© Bielefeld University
Protest group occupies Lecture Hall
On the evening of 26 June, the protest group “Bielefeld unkürzbar” occupied Lecture Hall 15. The background to this is protests against the reduction in funding allocations from 2026 by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Following discussions with the protest group, the Rectorate assumes that the protest action will end on Saturday, 5 July.
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© Fortunato Rayan
Unexpected Animal Partnership Discovered in the Amazon
Researchers from Bielefeld University documented a puzzling relationship between ocelots and opossums in the rainforest for the first time – potentially an unknown cooperation between these two species.
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© Sarah Jonek/Universität Bielefeld
New EU Project: Trustworthy AI for Better Decision-Making
Bielefeld Project Linking Operations Research and Machine Learning Receives Over €4.6 Million in EU Funding.
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© TRR 318
Looking at Explanations of AI in Context
How can explanations of artificially intelligent systems be made comprehensible, and what role does context play in this? These questions are the focus of the 3rd TRR 318 conference ‘Contextualising Explanations’, which will take place on 17 and 18 June in Bielefeld.
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© Wissenswerkstadt/Sarah Jonek
Can football fever be measured?
Researchers at the university are analyzing the pulse of Arminia Bielefeld fans during the DFB Cup final in Berlin. The study, conducted in cooperation with the Bielefeld Wissenswerkstadt, uses smartwatches to measure heart rate and stress levels—both before and during the match.
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© Holger Schielzeth/CC BY 4.0
How reliable are behavioural tests with insects?
Research team from Bielefeld, Münster and Jena finds evidence that behavioural experiments with insects are also affected by the ‘reproducibility crisis’.
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© Bielefeld University
Attacks in Ukrainian city of Sumy
As a member of the European University Alliance NEOLAiA, Bielefeld University maintains special relationships with associated partners in Ukraine – including Sumy State University. An expression of solidarity with the Ukrainian partners.
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© Patrick Pollmeier
Rector on the board of the European University Association
Professor Dr Angelika Epple has been elected to the Board of the European University Association (EUA) for a four-year term of office. The EUA is the central organisation representing the interests of 900 members and is regarded as the voice of European universities.
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© privat
Meta-analysis questions assumptions about egg hormones
Do maternal hormones in bird eggs influence reproductive success? A new study shows surprisingly small effects. Dr Alfredo Sánchez-Tójar explains why previous assumptions need to be questioned.
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© Bielefeld University
50 years after the end of war: Voices from global Vietnam
Academics, a writer and an artist come together for a symposium at Bielefeld University – most of them belong to the Vietnamese post-war generations.
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© Bielefeld University
Why Scientific Results Vary
Different analytical methods have a significant impact on the results of scientific studies. This is demonstrated by a study conducted by an international research team, which includes researchers from Bielefeld University.
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© TRR 318/ Mike-Dennis Müller
‘Development of new interactive decision-making systems’
Bielefeld University has set up an independent research group to investigate explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) and its influence on human trust in AI. In this interview, its head Dr David Johnson talks about its aims and methods.
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© Philipp Ottendörfer
‘Understanding uncertainty as a driver of innovation’
Center for Uncertainty Studies (CeUS) establishes new research approach.
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© Foto li.: Pablo Holmes, Foto re.: privat
Self-managed abortion
Feminist networks campaign for reproductive rights. A research group at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF) is investigating their role and impact.
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© Universität Bielefeld
Michaela Vogt new Vice-Rector at Bielefeld University
On 13 December 2024, the university’s electoral assembly elected Professor Dr Michaela Vogt as a new member of the Rectorate. The Vice-Rectorate for International Affairs, Diversity and Society has thus been reorganised.
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© Bielefeld University/Sarah Jonek
ERC Consolidator Grant: 4 million euros to Bielefeld sociologists
Professor Dr. Minh Nguyen and Professor Dr. Carsten Sauer have both received a Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council (ERC). They are studying, respectively, financial risks in Asia and wage differentials in Europe.
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© Bielefeld University
How the Holocaust narrative is appropriated and distorted
The Swiss author Alexander Estis analysed the instrumentalisation of historical memory in his lecture at the Collaborative Research Centre 1288. The recording is now online.
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© Bielefeld University
Plant chemicals shape animal social lives
Bielefeld researchers reveal food-independent plant-insect interactions. Publication in the ‘Journal of Animal Ecology’.
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© Shell Jugendstudie
Young people 2024: Worried, but pragmatic and optimistic
Young people remain optimistic: results of the new Shell Youth Study published. Bielefeld University has been in charge of the study since 2002.
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© Universität Bielefeld/Martin Stoffel
Return of the Elephants Seals: From a Few to Thousands
A new international study led by Bielefeld University has revealed the genetic impact of hunting on northern elephant seals.
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© Bielefeld University
Trust or distrust towards AI chatbots
How do users deal with the technology? Computational linguist Prof. Dr Hendrik Buschmeier talks about this in a lecture series of the Transregio “Constructing Explainability”. The recording is now online.
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© Mike-Dennis Müller
50 years of Laborschule and Oberstufen-Kolleg
The experimental schools invite to an anniversary week in September. They research and develop learning structures and content together with their respective research units at the university.
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© Bielefeld University
Borders – European and African perspectives
The university’s ZiF offers two scholarships for researchers from Africa every year: the Norbert Elias Scholarships are sponsored by the Volkswagen Foundation.
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© Bielefeld University
New development: flexible but ultra-strong films
Until now, two-dimensional materials were considered brittle. An international research team, including physicists from Bielefeld, has now developed extremely thin structures that could be used for foldable computers, for example.
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