Students obtain information on practical experimentation and degree courses at other universities.
At the initiative of the ecotoxicology unit of the Master’s course in environmental sciences at Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU), a new platform has been set up for students to meet and network with one another, which is now celebrating its first anniversary. The unit offers activities that go beyond the usual lectures in order to provide more information on practical experimentation and degree courses at other universities. The “Central Hessian Ecotoxicology Day” brought together students from the THM University of Applied Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, the University of Marburg and – the most recent additions – the University of Kassel and the JLU at the FNU Research Centre in Homberg (Ohm), offering students information on ecotoxicological research and practice.
The students mixed and mingled at a cozy ice-breaker in the FNU “Pizza house.” Everyone was given a card bearing the name of a native organism and had to find its predator, its prey, or the adult form that matched a particular larva. The cards were distributed so that each person had to find someone from a different university, which resulted in a host of new contacts. Pizzas, home-made cakes and drinks were served, creating a relaxed atmosphere conducive to interactions between the participants.
This was followed by a walking tour of the FNU campus. Alongside an active site for earthworm experiments, Prof. Klaus Peter Ebke explained the special aspects of higher tier field studies, which are concerned with the effects of chemicals on complex communities of organisms. Their results are relevant in the approval of plant protection products. At the next station, home to the “meso-cosmoses” (research ponds), project workers described the special features of the sampling techniques and the numerous animal groups. The attendees discussed the classical methods for catching the animals and the very challenging requirements relating to ecosystem modelling, such as feeding sufficient information on biomass, population structure and representativeness into the computer models.
The Central Hessian Ecotoxicology Day concluded with guest speaker Prof. Christoph Schäfers, Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME in Schmallenberg, giving a lecture entitled “From molecular effect to population effect – a vision or already feasible?” It was an excellent look at the currently very relevant topic of avoiding animal experiments by investigating molecular mechanisms of action. The latest research results are already very promising.
The second Central Hessian Ecotoxicology Day was a great success. Whereas the first event held in 2023 drew 35 guests from three universities, this year’s event attracted more than 50 guests from five universities.
Prof. Rolf-Alexander Düring and Prof. Klaus Peter Ebke, Justus Liebig University Giessen
