|
The media fueled fears while experts went unheardWhat happened a year ago in Fukushima? What role did the media play concerning safety assessment? What are the risks of nuclear power? Dr. Gabriele Hampel, operating manager of the research reactor TRIGA of the Institute of Nuclear Chemistry at JGU, advocates an objective discussion about questions such as these. She sees the symposium "Radiation Protection - A Year after Fukushima" as a step in the right direction. |
|
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 Mainz Academy of Arts to complete this monumental project. It is now on display in Duisburg. |
|
Winnetou under scrutinyProfessor Dr. Mita Banerjee's research focuses on indigenous peoples. She studies how Maori, Inuits, Aborigines, and American Indians live in contemporary society. The North American Studies specialist challenges stereotypes and combines diverse academic disciplines in her projects. |
|
Apprenticeship 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. |
|
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. |
|
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. |
|
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 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. |
|
Drugs testing is only a band-aidProfessor Dr. Dr. Perikles Simon has caused a stir with his method for detecting gene doping: He and his colleagues have succeeded in doing what was previously thought impossible. When it comes to headlines, this kind of research is exactly what the media love. However, in an interview, the head of the Sports Medicine, Prevention and Rehabilitation division at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz tends to take a rather different view. |
|
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 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. |
|
Jesus didn't know of chocolateThe Green School at Johannes Gutenberg University's Botanic Garden 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. |
|
Record turnout for the Student Paper Info NightThe number of students who attended the first-ever JGU Student Paper Info Night at the University Library was much larger than expected. Director Dr. Andreas Brandtner was highly pleased with the enthusiastic student response to this event. |
|
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 to embody the motto of its Institutional Strategy "THE GUTENBERG SPIRIT. Moving Minds – Crossing Boundaries." |
|
The trials of becoming a good interpreterDörte Andres is Professor of Translation Studies at the Germersheim location of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. Her field of research is still young and the professorship she holds was created only a short time ago. She talks about the challenges presented by the course and about the many facets of her subject. |
|
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 and the University of Applied Sciences Mainz work together to cast lyrics in new forms. |
The landscape of surnamesAs Professor of Historical Linguistics, Damaris Nübling's special interest is the development of the German language from its first documented form as Old High German, dating to around 800 AD, to contemporary German. Her current projects are witness to the fact that historical linguistics is actually anything but a drab and dry-as-dust discipline. Currently she is investigating the morphology of surnames in Germany. |
Higgs boson electrifies Mainz physicistsMatthias Neubert and his team are elated since scientists at Geneva's CERN research center found the first indications of the existence of the Higgs boson. This is the last building block missing from the standard model of physics. The head of the Theoretical Elementary Particle Physics unit at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz now expects his area of research to take off. |
|
Evaluating cirrhosis 'live' and accurately at the cellular levelDetlef Schuppan and his colleagues are developing a revolutionary method that will make it possible to evaluate the progress of fibrosis and cirrhosis at the cellular level and to even view the effects. For this work, the physician and chemist has been awarded the most highly endowed research grant of the European Union, the ERC Advanced Grant. |
|
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. |
|
The euro area needs a redemption pactBeatrice Weder di Mauro presented the Annual Report of the five-member German Council of Economic Experts at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. This council, which has included Weder di Mauro since 2004, is suggesting a redemption pact for the euro area as a way out of the current crisis. |
|
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. |
Video
