Scientists In Germany Research Articles

Physiologists as medical scientists: An early warning from the German academic system.

"Medical scientists" are postgraduate investigators who are engaged in biomedical research, and either hold a biomedical PhD or are qualified in medicine but do not participate in patient care. Medical scientists constitute ~40% of staff at medical faculties and >90% at nonuniversity medical research institutions in Germany. However, medical scientists in Germany face limited long-term career prospects and a lack of dedicated training and support programmes. They also face time limits on their career progression arising from national academic employment legislation, and imminent reforms by the German government are likely to make this worse. Nevertheless, recent developments in the educational landscape including the introduction of increasingly focused MSc, pre-PhD, and doctoral programmes to train medically aware basic scientists, as well as improved general recognition of the roles and relevance of medical scientists in health research, are encouraging. Physiologists have taken essential steps to improve the recognition of medical scientists in Germany by introducing a "specialist physiologist" qualification; this initiative could be applied to support medical scientists in other fields and countries. In this review, we describe the particular challenges facing medical scientists in Germany and make recommendations that may apply to other academic systems.

Icy ocean worlds - astrobiology research in Germany

Icy bodies with subsurface oceans are a prime target for astrobiology investigations, with an increasing number of scientists participating in the planning, development, and realization of space missions to these worlds. Within Germany, the Ocean Worlds and Icy Moons working group of the German Astrobiology Society provides an invaluable platform for scientists and engineers from universities and other organizations with a passion for icy ocean worlds to share knowledge and start collaborations. We here present an overview about astrobiology research activities related to icy ocean worlds conducted either in Germany or in strong collaboration with scientists in Germany. With recent developments, Germany offers itself as a partner to contribute to icy ocean world missions.

History of the development of the institute of law abuse in the states of the romano-german legal family

The article provides a historical analysis of the institution of abuse of law in the states of the Romano- Germanic legal family. In particular, with the help of a set of philosophical-worldview, general scientific, special scientific methods (primarily, dialectical, historical-legal and comparative-legal) and principles of scientific knowledge, the evolution of theoretical ideas about the abuse of law, their consolidation in legislation and practical implementation in individual states of the Romano-Germanic legal family (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, France). It is argued that modern ideas about the abuse of law are based on the provisions of Roman law. Theoretical approaches to the abuse of law contained in the works of leading European legal scholars (A. Binder, T. Geise, W. Erman, L. Dugis, W. Siebert, V. Roberto and others) were analyzed. On the basis of a comparative analysis of normative legal acts regulating the issue of abuse of law (German Civil Code, Austrian Civil Code, Civil Codes of Switzerland, Spain and France), characteristic features and general trends of the legal establishment of the category “abuse of law” in the states of the Romano- Germanic legal system have been revealed family. It was established that theoretical approaches to understanding the category of “law abuse” were most actively developed by scientists in Germany and France. In particular, general approaches to the essence and features of the abuse of the right have been developed, mechanisms for counteracting the harmful exercise of the right, etc. have been proposed. At the same time, the legislation of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain and France also uses the experience of other countries, transforming it through their own culture and traditions. This is due to certain features of the legislative establishment of the inadmissibility of the abuse of the right. It was concluded that due to the existence in the states of the Romano-Germanic legal family of a general ban on the abuse of law, legal science had the opportunity to investigate not only specific cases of unfair exercise of the law, but also the phenomenon of abuse of law in general.

Russian Scientific Diaspora in Germany in 1990s-2010s: Formation Paths and Development Features

This article examines the process of formation and transformations of the Russian scientific diaspora in Germany in the 1990s-2010s. It raises questions about the reasons and paths of creating a large community of scientific workers and researchers who moved from Russia to Germany. An approximate estimate of the number of members of the group under study at the turn of the XX-XXI centuries is provided. Special attention is paid to the analysis of forms and types of association among Russian compatriot scientists in Germany. Sources include data from Russian and German state statistical agencies, documents from the German Academic Exchange Service, a transcript of the German government’s report to the Bundestag, and others. An overview of the tools used by the German authorities to attract scientific personnel from Russia in the 1990s-2010s is conducted. The policy of Russian authorities regarding interaction with the scientific diaspora during the period under review is analyzed. It is shown how Moscow increased contacts with the scientific diaspora in Germany in the early 2010s amid intensified competition for highly qualified personnel. It is noted that although these initiatives contributed to the development of new formats of cooperation between scientists of Russian origin in Germany and Russian scientific institutions, they were later suspended and did not lead to a systemic activation of interaction.

Was Stephen Timoshenko right about the Jewish scientists in Germany?

AbstractStephen Timoshenko was the author of numerous textbooks on various aspects of applied mechanics, and through them contributed to its rapid development in the world. As always, the community is also interested in the personal side of the scientists. This paper is devoted to a single statement made by Stephen Timoshenko in his autobiographical book. Specifically, it concerns Timoshenko's at least partial “explanation” of the Holocaust that took place during WWII. Whereas Timoshenko's statement constituted, to the present writer, open antisemitism, it does not seem to disturb many researchers who continue to honor him in various ways. “Nonsense is nonsense, but the history of nonsense is scholarship,” according to Saul Lieberman. Hence the present article presents an investigation of Timoshenko's nonsensical and overly antisemitic statement. This author corresponded with a number of historians of science all repudiating Timoshenko's assertions. Most importantly, the correspondents shed additional vivid light on the Holocaust as experienced by Jewish scientists.

Are intellectual property policies for gene‐edited crops fit for purpose? The perspectives of German scientists

Societal Impact StatementA growing body of research indicates that intellectual property policies for agricultural biotechnologies are hindering research and limiting the use of the technologies. Research also indicates that public resistance to agricultural biotechnologies, including transgenic and gene‐edited crops, is at least in part motivated by concerns about intellectual property restrictions. Therefore, changing the policies governing agricultural biotechnologies promises to reduce public resistance and to enhance the diffusion of research outputs. Because so many patents related to gene editing are held by universities and because so much cutting‐edge research is conducted by public scientists, exploring the scientists' perspectives on these policies offers insights into possibilities for policy changes.Summary After the European Court of Justice's ruling that gene‐edited crops would be regulated the way transgenic crops are regulated, the European Commission consulted with stakeholders and concluded that policies governing gene‐edited crops are not fit for purpose. This research explores whether public scientists in Germany also consider intellectual property policies not fit for purpose. The data come from intensive interviews with 10 scientists working at German universities and research institutes. The interviewed scientists describe how intellectual property policies limited the use of transgenic breeding techniques and how they now limit applications of gene‐editing techniques. They overwhelmingly support policy changes that facilitate the use of their scientific breakthroughs to solve problems in the world, and they do not want to see large companies use the technologies to consolidate economic power or to profit at the expense of solving problems. Because intellectual property policies are often cited as a key reason for the resistance to agricultural biotechnologies and because research indicates that current policies are not enhancing crop innovations or social welfare, a change in intellectual property policies is likely to reduce resistance to the new crop breeding technologies and yield more social benefits.

The many histories of the conflict thesis: the science vs. religion narrative in nineteenth-century Germany

ABSTRACT The idea of an inevitable conflict between science and religion leading to relentless hostility between the two emerged in the nineteenth century and has become a powerful narrative of modernity. Most historians of science trace the origins of the so-called ‘conflict thesis’ to the English-speaking world, more precisely to scientist-historian John William Draper and literary scholar Andrew Dickson White. Their books on the history of scientific-religious conflict turned into bestsellers. Yet, if we look beyond the Anglo-American world, the conflict thesis appears in new historical settings. This paper argues that the science vs. religion narrative flourished already in Germany before Draper and White announced the warfare between science and religion in England and the USA. Focusing on Germany, we aim to show that the conflict thesis emerged in a polycentric process shaped by various political, cultural, and social struggles. It became a rhetorical weapon for liberal scientists in Germany to oppose Ultramontanism and, at the same time, to discredit their rivals as unscientific, fanatic, or even as ‘henchmen’ of the Pope. Our paper makes a case for a decentred approach to the history of the conflict thesis, which brings to the fore specific political and cultural tensions shaping this narrative in the nineteenth century.

Money makes our world go round – funding landscape for polar early-career scientists in Germany

Abstract. A lot of things in life need money and so does polar science: money is needed to participate in conferences, undertake fieldwork campaigns or pay for salaries, such as in PhD projects or permanent research positions. To give an overview on the general funding landscape for polar early-career scientists in Germany, APECS Germany (the German National Committee of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists, APECS) has started to host a list of grant, fellowship and other funding opportunities at https://apecs-germany.de/funding/ (last access: 15 October 2022). This is visualized in Fig. 1. Once a suitable funding scheme has been found, grant writing requires good preparation, a well-structured and written proposal, and several back-up plans.

Politics in Search of Evidence—The Role of Public Health in the COVID Pandemic in Germany: Protocol for a Situational Analysis

The protocol presents a research project that explores the relationship between science and politics in the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of public health (PH) scientists in Germany with situational analysis (SA). In context of this global crisis, we ask how PH scientists negotiate their roles as scientists and political citizens; how PH scientists perceive the relationship between their own and other scientific disciplines; and which normative assumptions PH scientists make in the production and dissemination of research findings. To conduct SA, we combine qualitative interviews with PH experts and published documents from scientific societies in PH and related disciplines (e.g., position and opinion papers) to analyze the complexity of integrating evidence-based knowledge into politics. Data are analyzed using different SA mapping tools, focusing on social worlds/arena maps and positional maps. The approach will reveal both explicit positions in the PH community and implicit or hidden voices and will reflect normative assumptions as well as internal structures of PH in Germany. The findings will be discussed with the philosophy sub-project and in a stakeholder workshop with politicians and the public. Further insights will be gained for politics and PH responses to future global crises.

Under pressure: The extent and distribution of perceived pressure among scientists in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland

AbstractWhile it has been stressed repeatedly that academics nowadays have come to face extensive pressure, the extent and distribution of pressure to publish and to secure third-party funding has not been systematically investigated on a large scale. Based on the Zurich Survey of Academics, a representative large-scale web survey among academics working at universities in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (DACH region), which measures perceived pressure using six-point Likert scales, this article examines the extent and distribution of pressure to publish and to attract external funding. Specifically, we examine differences in perceived pressure across countries, disciplines, types of higher education institutions, sociodemographic characteristics (academic status, age, gender, relationship status, number of children), and working conditions (non-tenured/tenured, time available for research). It is shown that researchers in the DACH region feel a high level of pressure, with the pressure to publish being slightly greater than the pressure to attract external funding. The results also suggest that perceived pressure is not evenly distributed among countries and groups of academics. Specifically, the results suggest that (1) more secure and permanent (tenured) positions should be created and (2) the high-performance culture should be addressed in at least some disciplines if excessive pressure is to be alleviated. The findings also suggest that further investments should be made (3) to promote equal career opportunities for women and men and (4) to ensure that scientists have sufficient time for their research and are not too occupied with other responsibilities, such as teaching or administrative duties.

Homeschooling – vom natürlichen Recht zur Rechtswidrigkeit

Abstract Homeschooling – Common and Unlawful. Comments on a Re-Evaluation of a Way of Organizing Schooling As a result of the Corona crisis, the term homeschooling, reserved before for lawyers and scientists in Germany, suddenly became an omnipresent catchphrase. In a very special sense, of course. In the following, concepts and argumentation figures of homeschooling are to be explained in order to initiate a scientifically fruitful discussion.

Science rules! A qualitative study of scientists’ approaches to grant lottery

Abstract Using peer review to assess the validity of research proposals has always had its fair share of critics, including a more-than-fair-share of scholars. The debate about this method of assessing these proposals now seems trivial when compared with assessing the validity for granting funding by lottery. Some of the same scholars have suggested that the way grant lottery was being assessed has made random allocation seem even-handed, less biased and more supportive of innovative research. But we know little of what researchers actually think about grant lottery and even less about the thoughts of those scientists who rely on funding. This paper examines scientists’ perspectives on selecting grants by ‘lots’ and how they justify their support or opposition. How do they approach something scientifically that is, in itself, not scientific? These approaches were investigated with problem-centered interviews conducted with natural scientists in Germany. The qualitative interviews for this paper reveal that scientists in dominated and dominating field positions are, more or less, open to the idea of giving a selection process by lots a try. Nonetheless, they are against pure randomization because from their point of view it is incompatible with scientific principles. They rather favor a combination of grant lottery and peer review processes, assuming that only under these conditions could randomly allocated funding be an integral and legitimate part of science.

“Most Unusual” Beauty Contests: Nordic Photographic Competitions and the Construction of a Public for German Race Science, 1926–1935

AbstractIn the late 1920s and early 1930s, professional anthropologists and prominent race scientists in Germany served as judges in a series of mail-in photographic competitions designed to identi...

A survey of travel behaviour among scientists in Germany and the potential for change.

Awareness of the environmental impact of conferences is growing within the scientific community. Here we report the results of a survey in which scientists in Germany were asked about their attendance at conferences, their reasons for attending, and their willingness to explore new approaches that would reduce the impact of conferences on the environment. A majority of respondents were keen to reduce their own carbon footprint and were willing to explore alternatives to the traditional conference.

Renewable Energy from Wildflowers—Perennial Wild Plant Mixtures as a Social‐Ecologically Sustainable Biomass Supply System

AbstractA growing bioeconomy requires increasing amounts of biomass from residues, wastes, and industrial crops for bio‐based products and bioenergy. There is much discussion about how industrial crop cultivation could promote social–ecological outcomes such as environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, climate change adaptation, food security, greenhouse gas mitigation, and landscape appearance. In Germany, maize (Zea mays L.) is the main biogas substrate source, despite being associated with problems such as erosion, biodiversity losses, an increase in wild boar populations and lowered landscape diversity. The cultivation of perennial wild plant mixtures (WPM) addresses many of these problems. Despite being less developed than maize, WPM cultivation has received notable attention among scientists in Germany over the past decade. This is mainly because WPMs clearly outperform maize in social–ecological measures, despite their methane yield performance. This review summarizes and discusses the results of 12 years of research and practice with WPMs as a social‐ecologically more benign bioenergy cropping system.

Growing Academic Physiatry: The Comparative Impact of Baruch Grants to Harvard Medical School and Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. Part I

Growing Academic Physiatry: The Comparative Impact of Baruch Grants to Harvard Medical School and Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. Part I

Does Academia Still Call? Experiences of Academics in Germany and the United States

Given the significant transformations underway in academia, it is pertinent to ask whether the traditional notion of entering the profession in response to a calling is still relevant. This article draws together hitherto unconnected strands of German and Anglo-Saxon literature on callings, then analyzes biographical narratives of 40 social scientists in Germany and the United States. The comparative analysis of the timing, sources, and nature of the respondents’ decision to become academics finds that almost all exhibit a calling orientation. However, their responses no longer correspond to the classical, passive notion; instead, callings in academia have become agentic. In the context of a wider societal trend to self-realization, academia has been transformed to an activity that people pursue because they want to rather than because destiny or an external force pushes them to make such a commitment. The recognition of the social nature of callings is underscored by the significance of professional mentors and family. The unexpected predominance of similarities in the cross-national comparison of calling orientation suggests that the internationalization of academic standards and procedures and the high level of competition for few positions in both contexts may outweigh the effects of culture and tradition.

On Otto Warburg, Nazi Bureaucracy and the difficulties of moral judgment

Twentieth-century photosynthesis research had strong roots in Germany, with the cell physiologist Otto H. Warburg being among its most influential figures. He was also one of the few scientists of Jewish ancestry who kept his post as a director of a research institution throughout the Nazi period. Based on archival sources, the paper investigates Warburg’s fate during these years at selected episodes. He neither collaborated with the regime nor actively resisted; he was harrassed by bureaucracy and denunciated to the secret police, but saved by powerful figures in economy, politics, and science. Warburg reciprocated this favour with problematic testimonies of political integrity after 1945. Warburg’s case, thus, defies wellestablished notions of how scientists in Germany lived and worked during the Nazi regime, and, therefore, helps provide a more nuanced perspective on this theme.

Germany vs Elsevier: universities win temporary journal access after refusing to pay fees.

Scientists in Germany can still read journals even though institutions there have not renewed their subscriptions. Scientists in Germany can still read journals even though institutions there have not renewed their subscriptions.

Understanding the information needs of social scientists in Germany

ABSTRACTThe information needs of social science researchers are manifold and almost studied in every decade since the 1950s. With this paper, we contribute to this series and present the results of three studies. We asked 367 social science researchers in Germany for their information needs and identified needs in different categories: literature, research data, measurement instruments, support for data analysis, support for data collection, variables in research data, software support, networking/cooperation, and illustrative material. Thereby, the search for literature and research data is still the main information need with more than three‐quarter of our participants expressing needs in these categories. With comprehensive lists of altogether 154 concrete information needs, even those that are only expressed by one participant, we contribute to the holistic understanding of the information needs of social science researchers of today.