Invitation: Climate change - from knowledge to action
The graph visualizes the average temperature for Germany between 1881 and 2017; each strip stands for one year, based on the data set of the DWD. © Ed Hawkins/klimafakten.de
Climate change and its causes are undisputed. But how do we get from knowledge to action? What can science contribute to this? On Thursday, 5.12.2019 at 17:00 Clara Mayer (Fridays for Future), Volker Quaschning (HTW Berlin and Scientists for Future), Bernd Rech (scientific director of the HZB) and Kira Vinke (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research) will discuss these questions. The event takes place in the Bunsen lecture hall of WISTA in Adlershof and is open to the public. Admission is free.
Countless scientific studies show how important it is to limit global warming. We must reduce greenhouse gas emissions at all levels of society and in all sectors in order to achieve our climate targets. But there are many hurdles to implementation. What can science do to speed up action here? Should science interfere at all?
These questions are discussed in an open debate. Participants are Clara Mayer from Fridays for Future, Prof. Volker Quaschning (HTW Berlin and Scientists for Future), Prof. Bernd Rech (Scientific Director of the HZB) and Dr. Kira Vinke of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. The debate will be moderated by Rutger Schlatmann (Head of PVcomB at HZB).
The debate is open to the public and will take place in the Bunsen lecture hall of WISTA. Admission is free.
As the discussion takes place within the international user meeting at the HZB, the discussion language is English.
Venue: Bunsen Lecture Hall WISTA, Rudower Chaussee 17, 12489 Berlin
Time: Thursday, 5.12.2019 from 17:00 until 18:30
- AI agents deliver results – but do they reason scientifically?A research team co-led by Kevin Maik Jablonka from the Helmholtz Institute for Polymers in Energy Applications Jena (HIPOLE Jena) and N. M. Anoop Krishnan from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi has developed Corral, a new benchmark for AI agents in science. The preprint “AI scientists produce results without reasoning scientifically” has been published on arXiv (https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2604.18805). The analysis shows that current systems can execute scientific workflows and deliver results; however, they often do not follow the basic principles of scientific testing and reasoning.
- Materials chemistry shapes the future of catalysisThe synthesis of materials can serve as a tool for developing smart, adaptive electrocatalysts. This rapidly evolving field of research involves in-situ analytics, data-driven discoveries and autonomous robotics. These new approaches could accelerate the discovery of long-lasting and efficient catalysts for future energy conversion and the decarbonisation of the chemical industry. A recent article by Dr Prashanth Menezes and his team in the renowned journal Angewandte Chemie provides an overview of this research.
- Cool vaccines in rural Kenya: solar solution has been awarded by UNIn May 2026, Tabitha Awuor Amollo is spending some weeks as a guest scientist at HZB, analysing perovskite thin films at BESSY II. The Kenyan physicist from Egerton University, Nairobi, was recently recognised for her achievements in research and teaching. For the development of a solar-powered refrigeration system for use in rural health centres, she has been awarded the 2026 Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD)-Elsevier Foundation Award. An interview on exceptional projects and daily struggles of a scientist. Questions were asked by Antonia Rötger.