Georg-August-Universität Göttingen

Electronic services for foreign research alumni

In the ideas competition entitled “Research alumni of universities in Germany”, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation bestowed honourable mention upon the University of Göttingen, among others, for its research alumni concept. To supplement its already successful alumni work, the university is planning to offer electronic services to visiting foreign scientists. A special “eResearch Portal” is designed to merge data and liaisons from the university and from non-university institutions affiliated with the Göttingen Research Campus. The university aims to give foreign researchers opportunities for continuing education in eResearch. In addition, visiting scholars receive online access to the electronic resources of the Göttingen State and University Library. more...

500 years ago, the number of Native Americans plummets by half

Coincident with the arrival of Europeans in North and South America, there was a significant decline in the indigenous populations on both continents. This is what scientists working at Göttingen University and the University of Washington, Seattle, have demonstrated for the first time using genetic studies. By extensively analysing female genomes, the researchers succeeded in proving that a transient contraction in population sizes by around 50 percent took place some 500 years ago. more...

Forests as climate regulators: Complex topics future forestry scientists must face

Over the course of their lifetimes, trees absorb huge amounts of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) and store it for extended periods of time. That makes forests a natural and highly effective “climate regulator” that incurs comparatively little cost to operate. In order that future generations of forestry scientists become familiar with this complex topic, researchers and students from the Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology at Göttingen University are organising a workshop as part of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2011 in Durban, South Africa. A total of 45 students and professors from 21 countries will be attending the workshop. more...