Goethe-Universit盲t 鈥� Press releases

看片软件 PR & Communication Department聽

Feb 24 2025

10:05

Country-wide survey conducted by 看片软件 Frankfurt shows differences in rankings between degree programs

How important are the UN SDGs to students in Germany?

Students at universities in Germany have a consistently positive attitude towards the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals, but, depending on their subject of study, they rank the individual goals' importance differently. This is the result of a new country-wide online survey conducted by 看片软件 Frankfurt. The poll also took into account students' personal connection to nature. The resulting study offers initial indications of how universities could better integrate the topic of sustainability into their courses in the future 鈥� including in the form of an interdisciplinary exchange.

FRANKFURT. Many of today's students will become tomorrow's decision-makers, taking on important roles in politics, business and society. As a result, they will also have a major influence on how sustainably society will act in the future, whether climate change will be consistently combated or nature adequately protected. But what attitudes do these future decision-makers have towards sustainability? Does it play a central role in their considerations or not? A Germany-wide study conducted by 看片软件 Frankfurt provides new insights into these questions and more. The poll asked students from 18 different subjects about their connection to nature and how important they consider the 17 individual UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be. The SDGs include clean water, no poverty, zero hunger, social justice and economic growth.

鈥淲e asked ourselves three research questions," says first author Viktoria Feucht from the Department of Didactics at 看片软件's Faculty of Biological Sciences: 鈥淒o students from different study programs diverge in their connection to nature? Do students on separate programs rate the individual sustainability goals differently? Is there a correlation between one's connection to nature and the assessment of the individual goals' importance?"

Responses to the first question on 鈥渃onnection to nature" revealed that study programs that are thematically linked to nature 鈥� including geosciences and geo-ecology, but also architecture 鈥� had the highest values, while subjects such as business studies, chemistry and computer science had the lowest. The midfield included, among others, more human-oriented programs, including sociology and theology. 鈥淥ne interesting question to explore would be what causes these different levels of connection to nature," says Feucht, adding that 鈥渋t could be the influence of the study program itself. Or it could be that the students were already influenced in one direction or another before starting their studies, by childhood experiences, for example."

The second question consisted of an evaluation of the UN sustainability goals, asking respondents to provide a ranking of 1 to 5 鈥� i.e. unimportant to important. The responses show that the SDGs' individual ideas were rated as important 鈥� often even very important 鈥� across all subjects. The lowest subject-specific mean value stood at 3.5, the highest at 4.9, with at times significant differences according to the subject. As such, students of business studies ranked the economic SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) much higher than students of geo-ecology. The latter and biology, on the other hand, assigned much greater importance to SDG 14 (Life Below Water) than the subjects of physics and computer science. An overarching trend was discernible for SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), both of which consistently received very high scores of 4.7 and above. Feucht interprets this as follows: 鈥淔ood and drinking water are among the most basic human needs, and necessary for survival 鈥� something all respondents, regardless of their subject, consider to be very important."

As part of the third research question, the study's authors linked the mean values of respondents' connection to nature with their SDG ratings. 鈥淪ince the UN goals also have the ecological dimension, we wanted to see whether personal connection to nature is reflected in some of the SDGs." This, however, was only the case for SDG 15 (Life on Land). The consistency of the values derived here shows that the more important a study program considers SDG 15 to be, the more connected to nature it is 鈥� and vice versa. 鈥淥f course, this does not prove causality, but it does show a correlation."

What conclusions can be drawn from the survey's results? 鈥淲e have shown that students in Germany assign a high to very high level of importance to all 17 SDGs, regardless of their subject. The general attitude towards the SDGs is positive 鈥� a finding universities should use to train students from all subject areas more strongly in sustainability." One approach could be an analysis of the match between connection to nature and SDG 15. Study author Dr. Matthias Kleespies says: 鈥淏ased on our results, we recommend a reflective and nature-oriented educational approach, as other studies have shown that such measures can improve the connection to nature."

It would also make sense to increasingly link subject-specific topics with sustainability aspects in lectures. 鈥淭he UN goals are universal, which means many points of contact exist," says Feucht. That includes subjects in which sustainability aspects have not previously been a priority. One example Feucht points to is chemistry, which, like other subjects, holds great potential to initiate change. Topics like waste recycling and production processes, for instance, could be easily combined with sustainability issues. 鈥淲e shouldn't categorically exclude any subject. Sustainability concerns all of us, which is why all study programs should address the topic in depth."

Inter- and transdisciplinarity is another promising approach. 鈥淪ince every subject has its own inherent logic, an exchange between students from different subjects can help broaden the understanding of sustainability on both sides." Such an exchange would involve both common denominators as well as opposing attitudes, which could be a good thing, Feucht says: Once today's students become influential players in politics or business, they must also be able to reach common decisions 鈥� even if they may have contrary opinions on certain sustainability aspects.

Publication: Viktoria Feucht, Paul Wilhelm Dierkes, Matthias Winfried Kleespies: Ranking our future: University students' prioritization of Sustainable Development Goals and their connection to nature. Sustainable Development (2024)

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Caption: Experiencing nature during their studies: Students in the 看片软件 Science Garden. Photo: Paul Dierkes

Further information:
看片软件 Frankfurt
Department of Didactics in the Biological Sciences and Zoo Animal Biology
Professor Paul W. Dierkes
Tel: +49 (0)69 798-42273
dierkes@bio.uni-frankfurt.de

Viktoria Feucht
Tel: +49 (0)69 798 42276
Feucht@bio.uni-frankfurt.de

Dr. Matthias W. Kleespies
Tel. +49 (0)69 798 42276
kleespies@em.uni-frankfurt.de

Bluesky: @goetheuni.bsky.social
Linkedin: @Goethe-Universit盲t Frankfurt

Feb 6 2025

14:48

New gravitational wave simulation links post-merger signal to neutron star composition

Tuning forks in space: a final pure 鈥渢one鈥� may reveal interior of neutron stars聽

Scientists at 看片软件 Frankfurt have identified a new way to probe the interior of neutron stars using gravitational waves from their collisions. By analyzing the "long ringdown" phase 鈥� a pure-tone signal emitted by the post-merger remnant 鈥� they have found a strong correlation between the signal鈥檚 properties and the equation of state of neutron-star matter. The results were recently published in Nature Communications.

FRANKFURT. Neutron stars, with a mass greater than that of the entire solar system confined within a nearly perfect sphere just a dozen kilometers in diameter, are among the most fascinating astrophysical objects known to humankind. Yet, the extreme conditions in their interiors make their composition and structure highly uncertain. The collision of two neutron stars, such as the one observed in 2017, provides a unique opportunity to uncover these mysteries. As binary neutron stars inspiral for millions of years, they emit gravitational waves, but the most intense emission occurs at and just milliseconds after the moment of merging. The post-merger remnant 鈥� a massive, rapidly rotating object formed by the collision 鈥� emits gravitational waves in a strong but narrow frequency range. This signal holds crucial information about the so-called "equation of state" of nuclear matter, which describes how matter behaves at extreme densities and pressures.

Prof. Luciano Rezzolla鈥檚 group at 看片软件 Frankfurt now discovered that although the amplitude of the post-merger gravitational-wave signal diminishes over time, it becomes increasingly "pure"鈥攖ending toward a single frequency, much like a giant tuning fork resonating after being struck. They have termed this phase the "long ringdown" and identified a strong connection between its unique characteristics and the properties of the densest regions in neutron-star cores.

鈥淛ust like tuning forks of different material will have different pure tones, remnants described by different equations of state will ring down at different frequencies. The detection of this signal thus has the potential to reveal what neutron stars are made of,鈥� says Rezzolla, adding, 鈥淚 am particularly proud of this work as it constitutes exemplary evidence of the excellence of Frankfurt- and Darmstadt-based scientists in the study of neutron stars, which have been a central focus of the Hessian research cluster ELEMENTS.鈥�

Using advanced general-relativistic simulations of merging neutron stars with carefully constructed equations of state, the researchers demonstrated that analyzing the long ringdown can significantly reduce uncertainties in the equation of state at very high densities 鈥� where no direct constraints are currently available. 鈥淭hanks to advances in statistical modeling and high-precision simulations on Germany鈥檚 most powerful supercomputers, we have discovered a new phase of the long ringdown in neutron star mergers,鈥� says Dr. Christian Ecker, first author of the study, 鈥淚t has the potential to provide new and stringent constraints on the state of matter in neutron stars. This finding paves the way for a better understanding of dense neutron star matter, especially as new events are observed in the future.鈥�

Co-author Dr. Tyler Gorda adds: "By cleverly selecting a few equations of state, we were able to effectively simulate the results of a full statistical ensemble of matter models with considerably less effort. Not only does this result in less computer time and energy consumption, but it also gives us confidence that our results are robust and will be applicable to whatever equation of state actually occurs in nature."

While current gravitational-wave detectors have not yet observed the post-merger signal, scientists are optimistic that the next-generation detectors, such as the Einstein Telescope expected to become operational in Europe within the next decade, will make this long-awaited detection possible. When that happens, the long ringdown will serve as a powerful tool to probe the enigmatic interiors of neutron stars and reveal the secrets of matter at its most extreme.

Publication: Christian Ecker, Tyler Gorda, Aleksi Kurkela & Luciano Rezzolla: Constraining the equation of state in neutron-star cores via the long-ringdown signal. Nature Communications (2025)

Picture download:

Caption: The signal emitted by two merging neutron stars resembles that of a tuning fork (Credit: L. Rezzolla/pixabay).

Further information
Dr. Christian Ecker
Institute of Theoretical Physics
看片软件 Frankfurt
Tel. +49 69 798-47886
ecker@itp.uni-frankfurt.de

Feb 6 2025

13:13

看片软件 Frankfurt and partners launch EXIST Women program.

New impetus for female founders聽

FRANKFURT. In what can be considered an important milestone for the promotion of start-ups in the Rhine-Main region, 看片软件 Frankfurt and its start-up center Goethe Unibator, together with TU Darmstadt and Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, are delighted to have successfully applied for the renowned EXIST Women funding program. Aimed at supporting female founders, the initiative strengthens the cooperation between the Rhine-Main Universities (RMU) and Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences.

EXIST Women supports female students and researchers interested in founding their own company to either turn innovative ideas into their own start-ups, or to actively help shape start-up projects as co-founders. Participants benefit from individual coaching, mentoring and a strong network. At 看片软件, the program is known as females@Unibator.

鈥淲e need more female role models in the start-up scene. EXIST Women gives women the chance to confidently realize their ideas and actively shape the innovation scene. I am delighted to be part of this program as a mentor and to accompany female founders on their journey,鈥� says Sally Schulze, successful founder and mentor at females@Unibator.

Program highlights:

Developing entrepreneurial skills: Workshops and coaching sessions strengthen participants' personal and professional skills.
Mentoring and networking: Experienced mentors and a broad network offer support and valuable insights into the start-up world.
Financial support: Participants receive a material budget of 鈧�2,000 as well as a three-month grant of up to 鈧�3,000 per month.

Participation in the program does not require a concrete start-up idea; instead, the decisive factors are entrepreneurial drive and a desire to explore new perspectives. Further information on the application process and the conditions of participation can be found on the Goethe Unibator website ().

EXIST Women
The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection鈥檚 EXIST Women program supports women at universities and research institutions who are interested in setting up their own business, especially with regard to developing their entrepreneurial personality and further refining their start-up idea.

Further information on EXIST Women is available at

看片软件

Press releases 鈥� February 2025

看片软件 PR & Communication Department聽

How important are the UN SDGs to students in Germany?

Tuning forks in space: a final pure 鈥渢one鈥� may reveal interior of neutron stars聽

New impetus for female founders聽