Finale & New Start for Humboldt reloaded  [28.09.20]

1,430 student research projects with 4,635 participants, 9 annual conferences and 4 summer schools - the balance of 9 years of Humboldt reloaded is impressive. Although the funding for the award-winning reform project expires at the end of the year after the maximum possible time, the recently completed student annual conference will not be the last, stressed University President Stephan Dabbert. Not only the virtual format (due to Covid-19) was different this year: the University of Hohenheim was also the host of the nationwide 5th conference for student research (StuFo 2020). Members of the university can still get an impression of the diverse topics on a virtual tour through the poster exhibition.

 

Fridays for Future: the movement initiated by Greta Thunberg brought the topic of climate change to the media agenda last year. In their demonstrations, the students called on politicians to take action. But according to frequent criticism, the media would instead focus on how each individual can make his or her own individual contribution to climate protection. In her Humboldt reloaded project, Romy Prero asked herself the question whether the public debate really lacks a political or societal perspective.

The student of communication science examined the reporting together with her fellow students and under the expert guidance of the seminar leader Claudia Thoms. Through a well-founded content analysis of 530 articles before and after the first "School Strike for Climate", the students came to the conclusion that the Fridays for Future movement can be classified as a key media event - but that the criticism is only partly justified.

Romy Prero is one of 441 students who participated in one of 132 Humboldt reloaded projects at the University of Hohenheim this year.

"Due to the Covid-19 crisis, the figures are somewhat lower than last year," stated Dr. Natascha Selje-Aßmann, the coordinator of Humboldt reloaded. "But Covid-19 also shows us how great the creative potential at Humboldt reloaded is: Supervisors and students have again set up exciting and thematically wide-ranging projects in digital formats."

 

StuFo 2020: Student research networks

At this year's virtual conference, however, not only students from the University of Hohenheim, but from all over Germany, presented their results. In 2020, the University of Hohenheim was also the host of the StuFo - the largest national conference for student research, which was held for the 5th time this year. Motto: "Research drives - growing through science".

Even though the Humboldt reloaded team would have loved to welcome the 135 student participants personally at the Palace, the virtual format did not detract from the enthusiasm and networking.

Particularly impressive examples of outstanding student projects were awarded prizes by the L-Bank, the University President, and an Honorary Senator of Hohenheim, Marion Johannsen. Particularly committed project supervisors were also honored.

 

Tour through virtual poster exhibition

For the virtual poster exhibition the student participants used the whiteboard tool "Miro". Members of the university who want to get an impression of the Hohenheim contributions themselves can take a digital tour on the Humboldt reloaded homepage.

The topics range from the creative use of organic waste and the use of biomass for electromobility, onion skins against cancer and the food consumption of breast-feeding women in Eastern Congo, to the questions of what influence the Mediterranean diet could have on the development of breast cancer or what role price algorithms play in cartel law.

 

Summer School

Future of Humboldt reloaded

The memory of the successful conference is not completely free of melancholy this year, as it also marks a transition: at the end of the year, Humboldt reloaded funding will expire after the maximum possible period.

However, this does not mean that Humboldt reloaded will be discontinued, emphasized University President Prof. Dr. Stephan Dabbert at a press conference at the end of the StuFo: "We will firmly establish Humboldt reloaded at the University of Hohenheim with our own funds and thus maintain this attractive and outstanding program. Research-based learning is academic teaching at the highest level. Only in this way can we train specialists who can meet the great challenges of our time".

However, in view of the financially strained situation of the University, this will not be possible without sacrifices.

So far, the university has received about € 1.7 million per year from the federal government for Humboldt reloaded. In the future, the university intends to provide about € 600,000 from the budget in order to continue central elements of the reform project, but also the sister projects STEPS (e.g. math support courses, writing workshop), which are also being phased out. At the same time, the university hopes to be able to successfully attract new funding for teaching in future calls for proposals (More on the topic of funding: President's interview of 3 August 20)

The project team around initiator Prof. Dr. Martin Blum will work in the near future to further develop the overall concept of the initiative. One thing is already certain: The student research projects themselves and the annual conference will also have a firm place in the future. One possible focus could be on interdisciplinary offerings.

 

Impact study proves success

The results of a current impact study, which will run until March 2021 and continues to follow the path of former Humboldt participants, will also be incorporated into the new concept.

The study is intended to show, for example, whether former Humboldt reloaded students more often take up a Master's program and attain a doctorate more often than their fellow students, or whether they write better scientific theses. "The study examines the general effect of research-related learning, but also works out particularly effective components of the initiative," said Dr. Selje-Aßmann.

Some interim results can already be noted: "Humboldt reloaded participants achieve a better grade point average than their fellow students at an earlier stage after the project. The study also shows that learning through research promotes research competence, professional competence, social competence, and reflection competence. Self-assessment skills are increased, which supports critical thinking. And understanding how research works at an early stage can support the further career path".

 

Voices from the Stufo