© i2b/ Alexander Flögel
Top Three Projects for the 2024 Outreach Award
The three award-winning projects at the University of Bremen illustrate in very different ways what successful cooperation between science, business, politics, and society can look like
Software to combat dengue fever, measures to improve the public perception of mathematics, and 100-day projects in which students develop solutions for companies – the variety of outreach projects at the University of Bremen is wide-ranging. up2date. gives a detailed introduction of this year’s top three Outreach Award winners.
DENCAI – DENgue Case Investigation project
Computer scientist Dr. Thomas Barkowsky took first place with his DENCAI – DENgue Case Investigation project. In cooperation with Mahidol University in Bangkok, a long-standing strategic partner of the University of Bremen, he and a group of students developed software to investigate and combat dengue outbreaks. After a dengue infection is diagnosed, swift action must be taken to investigate the location and circumstances of the outbreak. The developed software consists of a web and smartphone app, which is used by many employees of the Thai healthcare system. Since the app can be used at different organizational levels of the healthcare system, it simplifies and accelerates the investigation of dengue infections and simultaneously collects data for digital assessment. The project is substantially driven by students. The software was developed by computer science students at the University of Bremen as part of their coursework, and was already successfully used in a pilot phase lasting several months in 2023. The team is currently working on making the product better known and available in other countries so that as many people as possible can benefit from it.
© i2b/ Alexander Flögel
Math x(mal) Anders project
Mathematician Prof. Dr. Büskens wants to improve the image of mathematics in Germany with his Industrial Mathematics: Math x(mal) Anders project that took second place. The project implements several measures to counteract the frustration among math pupils, teachers, and students and clear up the prejudice that mathematics is difficult and abstract. The project seeks to dispel these biases by, among other things, illustrating the great potential of mathematics for industry and business, thus making the practical applications more tangible. The numerous individual measures of the project work together to effectively transfer mathematical research results to industrial partners, develop sustainable and resource-efficient technologies and innovative solutions, and increase societal acceptance and understanding of mathematics. The federal and state governments have funded the current outreach activities in the #MOIN – Model Region Industrial Mathematics project with around six million euros.
future concepts Bremen (fcb)
The third place award went to future concepts Bremen (fcb), an outstanding outreach project of the Chair in Small Business & Entrepreneurship (LEMEX) from the Faculty of Economics. The project involves a practice-oriented teaching format and was initiated by Prof. Dr. Jörg Freiling. Students work together with companies and scientists on current entrepreneurial practice issues in 100-day projects, and are able to put what they have learned at the university into practice by developing solutions for their business partners. This project provides students the ability to gain their first entrepreneurial experience during their degrees and make contacts with potential employers. Companies are supported in developing innovative business and organizational strategies and can use these to increase their competitiveness. In addition, the project gives companies the opportunity to get to know future specialists and to recruit them at an early stage.
