Ulm University’s Science Night gave visitors the opportunity to build their own stethoscopes, see what it feels like to be 80 years old with the help of an aging simulation suit, interact with robots and hold an Ulm coffee berry in their own hands.
From the afternoon into the evening of 14 July, more than 2000 people visited the campus, crowding into the Forum, admiring the cocoa, vanilla, coffee and tea in the Botanic Garden greenhouses or trying their hand as a neurosurgeon in the To Train U training hospital. The four faculties and central facilities collaborated to offer visitors more than 80 different activities, highlighting the great level of diversity at Ulm University. People willingly waited in line for the most popular events, which again included the guided tours and interactive programmes.
The Biology Department’s BioNight, which was held in celebration of the department’s 50th anniversary at Ulm University, was also well attended. Their programme included short lectures - for instance on how encountering a bear increases the production of stress hormones – as well as guided tours of the bumblebee farm and a closer look at microscopy. The highlight of the evening was the Science Slam in the packed lecture hall 4/5, which Malte Aurich won with his speech addressing the question of whether there had been a T-Rex in Ulm.
The Physics and Chemistry Departments were also present with hands-on science, including electrocatalysis, nuclear magnetic resonance and graphene analysis. At many stands, equipment was set up with which visitors could try their hand at making the hidden world visible to their own eyes. The medical and sensor technology stand was also met with great interest – as electrical engineering that gets under the skin. There were also powerful drones and miniature labs in microchip format as well as loads of artificial intelligence. The mathematicians and economists thrilled their audiences with the world’s fastest marble track and with magic numbers on the football field. The psychology of taste stand offered sweet and savoury treats. There was also information about eye tracking and personnel selection systems in the Forum. And that was not all.
Many of the older pupils in attendance took advantage of the presentations on the various subjects of study as well as the fact that the Student Advising Services were present. Many families also made the trip to Ulm University for the Science Night, and all ages were represented in the lecture halls.
Many visitors lingered in the Botanic Garden on the warm summer evening, enjoying listening to the University Big Band as they played the latest hits of the summer semester.