"Today we are honoring researchers whose outstanding publications have made a significant contribution to the University of Stuttgart’s visibility and impact,” said Prof. Manfred Bischoff, Vice Rector for Research and Sustainable Development. The award-winning publications from all ten faculties demonstrated an impressive range of topics, high quality, and innovative strength of research in Stuttgart. The award is endowed with 2,500 euros each and is awarded regardless of career stage. The awardees, their presentations, and their perspectives were correspondingly diverse and varied.
In short presentations, the authors introduced their publications. With the use of everyday objects, comic book illustrations, or questions for the audience, even very complex research topics were presented in a concise and entertaining way. Bischoff emphasizes that events like these help to “keep the "Stuttgart Way" of interdisciplinary collaboration alive.”
Faculty 1: Urban contact zones
Marketplaces, parks, or commuter train stations – these are all “Urban Contact Zones.” The term describes urban spaces where people from different social and cultural backgrounds, with different experiences and lifestyles, come together. These spaces foster interaction and community, but are also often marked by conflicts and power imbalances. The book "Urban Contact Zones", edited by Prof. Astrid Ley and Dr. Josefine Fokdal of the Institute of Urban Planning and Urban Design (SI), reflects on research projects conducted by the “International Urban Studies and Design” department over the past ten years and looks toward the future. Ley emphasized that good cities are created when diversity is given space. The more densely populated, digital, and lonely modern cities become, the more important places where people learn to negotiate their differing interests will become: It is not Facebook and TikTok, but public spaces that hold societies together, according to Ley.
Faculty 2: Dynamic equilibrium
Kerem Bozkurt, a research associate at the Institute for Modelling Hydraulic and Environmental Systems (IWS), illustrated his research on the interactions between biofilm growth, shear forces, and the dynamics of flow paths in a video. In it, colorful cartoon bacteria are sitting in the restaurant, hungry. A waiter rushes in carrying full plates, whereupon the guests grow rapidly, dislodging the tables with their bulky bodies, and finally tumble out through the wide aisles that have opened up. According to Bozkurt, a flow that is too fast causes the biofilm to detach, while a flow that is too slow causes the bacteria to “starve.” To gain a better understanding of the processes, Bozkurt and other researchers at the IWS combined microfluidic experiments with numerical simulations. Among other things, the results are relevant for biofilm applications in biomineralization – such as soil stabilization – as well as for the development of sustainable bio-concrete. Kerem Bozkurt's research is affiliated with the Collaborative Research Center Interface-Driven Multi-Field Processes in Porous Media - Flow, Transport and Deformation.”
Faculty 3: New applications for xanthan
The thickening agent xanthan gum is ubiquitous on supermarket shelves: this naturally occurring polysaccharide is found in ready-made sauces, chewing gum, and toothpaste. Dr. Johanna Bruckner and a research group at the Institute of Physical Chemistry have investigated what other possibilities this inexpensive raw material holds. By drying ultrasonically treated xanthan-water solutions, the team broke down the giant biopolymer into smaller segments. Instead of the original helical structure, these feature tiny grooves or stripes that match the wavelength of natural light and – like on butterfly wings – appear as brilliant colors. These optical characteristics enable the environmentally friendly production of photonic films without the use of sulfuric acid. Other potential applications include sensor production and the field of soft robotics.
Faculty 4: Crumpled cell membranes
By crumpling the gold-colored wrapper of a well-known chocolate, Prof. Stephan Nussberger from the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomolecular Systems (IBBS) illustrated the central question driving his research: Can the membrane of a biological cell be crumpled? Although the fluid nature of lipid membranes makes this seem impossible, his team succeeded by using DNA origami – a nanotechnology that folds DNA molecules into precisely designed shapes – to manipulate cell membranes in ways previously thought unattainable. The researchers attached DNA to the membranes of synthetic cells like tiny plates. The “platelets” rearranged themselves into larger units, causing creases, dents, and pores to form in the membranes. “Function follows form!” Nussberger stated, turning the well-known design principle on its head. The resulting pores allow molecules to be transported into and out of the cell, which could open up new possibilities in pharmacology and synthetic biology. The experiments will now continue using biological cells. Researchers from Faculty 8 were also involved in the interdisciplinary project.
Faculty 5: More robust error-correcting codes
Noisy images are the result of errors in digital transmission. To prevent this, bits are specifically added to the payload at the transmitter, which the receiver uses to detect errors. About 40 percent of the bits in transmissions are used for error correction, said Prof. Stephan ten Brink of the Institute for Communications (INÜ). In the 5G mobile communications standard, so-called polar codes are used for error correction. Research associates Andreas Zunker and Marvin Rübenacker, working with colleagues at INÜ and RPTU Kaiserslautern, developed a new class of "row-merged polar codes" that provides even stronger error protection while using significantly fewer hardware resources. Occupying just 0.288 square millimeters, the new design requires only one-third of the chip area needed by conventional polar codes. The hardware requirements for decoding at the receiver are also reduced. Row-merged polar codes are considered promising candidates for standardization in the next generation of mobile communications, 6G.
Faculty 6: Real-time 3D reconstruction
All the participants had no trouble finding their way to the well-attended event room on the Vaihingen campus, thanks to the human brain's remarkable ability to transform the two-dimensional images captured by the eyes into a three-dimensional perception of the surrounding environment. But how can a robot with just one camera determine its location and simultaneously create a complete map of its surroundings? Wei Zhang, a doctoral researcher at the Institute for Photogrammetry and Geoinformatics (IfP), showed video footage of a robot safely navigating through a hall full of obstacles using the innovative HI-SLAM2 technology. While conventional “Simultaneous Localization and Mapping” (SLAM) methods capture only a few landmarks in the environment, HI-SLAM2 generates a dense 3D reconstruction in real time. This is made possible by the comprehensive capture of all pixels, a trained artificial intelligence model, and innovative 3D visualization technology. The applications are very diverse: from robotic vacuum cleaners to XR headsets to drones that map disaster areas.
Faculty 7: Modular digital twins
In light of the current crisis, industrial companies are under intense pressure to develop sustainable business models. Sustainability plays a major role in this. Working closely with the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering and Organization (IAO), a research team at the Institute of Human Factors and Technology Management (IAT) has developed an innovative approach to collecting and analyzing sustainability data and making it usable for service-oriented business models: so-called Modular Digital Twins (MDT). They consolidate information about the entire product lifecycle. Dr. Moritz Hämmerle of Fraunhofer IAO explained that while conventional digital twins have only one area of application – such as predictive maintenance – an MDT is like a modular system that enables a variety of digital business models. The researchers successfully implemented MDT at three partner companies, in part to optimize energy consumption in production.
Faculty 8: Theory of Exact Structures and Theory of Purity
A colorful palace made of LEGO bricks that stretches into infinity: It was a sight that really caught the eye as Kevin Schlegel explained his research on precise structures. He explained that “exact structures” refers to guidelines for constructing mathematical objects. By analyzing a composite object, one can deduce the instructions for doing so. If only there weren't one problem: “Most proofs are infinitely long!” The doctoral student at the Institute for Algebra and Number Theory (IAZ) found a solution by combining two independent theories: the theory of exact structures and the theory of purity. This connection has a wide range of applications, particularly in representation theory, which deals with the study of groups and algebras through their representation as matrices or linear mappings.
Faculty 9: George Orwell in Stuttgart
“The Berger Steg should really be renamed the ‘Orwell Steg,’” said Dr. Geoff Rodoreda of the Institute of Literary Studies. For on April 22, 1945, George Orwell, a war correspondent, crossed the only bridge over the Neckar River in Stuttgart – the one the German Wehrmacht had not blown up before its retreat – and entered the heavily damaged city. In insightful accounts, the writer described the chaotic first days following the end of Nazi rule, during which looting took place and French and American commanders vied with one another for control of Stuttgart. In a book for which he analyzed previously little-known letters and texts by Orwell, Rodoreda shows how these experiences shaped Orwell’s dystopian novel of the century, "1984". Eighty years after the end of the war, the publication sparked great interest among experts as well as the German public.
Faculty 10: Interfaces between teams
"Who has worked on a team that had to wait for another team’s results?” Dr. Christian Mahringer asked the group. Many hands went up. The research assistant at the Institute of Business Administration (BWI), in collaboration with Prof. Anja Danner-Schröder (RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau), investigated how stakeholders in companies design interfaces between teams. This question is central to the success of strategic transformation processes – because interfaces determine how teams collaborate, share resources, and yet still act independently. For the project, Mahringer spent a year working with agile software teams, observing them two to three days a week. His conclusion: Interfaces are not designed once and for all by formal organizational charts, but rather evolve continuously as work progresses.
Prima! Award: Understanding climate change
Jana Sartorius, a doctoral student at the Institute of Mechanics (MIB), received the Prima! Prize, worth 1,000 euros, for her Master’s thesis on modeling fractures in ice. This award is presented annually for outstanding theses by female graduates. Her work focuses on the sudden drainage of large meltwater lakes on glaciers through cracks. To better understand the processes accelerated by climate change, she formulated the physical challenges mathematically, developed models based on them, implemented those models numerically, and applied the results to real-world experiments. Dr. Anda Degeratu, the deputy equal opportunity officer, particularly highlighted this holistic approach in her laudatory speech.
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Lena Jauernig
Editor Research / Early Career Researchers