Opening of the Year of Science

Building on recent research projects at the University of Zittau/Görlitz, including the study “Distant Elites: The Underrepresentation of East Germans and People with a Migration Background,” the presentations at the opening of the Year of Science 2024/2025 address the fundamental issue of the relationship between those who govern and those who are governed, the powerful and (supposedly) powerless—primarily from the perspectives of representation, trust, and (dis)satisfaction in light of current sociopolitical challenges.

While the first session will focus on the (minefield of) politics and the role of elites, the second session will address the possibilities, limitations, and critiques of science (and universities) in regional development processes. How can research and knowledge transfer be effective in regional structural change?
How can the transition to a sustainable energy supply be advanced through scientific research? What methodological, conceptual, and organizational prerequisites must be met for this? And how much trust do the region’s citizens actually place in the scientific work conducted at the university?

The event will be accompanied by a poster exhibition providing an overview of current, Saxony-funded research projects across various subject areas.

Program:

4:30 p.m.: Opening of the Year of Science and Keynote Address

“Those up there? Us up there? Those in the West, us in the East?” On the challenges facing politics today (Prof. Raj Kollmorgen, Prorector for Research)

5:00 p.m.:

Distant Elites? Where East Germans Were and Where They Are Today (Jan Schaller, TRAWOS)

DISENTANGLE – Interdisciplinarity and How It Can Work (Stefanie Kast, ZIRKON)

“Neighborhood Heating Planning: Concrete Knowledge Transfer in the Region” (Jonas Pfeiffer, F-M)

6:00 p.m.: Short break

6:15 p.m.: Panel Discussion: Navigating a Minefield? Opportunities, Barriers, and Scope for Action for Local Actors. (Moderator: Markus Will) with audience participation

7:15–8:30 p.m.: Buffet, poster exhibition on state-funded projects, and discussions