insightLMU / Issue 4 / 2012

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gal ob
issene ,forndere
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ellforragen
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usamungse und
ates“.
ebatte
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insight LMU
The international newsletter of LMU Munich
insight LMU / Issue 4, 2012
Research
Nuclear power: the long goodbye
What´s inside
by Wolfram Schrag
The disaster in Fukushima marks a turning point in German energy policy. Jurist Jens
Kersten examines the legal issues surrounding the decision to phase-out nuclear
power and the reevaluation of residual risk.
For the complete article, see www.en.lmu.de/news/insightlmu/2012/04_01.pdf
Academics
Lebkuchen, Lederhose
and Ludwig II
2
Research
A full-toned chorus of soft voices
The other mothers of invention The end of egoism 3
3
3
People
The biologist and the silver bird
Remote Kenyan village proves
invaluable to internship
In Short
LMU’s Summer University 2013
calls for applications
Research accolade for
Erika von Mutius
LMU honors outstanding
teaching projects
Johanna Welin and
her teammates
4
5
6
6
6
6
Überlebender eines Massakers: Der 16-Jährige entkam,
als der Attentäter Anders Breivik auf der norwegischen
Insel Utoya 69 Menschen erschoss. Foto: Wang Qingqin/
Xinhua Press/Corbis
Evacuees were permitted to return briefly to their homes inNur
the
exclusion
für 20-km
einen kurzen
Besuch durftenzone
die Bewohner
zurück in ihre Häuser in der 20-Kilometer-Sperrzone
around the disabled reactors at Fukushima. Here they undergo
check.
rund um a
dieradiation
havarierten Meiler
von Fukushima. Jetzt
müssen sie sich einer Strahlenmessung unterziehen.
Foto: Keizo Mori/UPI/Newscom picture alliance
Nummer 2 / 2012 Einsichten – Das Forschungsmagazin
33
Lebkuchen, Lederhose and Ludwig II
by Kathrin Bilgeri
The biologist and the silver bird
by David Lohmann
The fairy-tale splendor of Ludwig II’s
castles, the futuristic architecture of the
Allianzarena, and the historic Christ­
kindles­markt in Nürnberg are among the
destinations visited by TutoRIA, which
introduces international students to
German culture – and to fellow-students
from all over the world.
continued on page 2
Luck? Fate? Providence? Juliane Diller
was the sole survivor of a plane crash
that claimed 91 lives in Peru in 1971. Yet
the LMU alumna, now Deputy Director
of the State Zoological Collection (ZSM)
in Munich still flies to Peru every year to
work in “her” nature reserve, Panguana.
continued on page 4
More news on LMU Munich at www.en.lmu.de/news
Remote Kenyan village proves invaluable to internship by Elizabeth Willoughby
Neither through tourism nor NGO, but
by teaching local students in rural Kenya
was LMU student Monika Aschenbrenner
able to experience Africa in a deeply
meaningful way. Curiously, the unique
internship that provided the opportunity
is offered only by LMU’s faculty for
biology education.
continued on page 5
1
Academics
insight LMU / Issue 4, 2012

Lebkuchen, Lederhose and Ludwig II
by Kathrin Bilgeri
The fairy-tale splendor of Ludwig II’s castles, the futuristic
architecture of the Allianzarena, and the historic Christkindlesmarkt in Nürnberg are among the destinations
visited by TutoRIA, which introduces international students
to German culture – and to fellow-students from all over the
world.
Clever marketing strategists like to refer
to Munich as the most northerly of Italian cities. Is there any truth in the tag?
“Munich’s flair does have something
Italian about it,” says Cecilia Cignacco,
who hails from Udine in the Northeast of
the real Italy. The 21-year-old student of
philology is now in her fifth semester at
LMU. Her three flat-mates are all Germans, which has had a very positive
effect on her command of the language.
“Among ourselves, we use only German,
and that’s great,” she enthuses. Moreover, she is an avid collector of flyers.
“There is always so much going on for
international students at LMU. So whenever I come across a flyer, I snap it up.”
A taste of German culture
Indeed that’s how she became aware of
the TutoRIA program, in which LMU
students help fellow-students from
abroad to find their bearings in Munich.
“I have made many new friends through
TutoRIA,” Cecilia says. She was par­
ticu­lar­ly impressed by the city tour
“München – klein, aber fein”. “We
climbed to the top of “Old Peter’s”,
Munich’s oldest church, where we had a
wonderful view over the historic center
of the city; then we had coffee on the
central market, the Viktualienmarkt,
before making a visit to the works of the
Old Masters in the Alte Pinakothek. The
tour was led by Mariana Schmid, one of
four students who are responsible for
managing the TutoRIA program. “We
always try to give our students a taste
“München – klein, aber fein” – the TutoRIA city tour 2013: Cecilia,
Mariana and Victory (the 2nd, 3rd and 6th from the left) and their
new friends
of German culture, so that a real cultural
exchange takes place,” says Mariana,
who is in the throes of writing a Master’s
thesis in Education.
Mariana knows all about the sort of challenges that international students face.
She was born and raised in the city of
Hermannstadt in Rumania. One of her
grandfathers is German, and she has
been familiar with German language and
culture since childhood. Nevertheless,
the first phase of her stay in the Bavarian
capital was not easy. Indeed, that is why
she very soon decided to take advantage
of TutoRIA – first as an eager learner
and, since last autumn, as a member of
the new team of tutors. Full of zest she
sits in the cosy TutoRIA office, which is
nestled in one of those cramped and
venerable buildings in the University
district. “I have learned that organizing
an extensive program is anything but
simple,” Mariana remarks wistfully. “But
we did have a great deal of help from the
staff of the International Office in the
beginning.”
Fribourg in the French-speaking region
of Switzerland, is fully occupied with her
studies, so she has to keep an eye on
her budget. She plans to write her
Bachelor’s thesis in Geology at LMU – in
German. “The professors are very approachable and explain lots of things for
me,” she says. “It is a pity though that
many lecturers do not provide notes,
with which I could check up on points
that I missed or misunderstood during
the lecture itself.” That is, no doubt,
partly because Victory is a pioneer in
her subject: she is currently the only
exchange student in her Geology class.
Victory is, however, confident that she
can cope, as she likes being in Munich.
And the diverse activities offered by
TutoRIA help to keep her in good spirits.
Meanwhile, Mariana and her team are
already planning a trip to Vienna and a
cycling tour of Munich for the coming
summer semester. And Victory has
plans of her own for the summer. She
intends to invite a Swiss friend of hers,
who is currently spending a year in
Heidelberg, to visit her in Munich, and
take a customized tour of the city under
her guidance. After all, Victory has
learned how it’s done – from Mariana,
on the “München, klein, aber fein” tour.
Translation: Paul Hardy
Thanks to the financial support provided
by the German Academic Exchange
Service (DAAD), the outings planned by
Mariana and her colleagues are very
attractively priced. And that is something else that Victory Jaques appreciates. Victory, an exchange student from www.tutoria-international.lmu.de
2
Research
insight LMU / Issue 4, 2012
Wege aus der Krise: Fortschritts-Denken
Wege aus der Krise: Der volle Klang der leisen Stimmen
n
nahmen festlegen“, erklärt Zangl. „Das
n klassischer Fall der Orchestrierung.“
olge wurde eine Weltdiamanten-Orgaon gegründet. Dieser World Diamond
cil kontrolliert seitdem die Zertifizieum legal geförderte Diamanten von
iamanten zu unterscheiden. Die Herlässt sich mit einem technischen Vern klären, das allerdings erst entwickelt
en musste.
ns ist dabei interessant, dass die IGOs
m Moment anfangen zu orchestrieren,
m sie ihre Kernaufgaben nicht mehr
lösen können“, sagt Zangl. „Der UNrheitsrat spürte das deutlich, als die
ionen nicht griffen.“ Die Internationarganisationen setzen immer öfter danichtstaatliche Organisationen oder
ute zu finden, die ähnliche Interessen
gen und die sie dann weich und eher
ekt führen, wie Zangl es nennt. „Damit
dert sich auch das Bild der Organisan.“ Denn nun agieren IGOs vermehrt
t mit privaten Verbänden und Firmen,
nicht mehr nur mit Staaten.
werden oft nicht mehr selbst aktiv, sie
n die Arbeit von NGOs oder Publicte-Partnerships indirekt, um ihre
tlichen Ziele zu erreichen. Vor allem
wo lokale Kontrolle notwendig ist, setie auf sogenannte Intermediäre, wie
olitologen sie nennen, eine Art Mittler.
haben sowohl das nötige Fachwissen
ch gute regionale Kontakte. „Bei aktuKrisen muss man meist nicht mehr
taaten regulieren, sondern Akteure
halb der Staaten, um einen Missstand
kämpfen“, sagt Zangl. „Im Falle von
beispielsweise ist es wichtig, das Sexuhalten von Menschen zu beeinflussen
nicht das des Staates, in der Finanzmuss man die Banken regulieren.“ In
n besteht die Aufgabe also vor allem
, einzelne Gruppen innerhalb eines
es gezielt zu erreichen, ohne die Souität der Staaten zu verletzen. „Orchesn ist eine Möglichkeit für IGOs, an den
en vorbei zu handeln oder sie zumin-
2

Global Governance and Public Policy
Innovation research
B
ienenzucht und Buchdruck. Wenn
man mit Dietmar Harhoff über Innovation redet, kommt er bald auf
die Ambivalenzen zu sprechen. An den
beiden Beispielen erläutert er anschaulich, dass Neuerungen oft ganz andere
Wege gehen, als es die Urheber im Sinn
hatten. Die Geschichte der sogenannten
Killerbienen kann er dabei so detailreich
erzählen, als wäre er Insektenforscher.
Tatsächlich aber leitet Harhoff das Institut
für Innovationsforschung, Technologiemanagement und Entrepreneurship an
der LMU, kurz INNO-tec, das untersucht,
welche Folgen Innovationen mit sich
bringen und unter welchen Bedingungen
Neues entstehen kann.
Ende der 50er Jahre jedenfalls wurden afrikanische Bienen in Südamerika eingeführt.
Man hoffte, durch eine Kreuzung von Honigbienen aus Europa und Afrika neue Rassen
züchten zu können. „Afrikanisierte Honigbienen“ sollten besonders gut ans tropische
Klima angepasst sein. Allerdings entkam in
Brasilien eine Reihe von afrikanischen Bienenköniginnen. Ihre Nachkommen sind
inzwischen bis in die südlichen Bundesstaaten der USA vorgedrungen und verletzen
immer wieder Menschen tödlich, sie gelten
als besonders angriffslustig. „Das war ein
Innovationsversuch, der in gewisser Hinsicht
danebengegangen ist“, stellt Harhoff nüchtern
fest
und
geht nahtlos
zu seinem nächsSierra
Leone,
2005:
Ex-Soldaten
der Rebellenorganisation
RUF ten
schürfen
im Norden
des Landes
nach Diamanten,
die
Beispiel
über,
das ebenfalls
die mögliche
sie auf dem Schwarzmarkt verkaufen. Foto: Les Stone/Corbis
Ambivalenz von Innovationen zeigt.
Die revolutionäre Erfindung, mit der Johannes Gutenberg Mitte des 15. Jahrhunderts
den Buchdruck
mit
beweglichen
39 in
Nummer
2 / 2012 Einsichten
– Das
ForschungsmagazinLettern
Europa begründete, habe zwar auch dazu
geführt, dass religiöse Schriften in größeren
Auflagen veröffentlicht werden konnten,
erklärt Harhoff. Doch die Bibel als Schriftstück, an das viele beim Namen Gutenberg
als Erstes denken, sei eigentlich nicht typisch
für die Anfangszeit des neuen Mediums.
„Eine weitere breite Anwendung des Buchdrucks ist das Drucken pornografischer
Schriften gewesen“, weiß Harhoff. Sie waren
A full-toned chorus of soft voices
Hubert Filser
International organizations are increasingly making use of
third parties. This allows them to control events indirectly, as
a conductor uses an orchestra to bring the music into being,
says political scientist Bernhard Zangl.
22
For the complete article, see
www.en.lmu.de/news/insightlmu/2012/04_02.pdf
Einsichten – Das Forschungsmagazin
Eine revolutionäre Innovation aus Deutschland, das große Geld machen andere:
die MP3-Technologie. Foto: ddp images:
The other mothers of invention
beim Publikum äußerst erfolgreich, werden
heute aber oft pietätvoll verschwiegen.
Das INNO-tec will aber keine wissenschaftliche Forschung „fürs Archiv“ schreiben,
ner Arbeit stellt: „Wie können wir durch
zu etablieren, Bereiche zusammenzuführen,
unter Umständen klug nutzen lassen.
halb auch, „kulturelle Probleme überwinden,
Mit den Beispielen zeigt Harhoff, welche betont der Institutsvorstand. Es gelte, in den
by
Nikolaus Nützel
Frage das INNO-tec in den Mittelpunkt sei- Unternehmen eine Kultur der Kooperation
auch Sprachprobleme“. Harhoff möchte
nicht zuletzt wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen
Nachwuchs in die Unternehmen bringen,
der darin geschult ist. Schon im dritten
Semester müssen die Studierenden deshalb im Rahmen einer Pflichtveranstaltung
Unternehmern bei konkreten Projekten
zuarbeiten, damit sie so früh wie möglich
in der Praxis eine Idee davon bekommen,
was der abstrakte Begriff „Innovation“
wirklich bedeutet.
Innovationsmanagement heiße auch, die
Risiken richtig einzuschätzen, die jede Neuerung mit sich bringt, ergänzt Harhoff – vor
allem das Risiko des Scheiterns. Die Ein-
Innovationsmanagement und Prozesssteu- die traditionell oft nebeneinanderher arbeiCountries
like Germany that depend on the export of high
erung Entwicklungen in eine Richtung ten. Immer wieder hätten die Ingenieure in
bewegen, die uns sozial wünschenswerte der Entwicklungsabteilung eines Unternehtechnology
must
promote
innovation.
LMU researchers led by
mens vor allem technische
Fragen im Blick
oder privatwirtschaftlich erwünschte
Ergebnisse bringt?“ Innovation sei eben „kein rei- und nicht so sehr den Konsumenten. Die
Fachleute
der Marketingabteilung
hingegen
ner Zufallsprozess“, heißt
es in der Selbst-at
Dietmar
Harhoff
INNO-tec
are
studying
the best ways to
darstellung seines Instituts. Wenn Neues in hätten oft Probleme, sich in technische Fradie Welt kommt, gebe es Gesetzmäßigkeiten, gestellungen hineinzudenken, meint Harhelp
new
ideas
become
reality.
die sich wissenschaftlich untersuchen und hoff. Innovationsmanagement heiße des-
führung einer Lkw-M
in seinen Augen e
dafür, dass eine Inn
holprigen Start habe
Erkenntnis, dass etw
Korrektur liegen We
so vermessen zu be
zuständigen Firma
gegangen wäre, we
nisse eingeflossen w
INNO-tec erarbeitet
dass sein Institut mi
bleme zu schärfen,
wenn sich Neuerung
„In vielen Unterneh
schiefläuft, sitzen
genau wissen, dass e
diese Erkenntnis spr
durch, oder sie wird
nicht umgesetzt.“
Zur möglichst reibun
chen Innovation ge
denkbare Probleme
Umsetzung oder bei
im Blick zu haben. D
che zeigt nach Ansic
auch, wie wichtig ein
teter Blick nach vor
firmen hätten jahre
lung von Spitzentech
weil sie von politisch
durch das Erneuer
profitierten. Ein ana
Zukunft hätte seiner
können, dass für de
Solar-Panels nach ih
gen vor allem eines w
Ihre Kosten deutlic
Wettbewerb mit chi
weiterhin halbwegs
Die Pleitewelle in de
che sei daher zum
machtes Problem.
Ein Kernthema der F
INNO-tec ist die Fra
gen gegeben sein m
Neues aufkommen k
durchsetzen. So un
For the complete article, see
www.en.lmu.de/news/insightlmu/2012/04_03.pdf
Nummer 2 / 2012
Microbiology
The end of egoism
by Kathrin Burger
er
nd
Microorganisms communicate and cooperate: Researchers
like LMU microbiologist Kirsten Jung have recently begun to
understand the organization of bacterial communities that
display forms of social behavior.
e wahr? Und
etwa Tempehwankungen
verarbeitet?
ursprünglich
g Biochemie
n von chemit die Antene weiß man
ber eine Art
eagieren auf
te,
neller als auf
ren“, sagt die
arin eine ein-
biologin Jung
ger, der unter
Vorbereitung
e ihre Studenufen. Dieser
künstlichem
einiger Zeit
euchten. Die
yi, der auf der
t und blaues
che heißt das
och auch hier
seinen Stoff-
For the complete article, see
www.en.lmu.de/news/insightlmu/2012/04_04.pdf
Überlebender eines Massakers: Der 16-Jährige entkam,
als der Attentäter Anders Breivik auf der norwegischen
Insel Utoya 69 Menschen erschoss. Foto: Wang Qingqin/
Xinhua Press/Corbis
Leuchten nur im Pulk: Kirsten Jung hat an Kulturen
von Vibrio harveyi untersucht, wie Bakterien ihren
Stoffwechsel synchronisieren. Foto: Jan Greune
Nummer 2 / 2012 Einsichten – Das Forschungsmagazin
55
3
People
insight LMU / Issue 4, 2012

The biologist and
the silver bird
by David Lohmann
Luck? Fate? Providence? Juliane Diller was the
sole survivor of a plane crash that claimed 91 lives
in Peru in 1971. Yet the LMU alumna, now Deputy
Director of the State Zoological Collection (ZSM)
in Munich, still flies to Peru every year to work in
“her” nature reserve, Panguana.
“The forest saved me; now I am repaying the debt,” Juliane Diller says
who has “her own“ nature reserve, Panguana.
When she comes to, she has concussion,
a broken collarbone and cuts, but nothing worse. Later, the experts will argue
whether the forest canopy, an updraft or
a propeller effect on her seat-row helped
to cushion the impact. It subsequently
emerges that, of the 92 passengers, she
is the only survivor.
after 11 days alone in the jungle, she biology, Diller is also involved in social
came to a hut. There she was, by chance, projects, in schools for the local people
discovered by loggers.
and in protecting the local environment.
“Here, biodiversity is under threat parWhen she returned to civilization, the ticularly from hunters, gold prospectors,
17-year-old was plagued by nightmares, slash-and-burn agriculture and the cultipursued by the media and struggling to vation of coca,” she explains.
come to terms with the loss of her mother.
“In the 1970s, psychological help for A newspaper interview occasioned by
traumatized survivors wasn’t an issue,” another plane crash in 2009 ended Diller’s
she points out. She found refuge in Kiel, long silence. She began to appear in talk
where her grandmother and aunt looked shows, and on the 40th anniversary of
after their young, but suddenly mature, the disaster she finally published a full
charge.
account of her horrific experiences. The
book was a sort of therapy, she says, and
On completing her primary degree in helped her to put the tragedy behind her.
Biology at Christian-Albrechts-Universität
in Kiel, the search for a PhD supervisor Telling the tale, as sort of therapy
led her to the city on the Isar, and to
LMU. To carry out field studies for her Nevertheless, born and raised in Peru,
doctoral thesis, she returned several Christmas retains a tinge of sadness for
times to Peru, the scene of so many dis- her. “I often think of my mother at this
parate memories.
time but, as far as possible, we celebrate
the holiday in the normal way,” she says.
In 1998 Diller returns to the site of the Even in the wilds of Peru, one could get
crash
hold of a Christmas tree every year.
As a trained biologist, Diller favors rational explanations but, 41 years later,
she cannot avoid regarding her survival
as “to a certain extent” miraculous. A
petite figure, she came through the
aftermath of the crash largely unscathed,
mainly thanks to the fact that she had
grown up at the Peruvian research station
run by her German parents. The survival
skills learned there enabled her to find
her way by following watercourses and,
One reason for Diller’s strength of mind,
and insistence on returning regularly –
by air – to South America, lies in her
deep attachment to her favorite project,
Panguana. Thanks to her personal commitment, thew old-growth tropical rainforest around the research station set up
by her parents in 1968 is now a private
nature reserve. “The forest saved me;
now I am repaying the debt,” she says.
In addition to doing basic research in
On Christmas Eve 1971, a passenger
airliner runs into a severe storm front
over the Peruvian rainforest, and is
struck by lightning. The aircraft bursts
into flame and goes into a nosedive.
The 17-year-old Juliane, hunched in a
window seat beside her mother in the
rear of the passenger cabin, has a clear
view to the cockpit door. Gravity is
now in charge. Against the throb of the
engines, the panic-stricken passengers
are screaming. The plane breaks up and
Juliane, strapped in her seat, plunges
3,000 meters into the treetops below.
Saved by her intimate knowledge of the
forest
Diller still prefers a seat by the window
when she flies, and finds the sight of a
silver bird taking off “fascinating”. But
her husband suffers from acrophobia,
and she, who lived through a 3-km fall,
often has to allay his fears during
take-off and landing. And her dearest
wish? “I would love to fly in an airship
someday.”
Translation: Paul Hardy
4
People
insight LMU / Issue 4, 2012

Remote Kenyan village proves invaluable
to internship
by Elizabeth Willoughby
Neither through tourism nor NGO, but by teaching local students in rural
Kenya was LMU student Monika Aschenbrenner able to experience Africa
in a deeply meaningful way. Curiously, the unique internship that provided
the opportunity is offered only by LMU’s faculty for biology education.
In the village of Mumela, in rural Kenya,
the market center is home to a few shops
as well as people selling fruit, eggs and
anything else that locals require. There
is a sort of bar on a dusty side road, and
donkeys carry water from the river to
the town’s scattered houses made of
stone, brick or clay for the thousand or
so inhabitants, mostly little children.
Mumela has ten churches, one school
and no electricity.
With three teaching internships at
German schools under her belt, it was
Mumela where LMU’s Monika Aschenbrenner decided she would do yet
another one. Mumela would have no
fancy house, no heavy costs and a program typically unheard of in biology
education.
An exchange of knowledge
Organized by LMU Biology department’s
Dr. Monika Bieberbach with the support
of the head of faculty, Professor Birgit
Neuhaus, the internship provides the
opportunity to stay in Mumela for six
euro per day for room and board, to teach
local students and to gain intercultural
sensitivity experience in a most profound
way. It is exactly the type of program Ms
Aschenbrenner had been searching for
since high school.
For four weeks this year, Monika took
showers by dumping buckets of water
over herself, and breakfasted on fruits
and pancakes at her landlady’s before
walking downhill to the Mumela school,
greeting children along the way. She
learned that a long handshake with every
person is very important. She learned to
let go of the need to always be productive,
and to just sit and converse, sometimes
for hours. She learned that in Mumela
there is no separation between religion
and other parts of daily life, and that
A teaching internship in rural Kenya: gaining
there is a vivid mix of Christianity with a intercultural sensitivity experience in a most
belief in ghosts, demons, spells and profound way.
curses – a combination that can lead to
strange things, such as exorcisms.
talks with, ‘You should stay abstinent,
But Monika wasn’t the only one learning. but if it does happen, then…,’ which was
The students’ enthusiasm for knowledge an easy concept to grasp considering all
above and beyond the curriculum is the pregnant young girls in town.”
something she says she will never forget.
Pupils met once per week on their own The take home
in order to debate complex issues that
affect their community, such as if tourism When it comes to teaching, Monika’s
is good for Kenya’s economy, and they month in rural Kenya proved invaluable.
requested extra biology classes during Working with students of varied levels of
English, she was forced to break down
their free time.
the lesson content in order to reach
Discussing AIDS prevention was another everyone in the class and to engage
memorable class. “They are well edu- people who have an entirely different
cated on how infection occurs and that value system.
abstinence and condoms protect you,”
says Monika. “The problem was more “I am much better prepared for and
that they didn’t know anything about more aware of the problems that might
condoms, how to use them, even what arise. I see the importance of not trying
one looked like, so I brought one to to make students see things my way, but
school for a life skills lesson. The fact that to bring things across to them in their
they started asking so many questions way. I haven’t seen any other possibility
assured me that I had done the right in my studies where I could have learned
thing. I talked openly about the matter to that, especially in biology, which is what
diminish taboos – it’s too important not makes this opportunity so special.”
to explain. But I had to respect their
religion that insists that sex before So special, in fact, that she plans to return
marriage is a sin, so I always prefaced my to Mumela – it’s the subject of her thesis.
5
In Short
insight LMU / Issue 4, 2012
LMU’s Summer University
2013 calls for applications
LMU honors outstanding
teaching projects
In 2013, the Munich International
Summer University (MISU) will get off
to an early start – in March – with the
Oncology Winter School. The European
Environmental Studies course mainly
designed for undergraduates and a
two-week program in Holocaust Studies
for advanced students will complement
MISU’s already broad range of subjects
covering European politics and law,
medicine and biology as well as nanosciences and electronic media. MISU
encompasses schemes tailored for
students at all stages of their career –
comprising demanding undergraduate
courses, practical research programs
and PhD seminars, as well as German
classes and cultural excursions.
As part of Lehre@LMU, LMU has, for
the first time, instituted annual awards
for distinguished contributions to
teaching. The new initiative hopes to
promote the systematic integration of
research skills and practical competence
in teaching programs. The LMU Prize
for Innovation in Teaching, worth 10,000
euros, has gone to the MeCuM-SiGma
team for their novel teaching module
“Simulation Gesundheitsmanagement”
(Health Management Simulation). In
addition, seven student research projects each received an LMU Student
Award for Excellence in Research worth
1,000 euros. Among the winners in this
category was the iGEM-Team LMUMunich, whose Beadzillus project in
bionanotechnology has already received
international recognition.
www.lmu.de/international/misu
Research accolade for
Erika von Mutius
Erika von Mutius, Professor of Pediatric
Allergology at LMU and Senior Consultant at Dr. von Hauner Children’s
Hospital, is among those chosen to
receive the 2013 Leibniz Prize awarded
by the German Research Society (DFG).
The Leibniz Prize is the most important
German accolade for research, and is
worth 2.5 million euros. In 2010, von
Mutius was awarded a highly endowed
Advanced Investigator Grant by the
European Research Council (ERC). Her
research centers on elucidating the
pathogenesis of asthma and allergies,
and finding ways to prevent them.
www.en.lmu.de/news/news
archiv/2012/2012_leibniz.html
www.lmu.de/aktuelles/presse
informationen/2012/p-13-12.html

Imprint
Published by the Executive Board of
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Johanna Welin and her
teammates
LMU medical student Johanna Welin
and the other members of the German
Women’s Wheelchair Basketball team
have been named as Disabled Athletes
of the Year. Welin and her teammates
took the gold medal in the basketball
tournament at the Paralympics in London
in the summer, defeating Australia in the
final. It was Germany’s first victory in
wheelchair basketball at the Paralympic
Games since 1984.
www.en.lmu.de/news/spotlight/2012_
articles/spotlight_sports.html
Any questions or comments? [email protected]
Luise Dirscherl (editor in chief)
Dr. Kathrin Bilgeri (executive editor)
Communications & Media Relations
Layout: Christine Meyer Design München
Picture Credits:
Keizo Mori/UPI/Newscom picture alliance
(p. 1), Mariana Schmid (p. 2), Le Stone/
Corbis (p. 3, top left), ddp images (p. 3, top
right), Jan Greune/LMU (p. 3, bottom),
Juliane Diller (p. 4), Monika Aschenbrenner
(p. 5), LMU Munich (p. 6).
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