News from around the Institute of Geosciences
Survey on the start of studies in meteorology
In a national survey, we are shedding light on the expectations, hopes and challenges of first-year meteorology students. Our aim is to better understand what drives young students - and where they need support. The results will provide valuable insights into how to make the start of their studies more successful.
Successful interim evaluation of Jun.-Prof. Dr. Leonie Esters
We congratulate Jun.-Prof. Dr. Leonie Esters, Junior Professor of Climate Monitoring, on successfully passing the midterm evaluation of her tenure track professorship.
New interim professor
We are pleased to welcome our new interim professor, Dr. Christoph Renkl, who joined the institute in the Meteorology Section on March 15th.
Prof. Dr. Marcel Thielmann introduces himself as the newly established Chair of W2 Geophysics/Geodynamics
Welcome to Prof. Dr. Marcel Thielmann! He took over the newly established Chair of W2 Geophysics/Geodynamics on March, 1st 2025 and introduces himself in this news post:
"I am a geodynamicist with a focus on developing and applying mathematical and computational models to understand the physical processes that control deformation of the Earth’s surface and interior. I am particularly interested in the interplay between processes on different scales. Current research projects range from deep earthquakes, flow of complex fluids through porous media, the rheology of Earth's lower mantle and the interaction between deep Earth processes and surface deformation."
Welcome to the Geophysics Section and the Institute of Geosciences!
Planning competition: Children in the climate crisis
The Erasmus+ project Children in the Climate Crisis is organising a planning competition until 15 March 2025. All information on participation and prizes can be found here!
OER Festival - Session report
How can formulas be made accessible for everyone? This question was the focus of our session at the OERcamp 2024. In addition to an introduction to digital accessibility, the exchange with participants from different disciplines provided valuable new impulses - from technical solutions to interdisciplinary project ideas.
OER Festival - learning, networking, sharing
From November 18 to 20, 2024, the OER Festival took place in Essen, combining the ORCA.nrw conference and the OERCamp. The event offered space for professional exchange, joint problem-solving and the development of new approaches in the field of Open Educational Resources (OER).
Work Mode Off – Meteorology and Geophysics at work
In order to give students on the Meteorology and Geophysics course an insight into the diverse career opportunities in this field, a series of lectures has been launched in which people who work in this field talk about their work lives.
Field days in the Applied Geophysics module, WS 24/25
Once again this winter semester, we held our three field days in the mug515 / BW56 Applied Geophysics module at the beginning of November.
Welcome to the new parent-child office of the Meteorological Institute!
All information about the parent-child room such as equipment, booking etc. can be found here.
Digital accessibility - what to consider when creating your content
As in the real world, accessibility and inclusion play an important role in the digital world. This is not just about the usability or comprehensibility of content; accessibility should also be considered in the design of text and images.
“Digital inclusion” - our first workshop
How can OER content be made as accessible as possible? We addressed this question during the two-day workshop in Bonn in the form of an interactive presentation. We were supported by the CIMND* department of the Asta of the University of Bonn. During a museum visit to the Haus der Geschichte, we looked at different forms of presentation and how inclusive they are designed.
Report - The first monthly project meetings
The KlimaOER project is starting to show results: during the regular Zoom meetings, we discussed the emerging guidelines on inclusion, school visits with the climate kit and the identification of a best practice example.
International Double Degree Master's Program in Geophysics
Cooperation agreement signed for the international geophysics degree program with double degree - double degree for excellent students in the Master's program “Physics of the Earth and Atmosphere” at the University of Bonn and “Geophysics for Natural Risks and Resources” at the University of Padua
Field measurements on the island Spiekeroog
The field measurements as part of the module "Hydrogeophysics" of the master's degree programme in Physics of the Earth and Atmosphere took place in Whitsun week in 2024. The goal of this week was to apply geophysical measuring methods for characterising hydrological structures and processes. With the available measuring devices the students should analyse flow and transport processes. The exact question was related to the freshwater-saltwater interface of the island's groundwater and its tidal dynamics.
KinderUni at University Bonn
On May 27th, Junior Professor Leonie Esters spoke at the KinderUni at University Bonn about the difference between weather and climate. The children were enthusiastic and actively participated. More information about the KinderUni can be found at: https://www.uni-bonn.de/de/studium/studienorientierung-und-uni-bonn-entdecken/junge-uni/veranstaltungen-und-wettbewerbe/kinderuni
Abstract submitted at the EGU General Assembly 2024
Here you can find our abstract that we submitted for the EGU General Assembly in April 2024.
Early 2024, field measurements by geophysics team on Svalbard with project partners from UNIS and FZ Jülich
From mid of February to mid of March 2024 a team of the Bonn geophysics group conducts geophysical measurements on Svalbard in collaboration with project partners from the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) and Forschungszentrum Jülich. The team images the subsurface using different geophysical methods to improve understanding of groundwater flow paths leading to surface icings in glacier forefields as well as at coastal pingo sites where methane outgassing occurs.
PrePEP conference 2025
The international conference on ‘Precipitation Processes - Estimation and Prediction (PrePEP)’ to be held 16-21 March 2025 in Bonn, Germany, will bring together scientists contributing with new approaches to improve the monitoring, understanding, nowcasting and prediction of precipitation processes. This includes advancements in integrated multi-sensor observations, their exploitation for parameterization developments, classical or AI-based Nowcasting techniques, microphysical retrieval development, data assimilation, the blending with numerical weather prediction, hydrological flood forecasts and warning strategies. Please visit the conference website https://indico.scc.kit.edu/e/prepep for more information. Looking forward to seeing you in Bonn!
Science rally around Poppelsdorf
On January 27th, we participated with two stations in the science rally around Poppelsdorf. Under bright sunshine, over 300 students visited various scientific stations. At our stations, the students had the opportunity to learn the differences between weather and climate. In addition to explanations about the topics and measurement methods, they could illustrate their learning through experiments.
Wintry weather in Bonn
A wavy air mass boundary caused significant snowfall in Bonn and its surroundings this Wednesday. The air mass boundary moved very slowly, allowing precipitation to fall in the same location over an extended period. At the same time, there was a risk of freezing rain due to the weather conditions in southern Germany. The wintry weather will persist in our region until the weekend. The last time we experienced such large amounts of snow in our region was in December 2010.
Erasmus+ cooperation project
Last week, we launched our Erasmus+ cooperation project in Bonn and Cologne, which aims to present scientific findings on climate change in a way that is suitable for children. In this international project, we coordinate eight partner institutions from six European countries, including kindergartens, technical schools and youth centers from Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Italy, Poland and Spain. Our aim is to encourage even the youngest children to take a scientifically sound and sustainable approach to climate and climate change.
Image film meteorology Bonn
Curious about studying meteorology in Bonn?In the following video clip students, researchers and teachers of the subject meteorology of the University of Bonn report.
Faculty Teaching Award 2022
Our colleague, Vert.-Prof. Dr. Lisa Schielicke has been awarded the Teaching Award of the Faculty 2022.Ms. Schielicke represents courses in both the compulsory and elective areas of the bachelor's and master's programs of the teaching unit Meteorology and Geophysics. She covers introductory basic knowledge as well as special and in-depth topics of meteorological research. Her lectures are well received and highly praised by the students. By supervising theses in the field of atmospheric dynamics, Ms. Schielicke offers students additional research-related topics to choose from, which are gladly taken up. In addition, Ms. Schielicke is exceedingly involved in public relations for the Section of Meteorology and the course offerings.We are very pleased and congratulate her!
Winter Wonder 2022
As part of the Christmas lecture on the module "Applied Geophysics", students were able to geophysically confirm the existence of a suspected marzipan core.
6th International Workshop on Induced Polarization
From June 27th to 30th 2022 the 6th International Workshop on Induced Polarization took place in Annecy, France. The Geophysics Section of the University of Bonn contributed with three posters about their recent research activities to the conference.
Geophysical measurements on the North Sea island Spiekeroog
In May 2022, the Geophysics Section conducted a field trip of several days to the North Sea island of Spiekeroog, as part of the course Hydrogeophysics in the Master's degree program in Physics of the Earth and Atmosphere.
E-TEST: Einstein Telescope EMR Site & Technology
The Geophysics Section contributes to the implementation of the underground observatory and the development of the (hydro)geological model for the potential Einstein-Telescope (ET), an advanced gravitational-wave observatory, currently in the planning stage.
Foundation of the CESOC
The University of Bonn, the University of Cologne and the Research Center Jülich have founded a joint Center for Earth System Observation and Computational Analysis (CESOC). This creates an internationally visible focal point in the Rhineland to observe the Earth system globally, to understand it comprehensively and to predict changes.