Insights into Faculty Days of Environmental Sciences in 2022

On June 28, the doors of the Hülsse-Bau were opened for the celebration of the faculty days. The corridors filled with informative and colorful posters that showed the impressive work being carried out in the different professorships and institutes attracted many visitors. Two main topics were on the program: the inaugural lectures of the new professors and the exchange and discussion about the international study programs of the faculty. The great challenge was to connect both locations of the faculty, Dresden and Tharandt, within the framework of the festivities.

After warm words of welcome from Prof. Dr. Hans-Gerd Maas, Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences  and Prof. Dr Christina Dornack, Vice Dean of International Issues, seven students of the international postgraduate programmes of the faculty shared with us their research work during the “Science Slam”. Each of the participants had the opportunity to present their work in a more relaxed format than conventional, challenging them to think outside the box. Some of them narrated their research as a fairy tale story; others used animations and/or captivating photos. At the end of this session and with the support of the audience, the presentation titled “Emojis as indicators of spatial-temporal-thematic developments in geo-social media” by Samantha Levi, master student of Cartography, was awarded as the best.

During the afternoon, JunProf. Dr. Anette Eltner enlightened us with new knowledge with her inaugural lecture on “Geosensor-systems for environmental monitoring across scales”. Unfortunately, the inaugural lecture of Prof. Dr. Andreas Hartmann has been cancelled for the faculty days but it will be presented in the coming September.

The postdoc session took place in a friendly open atmosphere in which the professors shared their own experiences and openly responded to the professional concerns and curiosities in the academic careers of the participants. At the end of the day, professors, staff members, students, friends and children of the faculty, gathered in the garden with snacks, drinks and music.

The second day on June 29, in the Lecture Hall J1, at the Judeich-Bau the participants were enriched with knowledge through three inaugural lectures; "Meteorology - research on interfaces of the Earth system" by Prof. Dr. Matthias Mauder, "Holz bewegt" by Prof. Dr. Markus Rüggeberg, and "Resource nexus perspectives on environmental pollution" by Prof. Dr. Daniel Karthe. Moreover, the poster exhibition filled the corridors of the building with visitors, giving them the opportunity for new interactions and knowledge exchange.

Finally, the International Postgraduate Study Programs Symposium allowed "Insights and Outlooks" with outstanding work being done in the individual programs. Among other things, synergies, new projects and future perspectives were presented that afternoon.

A great faculty has experienced two intense, impressive days of exchange - interdisciplinary and intercultural. Feedback so far indicates that this kick-off could become a good tradition. We will see...

A big thank you to all actors, enablers, helping hands and the guests! Whether, storage room, children's play facilities, beer table sets, get green ornaments or help with the break supply and in the evening - without all of you these two festival days would not have been possible! THANK YOU.