Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) became a victim of a cyber attack on 15.06.2023. To protect against it, we have shut down all IT systems. The research centre cannot be reached via the website, email or telephone at the moment. We ask for your understanding.Read More →
Every year, a small team at HZB organises the International Summer Students Programme. This summer, 13 young people came from Kenya, Colombia, Serbia and other countries. At the final conference, all students presented their projects with flash talks and posters. The best poster and the most intriguing blog post were elected – a difficult process, since the quality was really very good.Read More →
The Intersolar trade fair, held in Munich from June 14th to 16th, served as a global platform for experts, industry leaders, and enthusiasts to explore the latest developments in the solar energy sector. Intersolar is part of “The smarter E,” four different exhibitions, Intersolar, ees, Power2Drive and EM-Power, focusing on renewable energy and highlighting groundbreaking advancements in the field – this year under the motto: “Creating a new energy world”. Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), participates every year to Intersolar and presents its research expertise and technological achievements. The HZB booth at Intersolar Europe 2023 At HZB’s booth this year, we presented the main aspects of ourRead More →
The BESSY@HZB User Meeting welcomes 17 scientists from Kenya. They come from six different universities. One of them is Robert Ngure; he is a Master’s student in material science at Egerton university. He tells us more about his fascination for science and what he expects from his visit to Adlershof. Robert Ngure graduated in June 2019 and enrolled a few months later for a Master’s degree in science. In most universities in Kenya, you study for one year before you choose a specialisation. Robert’s decision was relatively straightforward: “I am convinced that material science is very relevant for my country. From the beginning, my goalRead More →
Dr. Tabitha A. Amollo is a researcher and lecturer at Egerton University in Njoro in Kenya. She holds a Ph.D. in physics from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Her research interests focus on developing cutting-edge nanomaterials for energy conversion devices including graphene nanomaterials. She published a number of articles in reputable journals. At Egerton University, she is the head of a young team to explore dye-sensitive solar cells, she is a chairperson of the Physics Department, and she coordinates the undergraduate program and gives lectures to undergraduates and postgraduate physics students. Here in Germany, there are not many women in physics. How is itRead More →
In April, Nancy Ochiba was a guest at HZB in Berlin doing research on nanoparticles. “I made good use of the time,” says the young chemist from Nairobi, Kenya. First she took part in the Photon School for young scientists, then she joined the lab at the Institute for Solar Fuels as a guest researcher. “Here I can benefit from technology that is not available to me at the Kenya University of Technology. For example, I have now examined my samples under a scanning electron microscope.” Research for a better future Nancy is in the first year of her PhD. What motivates her? She wantsRead More →
The 2023 User Meeting BESSY@HZB end of June welcomes Kenya as country of honour. Dr Lucy Ombaka from Technical University of Kenya in Nairobi tells us how she got to know about BESSY II light source and how she motivates women in science. Early May 2023 when we talk, Lucy Ombaka is just back from Berlin, where she spent a few days with the Humboldt Foundation. In 2018 she was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship there. Lecturer in Inorganic Chemistry at the Technical University of Kenya (TUK), Lucy holds a PhD in nanotechnology and catalysis. “I met Antje Vollmer1 from BESSY II during an online Humboldt-Symposium.Read More →
The BESSY@HZB user meeting will take place at the end of June 2023. For the first time, there will be a country of honour, Kenya. Antje Vollmer, BESSY II spokesperson, tells us how this came about and why it is important to work at eye level with researchers from other countries. Science diplomacy has long been a central theme for Antje Vollmer. She recalls that a lecture by Rolf-Dieter Heuer1 had a particular impact on her: “He spoke about the importance of CERN beyond science, and the role of large-scale research institutions for international cooperation and science diplomacy.” At BESSY II, international collaborations in thisRead More →
Diversity is a very hot topic at the moment. All over we see campaigns about it, companies waking up to its profit potential, and institutions wanting to harness its creative power. What do we mean when we use the word diversity, what is its scope? Who do we want to reach and who feels spoken to when we say that diversity matters? Unique people living together Simply put, diversity is the existence of a wide variation of characteristics in a group of people. When we say diversity matters, we are recognizing and valuing that variation, and aiming at promoting fair treatment and full participation ofRead More →
Mahmoud Hussein is a PhD candidate at the department for active materials and interfaces for stable perovskite solar cells. In this interview he talks about his experiences working in international teams and how different cultures can contribute to scientific progress by encouraging creative thinking. What is important to you about diversity? The most important aspect in diversity, for me, is having people from different cultures and from different backgrounds – and different science perspectives. That’s very important because this is one of the main driving forces of science. Why? Because when you take people. from different backgrounds, from different educational systems, different academic sub fields,Read More →