With the establishment of a Vice Dean's Office for Sustainability and Scientific Infrastructure - the first and only one in Germany so far - the topic of sustainability has now been given even greater importance at the university and UKB. An independent department for sustainability was established in the Medical Dean's Office in December 2021, thus creating a solid foundation as an interface function between the university and the university hospital for the topic of sustainability. From now on, the team, under the leadership of Vice Dean Prof. Wachten and Vice Dean Prof. Beck, will contribute to a holistic commitment in this essential area and form the central steering and management unit for sustainability at the Faculty of Medicine.
Mrs. Prof. Wachten, you are currently based at the Institute of Innate Immunity and you, Mr. Prof. Beck, at the Institute of Epileptology and Cognitive Sciences. How would you describe your work there so far?
Mrs. Prof. Wachten: At the Institute of Innate Immunity, I head my own department, but also, together with Felix Meissner, the entire institute, which includes several research groups. I am also speaker for the SFB1454 and co-speaker for FOR5547. Accordingly, the range of work is very diverse, but what I enjoy most is discussing projects with the young scientists and moving them forward together. Celebrating successes together at the institute is the best thing about our work.
Mr. Prof. Beck: I am currently speaker for the SFB 1089 and spokesperson for the Bonn Center of Neuroscience. At the IEECR, I am currently the elected director of the institute, where we have introduced flat hierarchies and a board of directors. We have been fortunate at IEECR in recent years to experience the development of a particularly innovative and collaborative group of scientists from PI to PhD student. The exceptionally inclusive atmosphere across subdisciplines and groups is inspiring for me and makes Bonn a special neuroscience location for me.
Of course, sustainability concerns every department and the Medical Dean's Office is delighted that you are willing to take on responsibility for such an extremely important topic. How did you both decide to take on this new and important position as Vice Dean of Sustainability? What is your motivation for working in the Vice Dean's Office?
Mrs. Prof. Wachten: My motivation is twofold. Firstly, I have an intrinsic interest in the topic of sustainability, which I am already trying to bring to the public in other projects. Together with various research associations under the direction of the University Foundation, where I am also a board member, we are currently realizing a museum exhibition in the Museum König. Sustainability is an important aspect here. On the other hand, the topic of sustainability is still very much neglected, especially in the laboratory sector. I would therefore like to see us make progress in this area.
Mr. Prof. Beck: The topic of sustainability also resonated with me because of a growing interest in this area. This was also driven on by my wife's career choice, who is a biologist and plans near-natural gardens. In this respect, sustainability has been an important family topic for us for many years. In addition to the excellent work that has already been done in this area at the UKB and the Dean's Office, I believe, like Dagmar Wachten, that we can still achieve a lot in the area of 'sustainable research laboratories'.
There is no longer any doubt that sustainability and environmental protection are essential for our world today and the world in our future. What do you want to achieve with the Vice Dean's Office in the future? What is particularly important to you?
Mrs. Prof. Wachten: Heinz Beck and I both come from experimental basic research and improving sustainability in the laboratory sector is an important aspect. In addition, we should also strive for sustainable use of our resources in the technology sector and develop new concepts here.
Mr. Prof. Beck: I have nothing to add to that - exactly the same.
The last question is a personal one: climate change and its devastating consequences for us and our planet often evoke strong feelings of fear and hopelessness. How do you personally manage to stay motivated?
Mrs. Prof. Wachten: We have a role model function for our employees and the students we deal with on a daily basis. That alone motivates me to see the positive and pass on this view. In the museum exhibition, we try to use a positive narrative to reach the target group of young people/young adults in precisely this area. Science communication can do a lot in this area and I hope that this can be expanded even further so that a broad public can be reached with tools to improve the situation.
Mr. Prof. Beck: A 12-year-old child once said to me that planet Earth was going down the drain anyway and that there was nothing we could do about it now. That made me feel particularly sad and thoughtful. The fact that we have to deal with the negative aspects of our world, but that only positive thinking about it can bring something positive, is a truth that we as adults and scientists must also set an example for our children.
If you have any questions, suggestions, ideas or require further information on the topic of sustainability, you are welcome to visit the website of the Vice Dean's Office for Sustainability or contact the Vice Dean's Office via email at prodekanat.nachhaltigkeit@ukbonn.de.