Dear DESY colleagues,

Once again we are approaching the end of the year. The weeks and months have passed quickly, so much has happened. After the two pandemic years, the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis dominated our daily lives in 2022. It was an extremely challenging and exhausting year for everyone, and the issues and their effects will continue to influence and occupy us in 2023.

In this newsletter, we look back as well as forward. After all, there were many inspiring, exciting and forward-looking events on the DESY campus - bright spots, especially in these difficult times, that will also shine into the Christmas season. Take for example Science Day or the first DESY Sustainability Report hot off the press. And lots more....

We hope you enjoy reading it, have a happy holiday season, and look forward to 2023!

Your DESY inform team

Best of DESY

It was the day for all of DESY, for “family and friends.” On DESY Science Day 2022, we celebrated outstanding achievements of the past months and forward-looking ideas for the coming years, excellent research and lifetime achievements. We welcomed the newly appointed colleagues and said goodbye to our “lifetimers.” Instead of cut flowers, there were sustainable seeds to plant yourself, special DESY honey for some of the award winners - and a cake for one of the teams. And above all, there were two new DESY prizes.

The DESY Science Day 2022 for you in pictures and with the link to the video.

A brief explanation of the photos above: Kerstin Straub, Head of the Press and Communication Department, moderated the Science Day also in 2022. Guests, award winners and audience in the DESY lecture hall were still seated keeping a minimum distance. Small talk during the short break (with Christian Stegmann, Stephan Roth and Harald Reichert, among others).

Clever minds: For the second time, four scientists presented the highlights from the four research areas. Ke Li represented the M-division, Simeon Reusch astroparticle physics (AP).

Two new prizes: the DESY Award for Exceptional Achievements honoured outstanding accomplishments in the field of engineering and technology. The award winners are Burcu Yilderim (left) and her team and Frauke Poblotzki (centre). You can read more about them in this newsletter. The DESY Innovation Award went to Saša Bajt and her team, pictured here with Arik Willner (far left) and Edgar Weckert (far right).

Young blood and old hands: Andrea Cardini and Sarah Schröder - pictured with DESY Director Helmut Dosch - received the PhD prizes of the Association of the Friends and Sponsors of DESY. Alke Meents was this year awarded the Bjørn H. Wiik Prize for his outstanding research. More about him in this issue.

Eloquent and progressive: “Building the second quantum revolution” - Tommaso Calarco from Forschungszentrum Jülich held this year's Jentschke Lecture.

Congratulations! We would like to congratulate all the award winners and the eleven DESY employees who were honoured this year with the Lifetime Achievement Award for their lifetime achievements at DESY. Many thanks also to all those who participated, helped and watched.

And if you would like to see the DESY Science Day 2022 (again): you can find the recording in the webcast portal under the keyword “DESY Science Day 2022.”

“I already had a plane ticket to the US”

Through his COVID research, Alke Meents became one of the most important and well-known DESY researchers. On Science Day, he received the Bjørn H. Wiik Prize.

“In thermodynamics, something clicked”

Frauke Poblotzki is one of the first recipients of the new DESY Award for Exceptional Achievements. An interesting personality. That's why we wanted to know more about her.

The first DESY Sustainability Report

Since the Sustainability Unit was created in 2019, DESY has been on a more environmentally friendly, resource-saving path. Since then, all initiatives and measures have been systematically recorded and are now published in the first DESY Sustainability Report, jointly prepared by the Sustainability Unit and the Press & Communications Department: “We are thus fulfilling our reporting obligation for the years 2019 to 2021,” says Denise Völker, Leader of the Sustainability Unit. “But we want even more - we want to inspire, enthuse and promote even more sustainable change together.” In addition to figures, data, facts, initial interim goals, and grand visions, there are also surprising stories: MKK group leader Nadja von Neuhoff lets us in on her sustainable thought processes. Energy manager Eva Leister shares her expertise on waste heat recovery as well as personal insights. And scientist Stephan Roth ponders sustainability in research on sustainable materials.

EIGHT MILLION EUROS IN FUNDING
And there is another success story: the waste heat from helium liquefaction is already being used to heat parts of the campus – a first interim goal achieved. In a few years, the waste heat from the computer centre and the accelerators will also feed the campus's own low-temperature local heating network. The financial go-ahead has now been given for the implementation: at the end of November, the Helmholtz Association approved funding of over eight million euros. We will report on the realisation of this project in the next sustainability report.

HOW DESY SAVES ENERGY IN THE CRISIS

About 90 percent of the energy consumption at DESY is generated by accelerator operation, which is made as energy-efficient as possible through targeted measures. A cross-divisional task force is working on plans to respond to restrictions in energy procurement. In addition, we are trying to save as much as possible on the remaining 10 per cent. This applies, for example, to outdoor lighting, office heating, and hot water in the toilets. We continue to look forward to your suggestions and energy-saving tips! Please send them to: energiesparen@desy.de.

All important information and current developments can be found on DESY's energy conservation page.

TOBIAS PIEKATZ HEADS THE CAMPUS INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT

DESY has a new steering committee – one for all campus infrastructure projects. Sounds complicated at first, but in the future it will simplify the processes of construction projects in particular.

Until now, there were simply too many different committees, groups, and areas for construction decisions at DESY. “That's changing right now,” says Tobias Piekatz, the new Campus Infrastructure Project Manager. “We are gradually bringing all the building projects under one roof. Then there will be just this one restructured office.” A massive undertaking about which you can read more here.

NEW CAMPUS GUIDANCE SYSTEM

The guidance and orientation system to help people find their way around the extensive DESY campus in Hamburg has been planned for a long time and is now almost complete. In 2017, Studio Gourdin won a design competition with its proposal of a network of paths with seven colour-coded streets for rough orientation, comparable to a subway map. In addition, there are signposts at intersections and building entrances, as well as digital information pillars for the latest campus news at various locations. A total of 343 signposting elements will be installed, making it practically impossible to get lost! The building descriptions were developed with the DESY department heads, and the signage system was presented in the DESY coffee bar. Constructive feedback is gratefully accepted and checked. Thank you from those involved.

For comments during the construction phase, which will run until the end of the year, please send an email to
emilie.kulewicz@desy.de or olaf.hoyer@desy.de
When the works are finished please report damaged signs to: servicecenter-bau@desy.de

DESY Innovation Factory opens Makerspace

New experimental spaces for polymer 3D printing, mechanics and electronics as well as co-working office space - the DESY Innovation Factory opened its Makerspace in November. From now on, people interested in founding a company, start-ups and young companies from the deep-tech sector can explore new ideas, build prototypes and use the DESY research infrastructure for this purpose. “Our goal is to offer a holistic solution ecosystem,” says DESY's Chief Technology Officer Arik Willner. “As the first facility of the DESY Innovation Factory, the Makerspace represents an important building block for this.” The DESY Makerspace is operated by Start-up Labs Bahrenfeld, DESY's innovation centre, the University and the City of Hamburg. Membership is available from 75 euros per month plus a flat-rate consumption fee. Interested parties should contact makerspace@slb.hamburg

Makerspace bookings can be made HERE.

ORANGE YOUR CITY: NO TO VIOLENCE

The FLASH hall bathed in orange light, employees and the Directorate dressed in orange: on 25 November, DESY participated in the annual UN campaign “Orange Your City” with a great deal of commitment and creativity. The campaign sets a global example against violence against women and girls. After a DESY-wide appeal, more than 100 participants took photos and sent statements on the anti-violence campaign. You can see some of them again here. Many thanks to everyone for taking part!

INTERNATIONAL COSMIC DAY

Astroparticle physics up close: on the 11th edition of International Cosmic Day (ICD), young peoplein schools, universities and research institutions in more than 23 countries explored cosmic particles. “The pupils became researchers on this day and examined the exciting questions of astroparticle physics,” says Carolin Gnebner, scientific coordinator of the project. “They experienced how international cooperation works and how science acts as a uniting element across national borders, language barriers and cultural differences.” International Cosmic Day is centrally coordinated by DESY in Zeuthen and is an initiative in cooperation with partners of the International Particle Physics Outreach Group IPPOG.

15 YEARS OF SCIENCE CAFÉ DESY

It was an anniversary of a special kind: on 24 August, the Science Café DESY celebrated its 15th anniversary. The anniversary talk was given by Rolf Heuer, a lecturer from the first days, in front of many loyal and new science fans, writes Karsten Büßer, who moderated the event.

Senate Reception for PETRA IV

The dawn of a new era: at the invitation of the Hamburg Senate, DESY presented the PETRA IV project of the future in Hamburg's City Hall. Host Katharina Fegebank, Hamburg's Second Mayor and Science Senator, said: “With PETRA IV, the best 3D X-ray microscope in the world is being built in Hamburg.” She also promised that “we are doing everything to realise the project in Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld.”

Ancient ant named after DESY

An honour in amber: DESY is the namesake of a hitherto unknown primordial ant genus. An international research team led by the University of Jena had examined the fossil remains of 13 individual animals at PETRA III and found that they didn't match to any known species. So a new taxon was created: the new genus name takes its name from DESY, the new species name from fellow Helmholtz research centre Hereon. Thus, the little animals, which are enclosed in 20 million-year-old amber, were given the scientific name Desyopone hereon.

DZA IS COMING TO LUSATIA

The German Centre for Astrophysics (DZA) has been selected in the competition “Knowledge creates regional prospects”! This means that a new large-scale research centre with international significance is coming to the eastern German region of Lusatia. Christian Stegmann, Director of Astroparticle Physics and Leader of the DESY site in Zeuthen, was one of the applicants. “DESY will continue to support the establishment of the DZA,” he says. The locations of the DZA will be in the city of Görlitz and in the district of Bautzen. After the three-year start-up funding, annual funding of about 170 million euros is planned for the final expansion stage. More than 1000 people will be employed at the centre.

DESY school lab “physik.begreifen” celebrates 25th anniversary

It all began with the idea of showing young people how exciting physics is by using the setting of the research campus. In a laboratory, children and teenagers would independently perform experiments and through their activities grasp physical phenomena, all while having fun! Over 110 000 participants and 45 000 “Chocolate kisses under vacuum” demonstrations later, the initiators of physik.begreifen can say for sure that it's a winning formula. Thank you DESY collegaues for your support, as well as your patience at the currywurst line at the canteen when our kids run by for lunch.

NEW: DESY Alumni Network

Say hello to the new DESY alumni network. “Get in touch and stay connected” is the motto, DESY CONNECT the name. It offers the opportunity to stay in touch with colleagues you already know, to get to know new ones, and to network with campus partners. DESY alumni also receive campus news and invitations to events in this way.

As it turns out, there is a great deal of interest from many sides in networking with former DESY employees. Alumni can support DESY, for example, as advocates for large-scale projects, role models for young scientists, or experts in the field of innovation. If you have any questions about DESY CONNECT, please contact the Relation Management Team: connect@desy.de. If you want to sign up, you can do so at connect.desy.de.

DESY receives the Hamburg 2040 Award

At the Summer Festival of Hamburg Business, DESY received the “Hamburg 2040” Award of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, which was given for the first time. Norbert Aust, President of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, praised the immense importance of DESY in networking business and science. “Like no other institution in Hamburg, DESY stands for innovation and the development of new technologies relevant to society and attracts more than 3,000 researchers from all over the world to our city every year.”

AWARDS FOR DESY START-UP OFFICE TEAMS

At the “Female StartAperitivo” Ekaterina Zapolnova and her idea for a business model based on a versatile broadband spectrometer convinced the jury and took 2nd place. WiredSense won the Hamburg Gründergeist pitch with “Sweeb”, a compact device for determining the chemical composition of materials. Both teams are funded by the DESY Start-up Office.

PRIZE FOR DESY TRAINEE

Philipp Schmökel is Hamburg's best electronics technician for industrial engineering. In November, he was honoured by the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce as the best in his training profession. At the same time, DESY received the certificate for Excellent Training Company 2022.

NEW FEMTO: CULTURAL ASSETS UNDER X-RAY LIGHT

What technique did Jan Vermeer use to paint his pictures? Why does the sky in Giotto's frescoes develop green spots? And what did Sumerians write to each other in their clay letters 5,000 years ago? X-rays can provide surprising insights into cultural assets. The findings provide new knowledge about art treasures and also improve methods for their preservation. “Cultural assets under the X-ray gaze” - the focus of the new issue of DESY's research magazine “femto” ... You can download or order the German-language issue here. The English-language issue will be published shortly before Christmas.

TIME TRAVEL IN THE MUSEUM

Cutting-edge research exciting and up close: at Hamburg's Museum der Arbeit, visitors embark on a journey through time to the origins of our universe. The multimedia and interactive exhibition Wie alles begann (The Beginning of Everything) is a cooperation project in which DESY is also involved and will run until 10 April 2023.

SCIENCE IN TIMES OF INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT: How do we take decisions?

Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, which violates international law, led to the quick decision at DESY in spring to freeze cooperation with Russian institutions. Since then, there have been intensive discussions about questions such as: can we as scientists be neutral ? Don't international collaborations also offer opportunities for bridge-building? And, above all, how do we decide on future cooperations? Christian Stegmann, Director of Astroparticle Physics and Head of the Zeuthen site, has examined the issue of freedom and responsibility of science in the context of international conflicts. Here are his thoughts.

DESY inform Team:


Content and direction: Kristin Hüttmann and Christina Mänz
Editorial team: Barbara Warmbein, Thomas Zoufal, Till Mundzeck, Joseph Piergrossi, Ulrike Behrens, Miriam Huckschlag
Production and design: Cristina Lopez Gonzalez
Picture credits: DESY: Marta Mayer, Christina Mänz, Ismar Kiseljakovic, Britta Liebaug, Olaf Hoyer, Daniel Reinhardt, Paul Glaser, Lars Berg; beyourpilot I Charles Sinn, Handelskammer Hamburg, Angela Pfeiffer; femto: Detail from Jan Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" (Mauritshuis, The Hague). Photo: René Gerritsen, Art & Research Photography. X-ray fluorescence maps: Annelies van Loon, Rijksmuseum/Mauritshuis, et al., Herit. Sci. 7, 102 (2019). DOI: 10.1186/s40494-019-0344-0; H.E.S.S., Science Communication Lab; luminousfields; Bureau Bald
Contact: inform@desy.de