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CHE 2019: Successful right from the start - Jacobs University achieves top marks in CHE ranking for supporting its first-year students and for its internationality

The first days, weeks and months are often decisive for the later success of one’s studies. First-year students at Jacobs University Bremen can be sure that the university will give them an excellent start. This was confirmed by the renowned CHE university ranking in its current evaluation. The English-language campus university achieved top marks in the categories "Support at the Beginning of Studies" and "International Orientation". This year, Jacobs University is represented in the most comprehensive and detailed ranking of the German-speaking university landscape with the two study courses Electrical and Computer Engineering as well as Psychology.

More patient safety through better communication in gynaecology and obstetrics – new research project with the lead of Jacobs University Bremen.

Patient injuries and errors in medical care can occur in gynecology and obstetrics. This is often caused by inadequate communication between those involved. A research project with five partner institutions and Jacobs University as consortium leader, headed by Dr. Sonia Lippke, Professor of Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, aims to change this to improve patient safety.

What is the individual benefit of health promotion at work?

It is a win-win situation; workplace health promotion is beneficial for both employees and the company. In their study of many single tests on workplace health promotion, Prof. Dr. Sonia Lippke from Jacobs University Bremen and her colleague PD Dr. Aike Hessel from the German Pension Insurance Oldenburg-Bremen (Deutsche Rentenversicherung Oldenburg-Bremen) analyzed which types of measures are particularly effective. The motivation of employees by means of behavioral health promotion proved to be useful. However, company-wide measures and improvements in the working environment are even more effective.

Successful aging by means of regular physical exercise; “Fit im Nordwesten“ is recruiting study participants

Most people are aware that regular exercise is important to feel fit, healthy and connected. However, many don't know how to start exercising or they never find the right time to do the first step for a more physically active lifestyle. The aim of the new “Fit im Nord-Westen” program is to help people aged 60 and over who have so far done little or no physical activity at all. This program aims to help them becoming more active and age successfully. Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the research project is being carried out by the Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology (BIPS), Jacobs University Bremen, the Institute for Computer Science in Oldenburg (OFFIS) and Chemnitz University of Technology. The patron is Anja Stahmann, Senator for Social Affairs, Youth, Women, Integration and Sport in Bremen.

Study on patient communication: paper beats tablet PC

Information technologies such as tablet PCs are playing an increasingly important role in the communication with patients. But how effective are they for older adults, who often have difficulties understanding medical information and who are not technology-affine? A recently published study by Jacobs University has investigated this. The result: traditional paper formats are better suited for this target group to communicate health-related information than those on tablet PCs.

Research on complex power grids: Project at Jacobs University Bremen to receive further funding

More efficient power grids are essential prerequisites for a successful transformation of the energy system. To ensure this, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) extends the funding for an interdisciplinary research project for three years, involving seven institutes, including Jacobs University with the Professors Gert Brunekreeft, Stefan Kettemann and Hildegard Meyer-Ortmanns. The joint project is funded by the BMBF with a total of 2.5 million euros; Jacobs University will receive funding of about 430,000 euros. Talented applicants can apply for two PhD positions.

650,000 Euros for Radical Ideas in Higher Education

The Jacobs Foundation and Jacobs University Bremen are organizing an international challenge to find innovative and radical ideas for future higher education. The guidelines were developed in November 2018 during the symposium "B³ - Bildung Beyond Boundaries". Applications can be submitted effective immediately. In the course of the challenge, the Jacobs Foundation will fund selected projects with a total amount of up to 650,000 Euros (750,000 Swiss francs).

Robots as school teachers: Meeting of scientists at Jacobs University Bremen

It is about the interaction of humans and robots in school education: Starting Monday, 15 international researchers from various disciplines will spend a week on the campus of Jacobs University discussing this topic. The workshop is part of the European Union-funded research program "ANIMATAS", which promotes intuitive human-machine interaction with human-like social skills for school education. Jacobs University is part of the research consortium.

Student at Jacobs University Bremen is World Champion in Bench Pressing

Andrew Fiocco did it. At the World Championships in Bench Pressing, the World Powerlifting Congress in Florida, the student from Jacobs University Bremen won the title in his weight class. The 21-year-old lifted more than twice his body weight: 140 kilograms with an own weight of 65.6 kilograms.

Research objective: Better services for people

No matter whether it's childcare, care, mobility, education or neighbourhood services: In contrast to industry, there has been little sign of comprehensive digitization in such person-related services to date. But that is just changing. In an interdisciplinary joint project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with the participation of Jacobs University Bremen, scientists want to find out how new solutions and offers for tomorrow's services are created and could look like.

These are Jacobs University’s Teachers of the Year

Each year Jacobs University awards a professor, lecturer or language instructor among the many dedicated faculty members for their excellent teaching in the past academic year. The awardees are decided by a university committee based on the nominations from students.

The spread of Expressionism

It was represented by artists such as Henri Matisse, Emil Nolde, Käthe Kollwitz and Oskar Kokoschka. Starting in France and Germany, Expressionism spread worldwide at the beginning of the 20th century. In her book "The Routledge Companion to Expressionism in a Transnational Context", Isabel Wünsche, Professor of Art and Art History at Jacobs University Bremen, describes how this happened and which regional varieties developed.

Health tips and a virtual dive to coral reefs

How healthy are we - and how healthy is our environment? Anyone interested in these questions can gain exciting insights at the stands of Jacobs University Bremen and the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT). Next weekend (22 and 23 September, each from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.), both institutions will present themselves, among other things, with a joint research project on the “Forschungsmeile” (research mile) at the Schlachte in Bremen’s city centre.

How companies can reinvent themselves

Everyone is talking about digital transformation, and many companies regard it as one of their most important tasks. But existing approaches do not go far enough, a digitization of business processes - the "digital transformation" - alone is not enough to survive in competition in the long run. To be fit for the future, a "digital rebirth" is necessary, argues Sven Voelpel, Professor of Business Administration at Jacobs University Bremen, in his new book published jointly with Professor Marius Leibold. Their message: Companies need to reinvent themselves if their digitization shall be successful.

Jacobs Professor is heading international association of psychologists

Dr. Klaus Boehnke, Professor of Social Science Methodology at Jacobs University Bremen, took up his post as President of the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology (IACCP) during this year's international congress of the organization in Guelph, Canada. This well-known organization, founded in 1972, brings together psychologists from about 80 countries. Their work focuses particularly on the question of how cultural context determines human behavior. Like Jacobs University, the IACCP stands for a cosmopolitan approach and for cooperation across the boundaries of individual nations and disciplines.

“It’s a dream come true for a professor"

When she found out the result, she was very proud. In the latest CHE ranking, the most important university ranking in the German-speaking world, “her” course of study “International Relations: Politics and History” achieved excellent results. “That was fantastic, an incredible confirmation,” says the political scientist Prof. Dr. Karen Smith Stegen, who not only teaches the course at Jacobs University Bremen, but also designs and coordinates it.

Professor at Jacobs University becomes president at international association of psychologists

It is the oldest association of psychologists in the world: the International Association of Applied Psychology (IAAP) was founded in 1920. At its international conference, which takes place just once every four years, health psychologist Professor Dr. Sonia Lippke from Jacobs University Bremen took office as President of the Health Psychology Division a few days ago.

EY ALTER exhibition now in Berlin

Another reason to visit the capital city: after exhibitions at the Universum Bremen and the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, the interactive exhibition "EY ALTER - Find out about yourself" can now be seen until 19 January 2019 at the Gasometer in Berlin-Schöneberg. Heino Niederhausen, Head of Human Resources at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen, and Sven Voelpel, Professor of Business Administration at Jacobs University Bremen, came up with ideas for the entertaining and instructive discussion of aging.

How fear is changing societies: Humboldt Research Award winner to conduct research at Jacobs University

He is considered to be one of the world's leading scientists in the field of comparative cultural psychology. Prof. Dr. Shinobu Kitayama has now received the Humboldt Research Award for his work. The prize money of 60,000 euros is linked to a research collaboration with a German scientist. Kitayama is joining this project with Dr. Ulrich Kühnen, Professor of Psychology and Head of the Master's program in Psychology at Jacobs University Bremen.

Study: Sleep quality influences performance more than sleep quantity

A healthy, low-fat diet and undisturbed sleep play an important role in staying fit and full of energy during the day. Sleep quantity, on the other hand, is of less importance. This is the finding of a recently published study in the journal "Health Behavior & Policy Review," which was conducted at Jacobs University Bremen.