2 news 05 2016 unı leben newspaper of the university of freiburg www.leben.uni-freiburg.de a firm line the university of freiburg resolutely opposes xenophobia by thomas goebel the university of freiburg "decisively condemns any form of anti-foreign activity throughout the entire university. the senate has unanimously made this clear after many nationalistic and xeno- phobic slogans appeared on campus. the initiative for this resolution came from the students. "our main thought was that the uni- versity is not a politically neutral place – particularly at a time when refugee hostels are being set on fire," empha- sized julia müller, a law student. as a member of the senate, she was among those who submitted the draft resolu- tion. "if there are anti-foreign incidents taking place around the university then we must oppose them and support tolerance and diversity," she added. on 20 april 2016, hackers gained access to several printers of the uni- versity of freiburg and printed out racist and anti-semitic texts. printers at other higher educational institutions in germany produced similar pamphlets. swastikas were also scratched into window panes of a few university build- ings – including the windows of the student council building on belfort- straße. in addition, stickers with na- tionalistic and anti-foreign slogans appeared on collegiate buildings, the university library and street signs. these apparently came from the right- ist extremist, nationalistically-oriented, identity movement that is being ob- served by germany's office for the protection of the constitution. curiosity and candor "the stickers were distributed around the whole campus and downtown. we're still finding them," said christian kröper. as a representative of the julia müller and christian kröper are aiming to use educational work and training to take a stance against racism. photo: thomas kunz legally-constituted student government, the student of english language and literature is an advisory member of the senate. students went on to write a draft resolution and submitted it to the committee for a vote. "i'd expected lots of skepticism," said kröper, "but the reaction was just the opposite. the idea was welcomed across the board by all status groups." the committee reworked the text slightly and sub- sequently passed it unanimously. the senate's resolution makes it "un- ambiguously clear that universities are places of plurality, cosmopolitanism and international exchange." in the 2015/16 winter semester, more than 16 percent of the students at the univer- sity were from abroad. the proportion of foreign academics and researchers has also been increasing for years. the resolution says that racism and xenophobia have no place at the uni- versity. it goes on, "to thrive, research and teaching require a climate that is characterized by curiosity and candor rather than hatred and fear. the uni- versity of freiburg sees creating this climate and fostering it as one of its most important tasks." biology professor ralf reski is glad about the student initiative. "it's a matter of how the university sees itself," said the senate spokesman for the professors' group. he continued, "we're dependent on international cooperation – scientists and scholars must discuss results freely – without bias based on faith, nationality or con- tinent of origin." he went on to say that exclusion was incompatible with the human tasks of research and teaching. "universities should be beacons of enlightenment," said reski. "naturally, differences in political opinion or cultural background could cause tensions in the laboratories and seminars," he added. "but that cannot and may not lead to the restriction of science. we're working here together on possible solutions. this coopera- tion could even serve as a model for society," he said. "science only works through discourse," said müller, "and everyone should be able to take part in that. kröper elaborated, "of course the senate can't simply decree that. for that, you need education and train- ing – so exactly what a university is supposed to do in the first place."  www.uni-freiburg.de/universitaet/ universitaet-und-gesellschaft new name, modern research the winds of change are blowing along maximilianstraße 15. the insti- tute of european ethnology has given itself a new name. since the begin- ning of the 2016/17 winter semester it has been called the institute for cultural anthropology and european ethnology. the new name heralds more than the institute's upcoming fiftieth anniversary. it also symbolizes the modernization of the discipline and a new institute profile. in future, the scholars here will increase their examination of topics such as popular culture, space, migration, and mobil- ity, including economic activity. this change will also be reflected in teach- ing. in addition, a professorship dedi- cated to material and political culture and europeanization will again be filled in the coming years. the insti- tute at the university of freiburg was founded in 1967.  www.eu-ethno.uni-freiburg.de sustainable eating and the city waldkirch im breisgau and leut- kirch im allgäu are being used as model communities. the university of freiburg is coordinating a new cooperative project based on the ex- ample of district towns in baden- württemberg. during the next three years, the project will research and initiate integration of systems of nutri- tion in sustainable municipal develop- ment. the federal ministry of educa- tion and research is funding the program with around 1.1 million euros. the chair of environmental govern- ance, heiner schanz;, the chair of sustainability governance, michael pregernig; and the chair of forestry and environmental policy, daniela kleinschmit are taking part in the project. key partnership expanded the university of freiburg and nan- jing university in china have conclud- ed an agreement to expand their cooperation in the area of the science of sustainability. among the activities the agreement provides for are the organization of joint scientific work- shops and the provision of funding and means of transportation for sci- entists and doctoral candidates. the agreement is a legal annex to the accord the two universities concluded in 2013 to establish their key partner- ship. initially this was primarily in the area of "modern china studies. in 2015/16 both universities opened the nanjing-freiburg center of modern china studies with subsidiaries in freiburg and nanjing. they went on to extend cooperation to a second area in 2015 with the establishment of a joint workshop dedicated to the study of sustainable materials.  www.international.uni-freiburg.de/ keypartners_nanjing-de university engages expert commission a commission of experts from the university of freiburg is looking into an initiative of the city of freiburg to conduct a scholarly examination of street names to determine the conse- quences this measure could have for the university. in november 2016, the city council issued a policy decision to rename twelve streets after a majority of the council members said that these street names seemed in- appropriate today. the decisions made by the city council are relevant for the university because many of the affected individuals were linked to the institution. the university has recognized these individuals with, for example, statues or plaques or by naming institutes, buildings or foun- dations after them. the vice president for research integrity, gender, and diversity, prof. dr. gisela riescher is heading the commission composed of people with expertise in history, law and political science. the committee began its work in december 2016. premiere in the konzerthaus the freiburg student orchestra (fso) is making its debut on 28 janu- ary 2017 at the konzerthaus. the ensemble is performing the 4th symphony and song of destiny by johannes brahms and béla bartók's concert for viola and orchestra. norbert kleinschmidt is conducting the fso, with jean-éric soucy solo- ing on viola. soucy is the viola soloist of the new swr symphony orchestra. the song of destiny, arranged by bernhard schmidt, will be performed together with the john sheppard ensemble, a chamber choir from freiburg. the performance begins at 8 p.m. ticket prices range from 8 euros to 20 euros and can be pur- chased in advance through reservix and at the evening box office. found- ed in 1998, the fso is made up mainly of students from all disciplines. each semester it performs a repertoire of mainly classical and romantic sym- phonies, symphonic poems, over- tures and solo concerts.  www.freiburger-studentenorchester.de

4 research 05 2016 unı leben newspaper of the university of freiburg www.leben.uni-freiburg.de precious wood forest scientists research two forgotten members of the genus sorbus – service and checker trees by eva opitz w hen tree branches are bare in autumn, the bright red berries on the rowan trees lining the lanes are particularly striking. the rowan's close relatives, service and checker trees, are less obvious. also mem- bers of the botanical genus sorbus and the rosaceae family, the two and the rosaceae family, the two trees are relatively unfamiliar and rare trees are relatively unfamiliar and rare compared to the rowan. dr. patrick compared to the rowan. dr. patrick pyttel and jörg kunz of the chair of pyttel and jörg kunz of the chair of forestry at the university of freiburg forestry at the university of freiburg want to change that. "we want to want to change that. "we want to know more about how they grow, know more about how they grow, which locations are ideal for them which locations are ideal for them and how foresters can distribute and how foresters can distribute them in woods," says kunz. both them in woods," says kunz. both forest scientists are convinced forest scientists are convinced that their work will pay off. the that their work will pay off. the service and checker trees produ- service and checker trees produ- ce popular wood, can cope with ce popular wood, can cope with the stress of drought and their the stress of drought and their berries can be used, too, in cer- berries can be used, too, in cer- tain foods for example. pyttel und kunz are first pyttel und kunz are first tr ying to find out why the tr ying to find out why the trees have become rare and un- trees have become rare and un- noticed, even by foresters. the noticed, even by foresters. the checker tree, for example, does checker tree, for example, does checker tree, for example, does best in open stands of oak forest. best in open stands of oak forest. best in open stands of oak forest. best in open stands of oak forest. yet they are also at risk there, yet they are also at risk there, yet they are also at risk there, because deer find them a because deer find them a because deer find them a welcome change in their welcome change in their menu and tend to nibble menu and tend to nibble on them. what is on them. what is more, in more, in the past, the past, oak oak for- for- ests were ests were f requent ly f requent ly r e p l a c e d with coniferous with coniferous ones, so the checker's habitat was lost. the service tree also faces chal- lenges. its berries were once used to clarify ciders or make high quality schnapps, though both practices had already become less common in dec- ades past. checker tree berries were also once used to treat ailments of the large intestine. says pyttel, "all that can be made in the laboratory these days." lack of knowledge on the part of modern day forest opera- tors has contributed to many omis- sions in dealing with these trees. sions in dealing with these trees. there, say the scientists, people there, say the scientists, people "knew ver y "knew ver y little about the species of sorbus until a few years ago." planting checker and service trees only makes sense where suitable soils are present. both species deal well with dry conditions. with respect to the consequences of climate change, this makes them possible candidates for inclusion when estab- candidates for inclusion when estab- lishing mixed forests. "the checker lishing mixed forests. "the checker tree even manages in places where tree even manages in places where it's too dry for beech," says kunz. he it's too dry for beech," says kunz. he adds that they need to know more adds that they need to know more adds that they need to know more adds that they need to know more about these species. they say that about these species. they say that about these species. they say that about these species. they say that the checker and services trees the checker and services trees the checker and services trees the checker and services trees have commercial potential, have commercial potential, have commercial potential, have commercial potential, too. their wood is very hard too. their wood is very hard too. their wood is very hard too. their wood is very hard and as a result and as a result and as a result they could, for they could, for example, be example, be used as a used as a sustainable substitute for high quality tropical woods. the scientists esti- mate that a table made of checker wood could easily fetch several thou- sand euros, meaning the price for a cubic meter of the fine wood exceeds that of spruce many times over. the hard wood has always been used to make high quality furniture used to make high quality furniture and musical instruments. says pyttel, and musical instruments. says pyttel, "if you hear "if you hear b a g - b a g - p i p e s , t h e n t h e n there's a ver y high probability that they are made of sorbus wood. we've got to get away from viewing these trees as curiosities in the forest," says pyttel. he adds that instead, they should become an im- portant part of the forest economy. he emphasizes, "this is the message that we're touring the world with as we present our work." as we present our work." the two scientists are taking the the two scientists are taking the results of their top-level, empirical results of their top-level, empirical research into forestry districts and research into forestry districts and the forests are benefitting from it. the forests are benefitting from it. "people in the field have to know "people in the field have to know about the species in order to bring about the species in order to bring them on properly," says kunz. he them on properly," says kunz. he adds that knowledge based on simple adds that knowledge based on simple obser vation is not enough. an em- obser vation is not enough. an em- pirical foundation resting on verified pirical foundation resting on verified results is required. kunz continues results is required. kunz continues that success ultimately depends on that success ultimately depends on making the correct recommenda- making the correct recommenda- tions for silviculture using many tions for silviculture using many case studies done on dif ferent case studies done on dif ferent stocks of trees. says the scien- stocks of trees. says the scien- tist, "only then do generally tist, "only then do generally valid statements become valid statements become established. they are the established. they are the prerequisite for taking the prerequisite for taking the right measures. and right measures. and through that, the trees through that, the trees get the attention that get the attention that get the attention that they deserve." they deserve." they deserve." green splendor – the checker tree (left) and the service tree are among rare species of trees – yet their wood is valuable and their berries can be used in foods, drinks and home remedies, for example. photos: zerbor, joachim opelk a (both of fotolia) eye of newt and toe of frog, wool of bat and tongue of dog what lists tell us about people and their world — from ancient times to the modern day by yvonne troll d eep in their cavern, the three witches brew a charmed potion which they use to foretell the fate of the protagonist, william shakespeare's macbeth, who has already killed the king of scotland and thus ascended the throne. the witches name the ingredients of the brew as a list, star- ting with eye of newt and toe of frog, wool of bat and tongue of dog. these magical ingredients make up one of the favorite literary lists of dr. eva von contzen. "the list itself is magical, musical, almost songlike, capturing you in its thrall," she says. her fascination for lists has led the english scholar from the university of freiburg to deve- lop a research project. over the next fi ve years, von contzen and an inter- disciplinary team will study lists in literature from ancient times to the modern day as well as everyday lists. the project has received a starting grant of almost 1.3 million euros from the european research council. "my theory is that lists are exceptionally good at illustrating how people per- ceive and organize the world, what was important at a certain point in history, and what knowledge was available," says von contzen. in one of the fi rst european written works, homer's iliad, written in the 8th century bc, there is a famous list: the catalogue of ships. in this, homer itemizes the ships, their masters, and the origins of the greek heroes who went to war against troy. in the epic texts of ancient history, catalogues were the typical form in which historic events were recorded. in the middle ages, however, scribes preferred to archive their knowledge encyclopedi- cally. so lists give an indication of the prevailing literary tradition at a certain point in time. by showing how lists have changed over the centuries, von contzen aims to show how the presen- tation of knowledge has developed – and with that also the way in which people cognitively organize and pro- people cognitively organize and pro- cess things. everyone wants to be at the top "in this age of the internet in par- "in this age of the internet in par- ticular we are surrounded by lists. ticular we are surrounded by lists. today, we have such an excess of today, we have such an excess of information that the list is often the only way of reducing and systematiz- only way of reducing and systematiz- ing our complex world," says von contzen. one example is the web- contzen. one example is the web- site buzzfeed, which consists en- site buzzfeed, which consists en- tirely of articles in list form. it offers "seventeen of the worst horror "seventeen of the worst horror stories about male roommates" stories about male roommates" or "thirteen of the weirdest polling places in the us." this text form now even has its own name, the "lis- now even has its own name, the "lis- ticle", a portmanteau word based on "list" and "article." rankings have another distinctive feature: they are not neutral. they place a value and a hierarchy on things. in one episode of the ameri- eva von contzen says that lists are an exceptionally good way of showing how people perceive and organize the world, and what was important at a certain point in history. photo: kl aus polkowski can animation series south park, "the list", schoolgirls create a hit parade of the cutest male pupils. "this drove the boys completely mad, because everyone wanted to be num- ber one," says von contzen. so lists can be a tool of power and control. it is the same with lists in literature. "no other form has such power to make readers not read a text. lists can be annoying, boring and drive you insane," says the researcher. they interrupt the flow of reading, don't generally explain things, and are usually a challenge to the reader. the author can use them to control the reading process and deliberately provoke the public. over the course of the project the aim is to compile information on where in literature lists can be found, and to make this avail- able to the public in an online data- base. until then eva von contzen hopes to use her work to develop "listology," the study of lists.

6 learning 05 2016 unı leben newspaper of the university of freiburg www.leben.uni-freiburg.de everything is a matter of perspective the archaeological collection holds an exhibition designed by students by stephanie streif archaeologist jens-arne dickmann had a plan when he took charge of the university of freiburg's archaeo- logical collection four years ago. the new curator's idea was that exhibition space in the basement of the herder- bau on habsburgerstraße would not only serve as a collection for study and instruction but also function as a place for learning, or – to put it more precisely – as a workshop. since then, the space between enormous plaster casts and display cases full of tiny original artifacts has hosted drawing courses, readings, scenic theater and concerts in addition to the usual lectu- res, workshops and examinations. and should a student suddenly get the urge to practice setting up a small exhibition in a corner of the collection, then that's allowed, too. yet at the moment, dr. dickmann is facing greater challenges. a genuine exhibition has been planned and is opening to the public on 24 january 2017. the show, a matter of perspec- tive – ancient sculpture groups in space is the finale of a large-scale teaching project that dickmann devel- oped and for which he received an 85 thousand euro grant from the essen- based stiftung mercator (mercator foundation). students have been pre- paring for the exhibition for more than a year. the idea grew out of a one- semester writing workshop, explains the archaeologist. it was a seminar in which the students were to approach a single exhibit item by writing about it. amount of effort involved was never- theless enormous," says dickmann. assembling a 340-page catalog, in particular, took a great deal of the stu- dents' time during the first project. dick- mann says he's convinced that all the students are motivated by far more than the few ects points they get for taking part in his project. at the moment, the students are mulling over their texts for the catalog. if the words fail to convince, then the piece goes back for reworking. texts can be rewritten three, four and, if necessary, five times. the curator says that the young people don't always handle this with ease. yet they stick with it, he adds. "they want to learn and have shown themselves to be extremely reliable," he says. the mercator grant will end during the current semester. it's not yet clear if young archaeologists at freiburg will have the chance to set up their very ownre. hopes are that they will, be- cause those who do things themselves learn best. dr. jens-arne dickmann, curator of the archaeological collection supports the students in shaping and organizing the event. photo: patrick seeger opening in january they were first to describe the object as vividly and in as much detail as pos- sible. then, the students had to write up scientific documentation, a catalog item, and an easily understandable information sheet for it. a semester later, the students took part in a semi- nar which gave them the required ba- sic knowledge of hellenistic sculpture groups. and because it is to be their exhibition, they are working on curat- ing, organizing, creating, scripting, lay- out and photography for the event. they might even have to spend an af- ternoon or two painting pedestals for the sculptures if need be. passion takes priority over european credit transfer system (ects) points dickmann describes his aspirations: "i want my students to already assume scientific responsibility during their education." decisions are made – with a few exceptions – together and demo- cratically, after extensive discussion within the group. this is the second exhibition to be financed with funding from the grant. in the summer of 2015, of drinking and carousing – radical changes in ancient feasting was the first exhibition to be held. back then dickmann had a team of seven stu- dents. this time, he's got twice as many. "the concept was very well-received at the institute of classical archeology. the newer students were getting curi- ous, in part because they could do a great deal by themselves, but the the special exhibition of the archae- ological collection, a matter of per- spective – ancient sculpture groups in space will be open to the public from 24 january until 2 july 2017. it is located in the herderbau on habsburgerstraße (entry between nr. 114 and nr. 116), 79106 freiburg. the collection is open on tuesdays and thursdays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., and on sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. tours are available. entry is free of charge.  www.archaeologische-sammlung. uni-freiburg.de "if you have fun at it, then you're good at it too" a new teaching format simplifies career guidance for students by verena adt s iegfried weis never expected to be asked about the subtle differences between fee and commission-based advisory services. in mid-november 2016 the independent financial ad- viser from waldkirch was in freiburg facing a group of students who had signed up for a new course. weis was stunned at how well-prepared many of the participants were. "the level of detail of some questions was aston- ishing," said the 49-year-old appre- ciatively after he had talked about his daily work and answered questions for an hour-and-a-half. the seminar "mein kompetenzprofil im praxis-check," or "my skills profile: a practical check," is offered as a joint course by the center for key qualifications (zfs) of the university of freiburg and the southern upper rhine chamber of commerce (ihk). the course gives students from all disciplines the opportunity to learn about various businesses through direct contact with company directors and the self-employed and at the same time test their own suitability for one industry or another. extrovert or shy? happy with customer contact or prefer to work alone? the students take an in-depth aptitude test to find out their individual profiles. photogestoeber/ photolia "many students are uncertain what field they want to work in later," says verena saller who is head of the zfs. "so it was natural to offer something to help with personal career orienta- tion." with the support of the ihk, the zfs attracted eight companies, each of which planned a double session with the seminar par ticipants. the spectrum ranges from a globally-ac- tive auditing company, which employs 120 in freiburg alone, through to a family-run traditional brewer y with local roots. the students have to prepare inten- sively for the encounters. they must create a corporate profile before each meeting and produce a number of key questions for the discussion. the speakers are without exception op- erational management and not just sent from the personnel department. this was important to the organizers. "we aren't aiming to gain future em- ployees here, but to present the in- dustr y of the region as a whole," stresses the head of the ihk, dr. steffen auer. "for the students it's about finding out: 'what am i suited to and what do i enjoy?' if it's fun for you, then you're good at it too." curved career paths first of all, the participants have to assess where their interests, strengths and weaknesses lie. they also have to incorporate someone else's evalu- ation of them. then they really get down to it with the vocational aptitude test of the ihk, which takes up a three-hour session. as a result, the students receive a comprehensive aptitude profile precisely depicting their abilities – from motivation and retentiveness to decisiveness and planning skills. their individual profile is then compared to the features of more than 300 different professions. suitability for one job or another can be determined from the extent to which they correlate. one of the par ticipants, dominik mößner, was interested in discovering career opportunities and assessing his abilities better. he is enrolled in a bachelor's program with majors in biology and economics and doesn't yet know what direction he wants to take. he was glad to learn first hand that successful careers don't always take a straight path. he gained this sudden insight from communication coach lena sarikaya, who gave up a management position in the pharmaceuticals industry a few years ago to work as a freelance coach. "some people in the group were ver y surprised that i can live from my current job," relates sarikaya. she thinks the new format is a good way of responding to the problem that many students have little insight into working life.  www.zfs.uni-freiburg.de

8 campus 05 2016 unı leben newspaper of the university of freiburg www.leben.uni-freiburg.de snow white, sons and heirs, and an eight on the intelligence scale how the game therapy plays with social expectations and self and others' assessments by nicolas scherger editorial staff members from the publication uni'leben and research- ers at the university of freiburg sat down for a round of therapy in the german television series abgezockt (ripped-off). their aim was to examine the board game from a – tongue-in-cheek, of course – scientific perspective. the game players use a miniature couch to make their way through infancy, child- hood, adolescence and adulthood, and to consider their alter ego. as they go, the players collect pins rep- resenting fields of knowledge. the goal is to be the first to garner all six. to proceed, contestants must answer questions correctly or guess what people believe they see in inkblots. they also provide therapy for the other players. this involves determin- ing how people perceive themselves and the influence they have on others. game sessions can get spicy. years- long friendships can be made or broken on the game board. the players prof. dr. markus heinrichs, dr. bernadette von dawans and dr. tobias stächele of the depart- ment of biological and differential psychology and the out-patient psychotherapy clinic for stress- related illnesses rimma gerenstein, public relations, university of freiburg therapy sequence tobias stächele draws a knowledge question, " who visits their retired parents more often? adult sons or adult daughters?" the psychologist gets it right. according to a 1986 study, women visit their parents an average of 62 times a year, whereas men manage only 47 visits. an amused tasks for individual and group therapy are found on the blue cards. during this part of the game, the questions are about how people perceive themselves and the influence they have on others. photos: patrick seeger markus heinrichs says, "i wouldn't even get to 47 visits in twenty years. comparative studies today would in part arrive at very different results." yet other outcomes dating back some time remain valid. rimma gerenstein is to guess whom a father of twins prefers – the firstborn, or the smaller or weaker twin? "the son and heir – or stronger twin," she answers correctly. the exper ts explain that can be credited to both evolutionary biology and psychology. bernadette von dawans gets an easy question as well, "whom is it easier to hypnotize? men or women?" women, clearly. "men have more fear of relinquishing control," elucidates heinrichs. the cowboy. but only two percent of the test subjects saw that. sixty per- cent said the blot depicted two danc- ing women. says heinrichs, "what a person recognizes depends on what dominates an individual's character. medical students could interpret it is an anatomical diagram of the birth canal." yet it remains a mystery how stächele arrived at camels. stächele provides a bit of variety a few moves and knowledge questions later. he has to guess what most people see in a certain inkblot. the question alludes to the personality test named for the psychologist her- mann rorschach, who developed it nearly a century ago. heinrichs says, " viewed from today's perspective, with regard to its diagnostic relevance it is "utter nonsense, but entertaining." so does the image show two dancing women, two horses fighting or a bow-legged cowboy? "i actually see camels," says stächele, and chooses finally, the highpoint of the game is reached. gerenstein ends up in stächele's office and must subject herself to therapy. the patient is asked: if she had to cast a film with the people with whom she is playing, what film would it be – "snow white," "gone with the wind," "the godfather" or " sexy schoolgirl report nr. 8"? "the answer given should actually be honest, but often people choose to give a socially desirable response," comments heinrichs. gerenstein writes down her answer on a slip of paper and stächele must guess which tasks for individual and group therapy are found on the blue cards. during this part of the game, the questions are about how people perceive themselves and the influence they have on others. film she chose. "the godfather," he answers, missing the mark. "i wanted that first, but then you influenced me," complains gerenstein, looking over at heinrichs. "snow white," is what is on the paper. says gerenstein, "i thought that would be socially desir- able because we're a friendly group." a short time later, heinrichs is faced with a similar problem. he ends up in group therapy and has to write down how intelligent he thinks he is on a scale of one to ten. the others have to agree on a number, but are allowed a margin for error of one point. stächele sets limits, "he's written down something between five and ten, so we're interested in something from six to nine." von dawans takes on the challenge, "eight or nine. he's certainly doesn't think that we'll put him at seven." "or six," blurts the pro- fessor. the group agrees on eight and they are on target. "of course," says heinrichs, "i maintain that 98 percent of all people would choose eight." the analysis after just over an hour, all the situ- ations the game presents have been tested – but none of the contestants is anywhere near victory, so the group decides to leave the game undecided. does having studied psychology help when playing the game? about twenty to thirty percent of the questions can be answered with the help of subject knowledge, but the experts say com- mon sense can be applied to many of them. heinrichs says the game can best be used in private life, rather than for teaching. he elaborates: with a group of new roommates, for example, who want to get to know each other. or, he adds, for people who have long been friends. "it is interesting to see how one person influences the others – and during a game that lasts for several hours, you are getting feedback again and again," he says. „therapy“, hasbro (not in current selection) www.hasbro.de clean-up the environ- ment and donate by a decision of the rectorate, pro- ceeds from the university of freiburg's project to recycle ink and toner cartridg- es will be donated to charity. two thou- sand euros have been collected by the project in the last four years. the sus- tainable university work group is now donating this sum to the förderverein für krebskranke kinder e. v. in freiburg. according to its statutes, the organiza- tion aids children who have cancer and their families by providing psychological and social support and aftercare. it also supports the center for pediatrics and adolescent medicine at the freiburg university medical center. "we think that this association carries out exem- plary and outstanding work in freiburg," says dr. jürgen steck, who leads the sustainable university work group. campus statistics one gold, four silvers student numbers have again topped the 25 thousand mark. in the winter semester of 2016/17, 25,439 students matriculated. of those, 4,339 have foreign nationality. during the winter semester last year, the university of freiburg for the first time had more than 25 thousand students. among them, more than four thousand were foreign nationals. both records have been surpassed again this year. at the moment 13,499 of the students are women and 11,940 are men. 10,198 of those studying are seeking a bachelor's degree. 5,199 students are in master's programs and 5,732 want to complete their studies by tak- ing a state exam. during the current winter semester, for 4,221 university of freiburg students, it is the first time they have been enrolled at an institution of higher education. the university of freiburg's wine has won five medals at the austrian wine challenge (awc) in vienna. the competition is the largest recognized wine competition in the world. a gold medal was awarded to a dry, late vintage, 2014 pinot noir from the lorettoberg. two of the university's pinot blanc wines – vintages 2013 and 2015 respectively – each won a silver medal as did a 2015 and a 2012 pinot noir. the university of freiburg first took part in the competition in 2012 and had the honor of taking home two gold and five silver medals for its wine. the endowment adminis- tration of the university manages the vineyards. at this year's awc vienna, 1,900 producers from 41 countries en- tered nearly 13 thousand wines in the competition. the jury is composed of international oenologists, sommeliers, restaurateurs, wine merchants and photo: sandr a meyndt wine journalists. because the compe- tition is recognized by the eu, the uni- versity may use the medals on bottle labels when advertising the wines.  www.zuv.uni-freiburg.de/service/wein  www.nachhaltige.uni-freiburg.de/ projekte/toner_kartuschen

10 compass 05 2016 unı leben newspaper of the university of freiburg www.leben.uni-freiburg.de newspaper of the university of freiburg www.leben.uni-freiburg.de etiquette primer for social media a new netiquette and updated guidelines provide orientation for everyone using the internet in the name the university by yvonne troll whether it is facebook, twitter, instagram or the rest, the univer- sity of freiburg is active on all major social media channels. the offering on the world’s largest social media network, facebook, is directed at the broadest audience. it provides pro- spective students, students, faculty, colleagues and journalists a package of comprehensive information about the university. twitter, by contrast, uses a two-track system. a media account provides journalists with news, while a second channel is dedicated to supply- ing a wider audience with more general information and reports on the latest happenings. a new youtube presence is in the process of being launched. the platform provides impressions of the university, including videos of research and teaching as well as tips and information for students. instagram promises a look behind the scenes at the university. the social media coordinator at freiburg, dr. max orlich, calls it the "feel good media." he and his colleague, melanie hübner, hand- le everything that has to do with any type of social media. as public rela- tions department staff, they coordinate and supervise all the university’s digital and supervise all the university’s digital activities. the business networks xing and the business networks xing and linkedin are currently being expanded. linkedin are currently being expanded. "there we are in contact with employers, donors and sponsors, and maintain a network of former students," reports hübner. the duo are students," reports hübner. the duo are getting plenty of response. says orlich, getting plenty of response. says orlich, "you can tell by the comments and "you can tell by the comments and likes that the alumnae and alumni con- likes that the alumnae and alumni con- tinue to be interested in what is going tinue to be interested in what is going on at their alma mater." friendly and respectful the pair says comments, news, dis- the pair says comments, news, dis- cussions and posts are welcome on all cussions and posts are welcome on all channels. nevertheless orlich and channels. nevertheless orlich and hübner emphasize that there are cer- tain rules to follow. netiquette – a type of collection of behavioral rules for social media users – offers guidance. "you should adhere to certain commu- nication rules when dealing directly with people. the same goes for the internet. but there, many people still i nd it difi cult to have their say reason- ably and politely," notes orlich. he says that depending on the topic, the potential for aggression can rise rapidly and may lead to insults, threats and insinuations. the university disci- plines those who make xenophobic, sexist, party-political or religious remarks. beyond that, users must en- good manners are always in style: netiquette provides tips for facebook etc. illustr ation: svenja kirsch sure that they respect copyrights and the privacy of others and do not post advertisements. people who fail to comply with these guidelines can be warned – or in extreme cases – be reported to facebook, banned or reported to the police. the university of freiburg is legally responsible for content on social media channels and websites that appear on the internet in its name. even staff members who are using social media for university institutions are being given a helping hand. orlich and hübner have updated and expand- ed already existing guidelines. new, for example, is the tip that legal informa- tion is obligatory, as is eliminating the "like" or "share" buttons of social net- works on external websites because these transfer user data without authorization. staff members have the opportunity to use a forum on the uni- versity’s intranet to share their experi- ences. the team furthermore offers social media courses for beginners and advanced users through the uni- versity’s internal further and continuing education programs. orlich and hübner say they are also available for direct contact at all times. netiquette schooling netiquette and guidelines www.pr.uni-freiburg.de/publikationen/ soziale-medien introduction to corporate design www.zuv.uni-freiburg.de/service/ cd/cd-manual/socialmedia contact socialmedia@pr.uni-freiburg.de working out at work students and offi ce workers often spend hours sitting motionless with their eyes fi xed on their computer screens. as deadlines and examinations approach, the time for relaxation shrinks to nil. it's no wonder, then, that back pain, stiff necks, headaches or simply a general sense of being unwell caused by sluggish circulation, can set in over time. finding relief for these aches and pains isn't diffi cult. the staff of the fitness & health center (fgz) of the university of freiburg has presented a series of exercises that can easily be done at your desk at any time. take a load off your back – stretch your hip f lexor by petra völzing m ost people are likely barely awa- re of the existence of their hip flexors. yet the muscles have a key function. they link the upper thigh with the pelvis and the lower section of the spinal column. the hip flexors provide stability for the torso and transfer force from the legs to the lower spine. sitting bent at the hip for long periods of time keeps the musc- les in a shortened position. this can lead to the lower back pain of which many people complain. using a sim- ple exercise to stretch the hip flexors periodically can help to avoid this discomfort. sit up straight and on the edge of your chair. put your left leg out and bent to a 90-degree angle. place your right leg under the chair or to the side of it. rest it gently on your upper instep and extend the leg as far behind you as you can. this stretches the hip flexors and the muscles at the front of the thigh. putting the pelvis in an upright position and straighte- ning the back intensify the stretch. hold the position for twenty to thirty seconds, then repeat the exercise on the other side. repeat the stretch two or three times on each side. people who want a more intense exercise can do it without the support of a chair, but remember that more strength and balance are required for this. caption: using the chair as a sup- port valentin stark demonstrates a hip l exor stretch. photo: kl aus polkowski move it! anyone who wants to get moving is welcome to come and explore the range of activities and advice the fgz offers, or they can book an ofi ce visit from pausenexpress to be put through their paces on the spot.  www.fgz.uni-freiburg.de www.gesunde.uni-freiburg.de/angebote/ projekte/pausenexpress

12 people 05 2016 unı leben newspaper of the university of freiburg www.leben.uni-freiburg.de as a child, sarah adler already found skeletons, graves and all sorts of creepy stories exciting. in her book, she expresses her fascination in a humorous way. photo: kl aus polkowski when death has doubts about life student sarah adler publishes her first novel knochenjob by sarah schwarzkopf nobody likes him. so he decides to finally do something to change that. in her debut novel published in october 2016, sarah adler tells a story of death and his efforts to improve his image. the 22-year-old from köndrin- gen is in her fourth semester at the university of freiburg. she is study- ing archeology and english language and literature. writing has always been adler's passion. now that's paid off. her novel sold out two weeks after it was released. says the author, "death finds it un- fair that no one can stand him and that everyone clings to life. so he tries to find friends by using several methods which unfortunately all go horribly wrong in some way." his annoying col- leagues life and fate keep throwing a wrench into his work. the three follow animals and humans through evolution, starting with the first cell. death has to adapt to things too, because different forms of life die in different ways. he asks himself if he is really as bad as everyone thinks he is. adler goes beyond western my- thology in her depiction of death. she includes other concepts as well. the young author says the cross-cultural thought she's experienced in her stud- ies helped her do this. adler continues that it is no coincidence that she is studying archeology and has tackled the topic of death in her first novel. "i always found everything that has to do with dead people fascinating – with skeletons and gruesome things," says the young author and laughs. there is an alemannian burial ground in kön- dringen. says adler, "as a child i often walked by the old bones that were sticking up out of the clay. i would im- agine how long ago that was and how cool it would be to dig them out myself." ten pages a day knochenjob is the first story that adler has written through to the end. despite the complex plot – which fea- tures many strands and jumps around in time – adler wrote the book in just two months. it all started in the sum- mer of 2015, when she played the part of death in a theater piece and at the same time was preparing for her first aid course in her skeleton costume. "at one moment, i was studying cardio- pulmonary resuscitation and in the next i had to go out on stage and do someone in. the idea came to me at some point during that time," recalls adler. from the start it was clear that the book would be funny. says adler, "i love plays on words and humor suits me best. besides, i wanted to do something new. that's difficult when death is the topic." adler says literature inspires her. "i enjoy reading just about anything. i like modern universes with a touch of fantasy – everything that's a little bit quirky, where ideas are turned on their head and reinterpreted," she explains. among her favorite authors are walter moers, jonathan stroud and a few british writers with whom adler shares dry humor. "you only learn how stories work by reading a lot," she says. the thing adler likes best about writing is that it's a quiet and relaxing pastime. adler works translating english into german in addition to her studies. lat- er, she says she would like to pursue a master's degree or perhaps work for a publisher, but she favors above all earning her living as an author and translator. "i've got a great many ideas that i'd still like to implement," she says, adding that it's a good reason to keep writing ten pages a day. adler says that's not difficult at times when she has good ideas. "then, it's like i'm possessed," she elaborates. the reception her first work received has been wholly positive up to now. "i'm curious to see the first bad review. i want to know what exactly it is they'll take issue with." she's already has a contract for her second novel. it takes place three thousand years in the fu- ture in a parallel universe. and it's not as if adler is resting on her laurels. at the moment, she's working on her third book, which is directed at an audience of young readers. with rope, cable and fire extinguisher benjamin schätzle coaches the german youth national tug-of-war team, he also inspects electrical equipment and provides fire safety at the university by jürgen schickinger benjamin schätzle likes taking back steps – but only during a tug-of-war. as the coach of the german national youth tug-of-war team, he encourages it. to win an event, a team has to pull their opponents four meters in their direction, meaning that backwards in tug-of-war means going forward to success. recently, schätzle's team won second place in the world cham- pionships. at the safety office of the university of freiburg, he is responsib- le for the organization of the fire safety program and inspection of electrical equipment. there, just as elsewhere, the man from elztal prefers going for- wards to backwards, even if barriers need to be overcome in the process. "you should never give up, even when it looks as if you're on the brink of defeat," says schätzle. he says sports have taught him this lesson, but it's applicable everywhere. schätzle used to be a member of the waldkirch volunteer fire department and was an active tug-of-war team member in the simonswald tug-of-war club. but back problems put an end to both of those hobbies, so he continued to pur- sue his interests in another way. at the simonswald tug-of-war club he took on the job of youth coach. later, he became the club's coach and recently was promoted to coach the youth national team. "i stumbled into it," says schätzle. but he didn't miss a step. at the start of september 2016, in his first year of coaching, he and his team won second place at the world champion- keeping fire under control: benjamin schätzle gives seminars on fire safety basics. photo: kl aus polkowski ship in malmö, sweden. "that was a surprise," says a pleased schätzle. the 34-year-old can't stay away from fire, either. "firefighting was always my hobby," he says. after he stopped working as an active fireman, schätzle began providing early fire safety education courses in kindergar- tens and schools. he started work at the university in 2005, first in facilities services. then, in 2015 he qualified as a fire safety officer. a short time later, schätzle began working in the safety office, where he and head fire safety officer roland birmele form the fire safety team. batteries ignite now and then at one or the other of the techni- cal institutes, says schätzle. "we haven't had any major fires in my time here," he adds. nevertheless, reports schätzle, there's plenty to do – for ex- ample, organizing emergency drills, holding fire safety seminars or drawing up safe seating plans for events. the priority for events is ensuring that fire exits and firefighters' access routes remain clear. space is at a premium in many places on campus. occasionally, tables, cabinets or machines stand in the halls. "most of the time that's not allowed for safety reasons," says schätzle. a qualified electrician, schätzle's second area of responsibility is inspecting electrical equipment. he can look at anything from small, mobile devices to table lamps, electric kettles and table centrifuges to ensure they are safe. he says that if you take a close look at many items, you will find plenty of worn cables, exposed con- tacts or bare wires. there can also be cracks in housings or other types of damage, he adds. "at the moment we're working on structural improve- ments to ensure that all electrical de- vices are inventoried and tested regu- larly," says schätzle. this means that soon every institute will have its own officer for testing electrical facilities. the safety office will make the neces- sary testing devices available. it also offers training courses on how to use them. the course only takes an-hour- and-a-half because the measurements are almost fully automated. south baden home to most of germany's tug-of-warriors fire safety regulations have become stricter. "fortunately, the university cooperates very well," praises schätzle. it would be good, he says, if staff members would simply reflect now and then about what to do in an emergency. where is my exit? are there any barriers that i would have to help a disabled person over? in tug-of-wars, competi- tions are when things get serious. but schätzle says there are few risks, "it's true. it's a strength sport, but there are very few injuries." the national youth team coach speaks enthusiastically about the atmosphere at practice ses- sions and competitions – of team spirit, power, technique and synchronicity. "it's a really great sport!" he says. with one exception, all the clubs in germany's national league come from south baden. "there are plenty of really high level competitions where we are. i rec- ommend to everyone that they should come by and watch one," he says.

14 g e s w e : o t o h p verse pictured unı leben newspaper of the university of freiburg www.leben.uni-freiburg.de 05 2016 photo: patrick seeger probed uni'life asks – alumni answer: michael sladek where were your favorite places to study, dance and eat in freiburg? when i'm studying i like to listen to classical music. the best place to do that was the studentenbude. because i'm a bit lazy when it comes moving around, dancing wasn't really my thing – with the big exception being the university balls. i'm passionate when it comes to eating, but i can't cook at all. i was perfectly satisfi ed with the food they had at the mensa, and ursula – we fi nished secondary school and got our abitur together and married in freiburg in 1969 – is a genuine world champion when it comes to cooking. a secret tip back then was the wolfshöhle. it was good and hearty food at prices students could afford. which discoveries from your time as a student have made a lasting impression on you? when i was studying, especially when i was writing my doctoral thesis at the institute of biochemistry, i be- came acquainted with new abilities which i didn't know i had until then. what advice would you give to students? studying is indeed important and you need to do it to fi nish with good grades. still, the conversations you have with fellow students from all disciplines are just as important. the ability to communicate and feel empathy is decisive for life later on. what do you regret about no longer being a student? having the freedom to enjoy time. in my days, students typically … … skipped classes and instead spent time discussing with other students germany's past and the role our parent's generation played in it. the memory of these chats took a deci- sive turn in my and ursula's lives after the chernobyl disaster in 1986. born in 1946, dr. michael sladek studied at the university of freiburg from 1966 to 1972. he then went on to complete medical training and become a general practitioner. his offi ce has been located in schönau since 1977. in 1986, he and his wife ursula sladek together founded the citizens' initiative "parents for a nuclear-free future" (eltern für atom- freie zukunft), which originated within the schönau power plant (elektri- zitätswerke schönau (ews)). in 1997, the ews became the fi rst citizens' owned enterprise that was able to "wrest" a power grid from a monopoly. since 1998, the ews has been gen- erating and supplying environmentally- friendly power throughout germany. the ews currently has 175 thousand customers. sladek was on the board of the ews cooperative until 2014. today he is a member of different committees to implement decentrali- zation of the supply of electricity. he is also a co-organizer of the freiburg seminar series "climate change caus- es flight" (fluchtgrund klimawandel). pronounced soft and socially incapable they've earned top marks, have de- grees from famous universities and linked in profiles that shout, "young and hungry!" personnel executives today view as underpowered the vehi- cles people once used to launch them- selves into high-paying careers. a new ranking of universities on employability has announced that employers nowa- days value not only expertise in a dis- cipline, but also and above all, pay at- tention to a candidate's soft skills. don't interrupt the boss, boast to much about your own promotion to a colleague who was passed over, and above all, do not boo loudly during team brainstorming sessions. the modern working world celebrates soft skills as characteristics that most eve- ryone has who hasn't been raised by a pack of wolves. still, you need to pay attention to the rankings, because they picked-up the competition of cups the city of freiburg is taking measures against throw-away cups with the "freiburg cup" and a de- posit system. it's been a real hit: the first five thousand of them were snapped up quickly, and even inter- national media reported on them. cafés and the mensas of the stud- ierendenwerks freiburg-schwarz- wald took part – even though there an environmentally-friendly alterna- tive to one-way cups, the thermos cup, had been around for quite some time. how popular is that cup now? nicolas scherger went to fi nd out. uni'life: hello, thermos cup. is your future leaking away? thermos cup: no, not at all. there's nothing leaky about me. after all, i'm made of quality materials. aluminum and plastic are easy to clean. and above all: i'm for sale. deposits are a hassle. so how do you explain the success of your new counterpart, then? could it be that you're one of these media muckrakers who has already formed an opinion on a topic before cute little helpers in black and white: they gained fame by starring in us animated fi lms. the minions are six centimeters tall. these little guys popped out of a 3d printer at the freiburg center for interactive materials and bioinspired technologies (fit) at the university of freiburg. they're here for testing purposes. at fit the minions are taking part in the center's investigation of how different plastics that are cured with ultraviolet light can be used in 3d printing processes, in order to imitate structures found in nature, for example.. by rimma gerenstein masthead uni'life, newspaper of the university of freiburg, fi ve issues published annually often proclaim that latest truth. and besides, they put the onus on the uni- versities to act. after all, no one wants to have said of them that they are pro- viding material for future episodes of the "big bang theory." the university of freiburg is reacting and has a pro- gram planned to improve its students' soft skills. the first measures have come to light – success seems likely. time management: every day has 24 hours – but not if you want to make a big splash in the globalized working world. the students are managing a project in fi fteen time zones in order to make reliable statements about the past, present and future. stress management: the lotus repre- sents the tranquility of spirits that are known to inhabit healthy bodies. when their inboxes are overfl owing and the telephone is ringing off the hook, out- bursts of rage can be prevented by doing yoga exercises like the "one-legged crow," followed by the "falling rain drop," and topped off by performing the "knotted lizard." you can do them in fashionable offi ce clothes – provided that stretch material is included with the style. team players: meerkats are the kings of effi cient cooperation. while a few watch out for foes, others search for food or ensure reproduction of the spe- cies. students in small groups mimic this highly-refi ned social organism and refl ect on their role in the team. a cer- tifi cate of intercultural competence is issued – an added plus after all that. anyone who's capable of placing them- selves in the role of a mammal belong- ing to the mongoose family has dem- onstrated that they possess the ultimate in empathy. h c i l r h o x a m : o t o h p hold on. of course it's the latest thing, so the eco-hipsters are swarm- ing to get them. but i'll bet that i last longer. first of all my design is a time- less classic in black or red. i'm almost sorry for the new guy, because he's been defaced with a corny, green silhouette of freiburg. could it be that you're using aggression to disguise your insecurity? by nicolas scherger you go out and do your research and speak to people? just you watch out. i know far more about you than you know about me. how so? you own one of my brothers. he says you're a complete coffee junkie. an anachronistic purist who still fi lters by hand. and who can't get into gear without some java. my poor brother is on the brink of a burnout. he'd better keep working, other- wise i'll get myself a freiburg cup. fine, go ahead. that won't bother me a bit. not one iota! after all it's more suited to you, because you don't deser ve us! wait, where are you going? why are you getting out your wallet? wait, stop – could we not talk about it? it wasn't meant that way… really, please no, noooo… publisher university of freiburg, rector, prof. dr. hans-jochen schiewer content: rudolf-werner dreier, head of public relations editorial rimma gerenstein (editor-in-chief), nicolas scherger, yvonne troll address: public relations, university of freiburg fahnenbergplatz 79085 freiburg telephone: 0761/203-8812 fax: 0761/203-4278 e-mail: unileben@pr.uni-freiburg.de circulation 14,000 copies design, layout kathrin jachmann advertising gregor kroschel telephone: 0761/203-4986 e-mail: gregor.kroschel@zv.uni-freiburg.de printing and processing freiburger druck gmbh & co. kg marketing offi ce of public relations annual subscription price: €9.00 issn 0947-1251 © university of freiburg, all rights reserved. no part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher. contribu- tions submitted by name do not necessarily express the opinion of the publisher or editorial staff. uni’life can be found online at www.leben.uni-freiburg.de climate neutral printing the co2 emissions of this product have been balanced with co2 emissions certifi cates. certifcate number: 311-53210-0310-1003 www.climatepartner.com