Dear DESY colleagues,

our winter newsletter is filled almost entirely with good news – especially with the appointment of Beate Heinemann as DESY's new Director for Particle Physics and the highlights from DESY Science Day 2021. But we can't avoid COVID-related news entirely. The pandemic is still keeping us busy and continues to demand a lot from everyone – and yet: we did exceptionally well as a research centre and as colleagues last year. Christian Harringa, Administrative Director and head of DESY's Corona Task Force, says so, too.

So stay healthy and optimistic! We hope you enjoy reading and wish you a happy holiday season.

See you in 2022! Your DESY inform team

Best of DESY

We dared it - and it was great! The DESY Science Day 2021 came live from the auditorium in November under strict COVID rules, and via stream directly into your home offices. "We are part of the essential infrastructure," said DESY Director Helmut Dosch in his welcoming speech about the research centre's competences and missions. This claim was proven and shown in the course of the Science Day: outstanding results from the past months, promising results for the coming years. In addition, tributes were paid to the lifetime achievements of DESY employees – fascinating, dedicated, emotional! And the highlight: the Jentschke Lecture with risk researcher Ortwin Renn on the highly topical subject of "Emotional Truths."

By the way, in the photos above you can see Kerstin Straub (top right), Head of the Press and Communications Department, who moderated the DESY Science Day with charm and radiance. With masks and social distance (mi.): Administrative Director Christian Harringa in conversation with Freya Blekman, one of DESY's new appointments in 2021. Reflection before the Jentschke Lecture: risk researcher Ortwin Renn (bottom left). And minding the COVID gap: seating arrangement in the DESY auditorium (top left).

DESY Science Day 2021 – here are more scientific and human highlights. You can find the link to the video at the end of the story.

Promisingly forward-looking: for the first time, four female scientists presented outstanding achievements from the four research areas in a new format, among them Shan Liu (left, accelerators) and Marie Betker (right, photon science).

Sympathetic and eloquent: DESY's new appointees - pictured here is Sadia Bari - explained their research in a video under difficult circumstances: in 60 seconds and using everyday objects.

DESY's "Elefantenrunde": Albrecht Wagner (left), direct predecessor of DESY Director Helmut Dosch (mi.), and Jochen Schneider, former Director for Photon Science (r.), received DESY's Golden Badges of Honour. "We don't hand out these awards lightly. But in these two cases it was particularly easy," said Helmut Dosch. When he asked how long the withdrawal symptoms lasted after leaving DESY, both gentlemen cheerfully responded "Zero!", triggering a lot of applause from the audience.

Master of the mini accelerators: DESY physicist Jens Osterhoff received the Bjørn H. Wiik Prize for his outstanding achievements in the field of plasma acceleration. Margret Becker-Wiik, the widow of the late DESY director in whose memory DESY's most important science prize is awarded, was in the audience.

She's got class! Svenja Lehmann received the PhD Award of the Association of Friends and Sponsors of DESY from VFFD Board Member Wilfried Buchmüller. Lehmann is now busy recruiting new young scientists on Schleswig-Holstein's west coast: she is a physics teacher in Meldorf.

Standing ovations: for their lifetime achievements, 13 DESY colleagues in or near retirement were honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The prizes (framed personalised flanges) are made every year by the team from the DESY workshop.

"Felt truth": futurologist Ortwin Renn spoke in the Jentschke Lecture about orientation in post-factual times. The subsequent Q&A round on the topic of science and truth turned into a passionate discussion among the directors.

Congratulations once again to all the award winners. And thank you to everyone who participated, helped and watched.

If you want to watch the DESY Science Day 2021 (again), you can find the recording in the webcast portal under the keyword "DESY Science Day".

Born out of necessity, DESY's Corona Task Force meets more often these days, the latest newsletters are coming more frequently and the campus signs with important measures are changing - for the safety of us all. We checked up on the latest developments with Christian Harringa, Administrative Director and head of the DESY Crisis Staff.

He has a few personal worries: "Half a year ago, many of us still hoped that the situation would be better today, especially through consistent vaccination. Many DESY colleagues shared this hope and were also disappointed. In addition to this there's the considerable professional and private pressure to which we are all exposed."

What makes him confident? "We have done well above average as a research centre and also as colleagues in the past period. This is the case in many areas, from compliance with safety measures to great solidarity amongst colleagues to the willingness to get vaccinated."

How does he think the situation will evolve? "At DESY, we are not only responsible for the safety of our employees but we can make a contribution to researching and solving the pandemic at the same time. That is why I consider our work important enough to be continued even under further hightened restrictions."

DESY's company doctor Katharina Bünz was one of the most sought-after persons on the Hamburg campus this pandemic year. A round of quick answers:

About vaccinations: "We continue to do vaccinations at DESY. Feel free to sign up!" (Note: This also applies to the Zeuthen campus).

About booster vaccinations: "The demand for booster shots is extremely high. We have about 700 registrations for mid-December. The offer will of course continue in the new year, probably one or two days per month."

About tests: "Even vaccinated people should continue to test themselves regularly. For those who work on campus, two self-tests a week are usually available free of charge. We have ordered enough of these tests."

About 2G/2G+: "At DESY, there are only 2G rooms, i.e. for people who have either been vaccinated or have recovered from COVID. The testing (i.e. the +) is an additional security measure that can be required at events, for example. That is then a case-by-case decision."

Last but not least: "I am still impressed by the great discipline, solidarity, precision as well as the good humour of the DESY staff. The community spirit helps and will also carry us through the winter period."

Beate Heinemann – DESY's first female Director

She was born in Hamburg, took her first career steps at DESY and is now the first woman on the Directorate: Beate Heinemann. In December, the Foundation Council appointed the DESY particle physicist and professor at the University of Freiburg as Director of the High Energy Physics Research division. On 1 February 2022, she will succeed Joachim Mnich and Interim Director Ties Behnke.

In an interview with DESY inform, she revealed what is important to her at DESY, where she personally wants to set priorities and which Hamburg football club Heinemann's heart beats for.

Startup spirit on the DESY campus

Luruper Hauptstraße 1 - the future has a new address! The opening of Start-up Labs Bahrenfeld was one of the autumn highlights on the DESY campus. Almost all the workspaces of the innovation centre for deep-tech start-ups have now been rented out to happy tenants. They include the two physicists Matthias Budden and Thomas Gebert (pictured above), who build highly sensitive and low-noise radiation detectors at "WiredSense". Budden says: "The new building is excellent for developing and implementing new ideas without administrative hurdles." Julian Becker, CEO of the company "X-Spectrum", says: "The location on the DESY campus and the connection to the infrastructure are real plus points for us." Kevin Neugebauer, founder and CEO of the company "myprintoo": "We were looking for a location where innovation, new materials, future technologies and science meet." The Start-up Labs Bahrenfeld are both a building and a community - and a joint project of DESY, the University of Hamburg and the City of Hamburg.

Funding for quantum computing

Future technology for Zeuthen: A new centre for quantum technology applications is being established on the Zeuthen DESY campus - the Centre for Quantum Technology Applications, or CQTA for short. The state of Brandenburg is funding the project with 15 million euros from the Future Investment Fund. "Quantum computing can be the solution in many complex areas in the future, from the energy sector to medicine," said Brandenburg's Science Minister Manja Schüle. The centre is of great strategic importance for digitisation in Brandenburg. Quantum computing is a game changer, "a quantum leap for the region." Christian Stegmann, head of the DESY site in Zeuthen, promised: "With its scientific excellence, DESY will not only participate very actively in the rapid development of quantum technologies around the world and quantum computing in particular, but also help shape it."

Happy 10th anniversary, International Cosmic Day

When young people around the world turn into researchers in astroparticle physics, it must be International Cosmic Day (ICD). On 10 November, groups of students came together at institutes and universities in more than 13 countries to study cosmic particles, conduct experiments and get a direct insight into the world of science. "What is special about ICD is that the young people learn very quickly during the day how new knowledge is created, how international cooperation can work - and how people worldwide contribute to advancing our science," said Carolin Schwerdt, coordinator of astroparticle education projects at DESY in Zeuthen. International Cosmic Day took place for the tenth time this year. In Germany, DESY coordinates the event together with "Netzwerk Teilchenwelt."

NEW FEMTO: RESEARCH FOR ENERGY TRANSITION

Climate protection requires a restructuring of the energy supply, an energy turnaround towards renewable sources. What can research centre for fundamental science like DESY contribute to this mammoth task? This is the focus of the current issue of DESY's research magazine "femto". The German edition will be delivered mid-December, the English edition will follow shortly.

Photo shoot for the WDR TV series "Muspilli"

Don't be surprised when things look familiar in the first season of the comedy series "Muspilli", which starts on WDR in January. The film production company Granvista Media took videos and pictures on the Hamburg DESY campus in the summer. We're not just a cool science backdrop – in the series, the slightly off-kilter protagonist Ove, played by Tristan Seith, used to work at DESY. For flashbacks in the show, our "colleague" (pictured in the middle of the photograph above) was equipped with a lab coat and DESY helmet and photographed under the direction of Nahuel Lopez at various locations on the premises including the accelerator control room and the PETRA III bridge.

FUTURE DIRECTOR BEATE HEINEMANN IN THE DESY COFFEEBAR

Almost a year ago, we opened the DESY Coffeebar as a campus meeting place during the pandemic. By now it has established itself as a popular virtual hangout for all employees. We can look forward to a programme highlight right at the beginning of the year: on 5 January, 2 p.m., the new Director for Particle Physics Beate Heinemann will be our guest in the coffee bar. And another highlight is coming up with the "Swap, don't return" Christmas gift exchange on 20 January at 3.00 pm. Further dates, opening hours and access data can be found on the Coffebar website. All DESY people are also cordially invited to present their own topics in the future. Simply write to: coffeebar@desy.de.

WISSENSWERTE: online evening lectures

"Surfing the plasma wave - mini particle accelerators for medicine and basic research." DESY physicist Jens Osterhoff proved in December that inspiration and enthusiasm can spread online with scientific lectures. The 2021 evening lectures are available on our YouTube channel. The lecture series will continue online in the new year for the time being.

SCIENCE CAFÉ DESY: 2022

Fans of the Science Café DESY continue to meet online only. The next dates: on 26 January, Ilja Bohnet will talk about "The enigmatic universe - the fundamental questions of modern science". And on 23 February 2022, Marc Hempel will reveal what's behind this interesting title: "The importance of the moon - with special reference to Snoopy."

DESY inform Team:

Project management: Kerstin Straub
Editorial management: Kristin Hüttmann
Editorial team: Christina Mänz, Barbara Warmbein, Thomas Zoufal, Till Mundzeck, Joseph Piergrossi, Miriam Huckschlag
Production and design: Diana von Ilsemann, Carolin Rankin, Cristina Lopez Gonzalez
Picture credits: DESY: Marta Mayer, Gesine Born, Angela Pfeiffer, Christina Mänz, Christian Mrotzek, Miriam Huckschlag; beyourpilot | Anne Gaertner; Science Communication Lab; DKosig
Contact: inform@desy.de