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A half-timbered house on the Burgplatz in Braunschweig
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Quality, not Quantity
Conducting research in Braunschweig—now that’s a variegated affair. Hardly any other place in Germany has so many research institutions in one place. Around 7,000 people devote themselves here to various scientific challenges—from the restoration of old houses to surface technologies all the way to health research.
Barking up the (Wrong) Tree
The Wilhelm Klauditz Institute (WKI) is barking up a tree, a lot of trees in fact. Why? Well, because it’s an institute devoted to the study of wood. To be more precise, it’s a Fraunhofer Institute devoted to wood. And how does WKI keep talking to the tree bark? It researches uses for wood and other renewable resources, for example hemp, flax or straw. It analyzes materials made of wood and other natural products. The goal is to improve the quality of these products and use raw materials more effectively. It develops new measurement techniques and manufacturing processes, for example for the furniture industry. The preservation of old building materials and restoration of half-timbered buildings are also high on the WKI agenda—just like issues such as environmental protection and wood recycling. WKI also puts a high priority on European cooperation. WKI and other European institutes have joined together to form the “Eurowood Network.”
Sparkling Diamonds
Marilyn Monroe would have loves all the drills, cutters and grinders at the Fraunhofer Institute for Coating and Surface Technology (IST). Why? Because everything’s coated with diamonds and we all know that „diamonds are a girl’s best friend.“ Now, diamonds aren’t the only thing the institute cares about, it researches and develops surfaces and coatings of all sorts. Be it for tools, pistons, sprockets, insulation, flat-screen displays or optical equipment, IST and its scientists, technicians and engineers are always on the look out for new ways to coat and protect. The results should be market oriented and future thinking. That’s why the institute researches coating methods and materials that aren’t even on the market yet. In this way, IST works hand in hand with industry in developing new products and methods.
The Search for Vaccines
Why do some people get sick from infectious diseases and others remain immune to them? What role does genetics play in it all? These are the kind of questions that occupy the Society for Biotechnology Research (GBF) since the more that is known, the earlier diseases can be identified and treated. Worldwide, infectious diseases are responsible for a third of all deaths. And to try to reduce this alarming number, GBF is developing new vaccines and vaccine strategies. The fast-developing field of genome research promises to answer many questions scientists now have. The scientists at GBF are part of the international Human Genome Project and contributed to the decoding of the human chromosome 21. GBF puts much emphasis on interdisciplinary work and besides doctors at the institute, scientists and engineers are also devoting themselves to increasing human well-being.
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| Further Information
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TU Braunschweig is a member of TU9, an alliance of the best technical universities in Germany. On its webpages, TU9 provides information on studying engineering and natural sciences.
www.tu9.de/...
Profile of the Brunswick region and its Networks of Competence
www.kompetenznetze.de/...
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