Program

LMU Biomedical Center Munich, small lecture hall N02.040

 
10:10 – 10:30 Sustainable development goals: overview and perspectives
Dr. Macarena Marin, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Genetics, LMU

The United Nations adopted in 2015 a plan of action to achieve sustainable development by 2030. This plan of action includes 17 goals that provide a framework to address current humanity challenges accounting for economic, social, and environmental aspects. They include ending poverty, protecting natural resources, and creating strong institutions, among others. In this talk I will address how countries, institutions, and individuals can engage in order to bring this ambitious plan forward.

10:30 – 11:30 Forest and Climate
Dr. Bernhard Felbermeier, Chair of Silviculture, Department of Ecology and Ecosystemmanagement, TUM

Dr. Bernhard Felbermeier graduated in Forest Science at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) and is scientist at the Institute of Silviculture of the Technische Universität München (TUM). He conducts research in forest ecosystem science and management. The effect of climate change on the distribution of tree species, the options of carbon mitigation by forest, the afforestation and restoration of degraded and abandoned lands were emphasis of his studies in different regions worldwide. As lecturer at University and technical level he transfers actual knowledge to students and forest practitioners.

11:30 – 12:30 Water and Agriculture: from waste towards sustainable food supply!
Prof. Dr. Wolfram Mauser, Faculty of Geosciences, Department of Geography, LMU

Wolfram Mauser is Professor of Geography and Remote Sensing at the Department for Geography. He is Coordinator of the project GLOWA-Danube; Head of the subproject Hydrology and Remote Sensing at the Section Geography; Chairman of the National Committee for Global Change Research (the office of the National Committee is at the Geography Section from 1.1.2003)
Prof. Mauser‘s research focus is on the role of water in the Earth system and in the contemporary global human induced changes of environment and society. In this context Mauser develops and uses data processing schemes to convert huge data streams from satellites into meaningful information on our changing environment and simulation models to understand this information and to explore options of a sustainable future use of water and other natural resources for improved food security.

13:30 – 14:30 Morality is over. How to communicate sustainability
Prof. Dr. Harald Welzer, Europa-Universität Flensburg & Futurzwei Stiftung Zukunftsfähigkeit

Prof. Dr. Harald Welzer is sociologist and social psychologist, Professor of Transformation Design at the University of Flensburg since 2012 and guest Professor of Social Psychology at the University of St. Gallen. Prof. Welzer is co-founder and director of "Futur Zwei. Stiftung Zukunftsfähigkeit" He is author of numerous books on socio-political issues and sustainability, i.a. "Climate Wars: What People Will Be Killed For in the 21st Century", "Selbst denken. Eine Anleitung zum Widerstand"; "Die smarte Diktatur. Der Angriff auf unsere Freiheit", and "Alles könnte anders sein. Eine Gesellschaftsutopie für freie Menschen"

14:30 – 15:30 Hazardous travels. On the global life of waste
Dr. Simone Müller, Rachel Carson Center, LMU

Dr. Simone M. Müller is Project Director and Principal Investigator of the DFG Emmy Noether Research Group "Hazardous Travels: Ghost Acres and the Global Waste Economy" at the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, Munich. She works at the intersection of globalization studies, economic and social history, and environmental humanities. Her research interests range from the international trade in hazardous waste material and the intellectual history of economic ecological thinking, to green city concepts and the study of ocean space. She has received numerous awards and fellowships, among them from the Smithsonian Institution, the Science History Institute, and the University of Pennsylvania. Simone is a member of the Young ZiF (Center for Interdisciplinary Research) of the University of Bielefeld and in 2017 she was nominated as one of the leading female academics in her field by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Bosch Foundation.

16:00 – 17:30 Panel Discussion: What can WE do?
Moderator Dr. Nina Möllers LMU Biotopia

What measures or initiatives are going on already in Munich? What are students and citizens involved in? What can we do? How can we start making impact at work/at home? Do we have a particular responsibility as scientists?
Participants:

• Dr. Nina Möllers LMU Biotopia - 10 min intro about Biotopia
• Dr. Liz Atwood, GeoBiocenter, Consultant
• Dr. Georg Vogl (ThermoFisher, Environment, Health, Safety - EHS)
• Dr. Simone Müller (Keynotespeaker)
• Johanna Kobilke, InnovationsGeist LMU

Dr. Nina Möllers is Events and Program Manager at BIOTOPIA, the newly conceived Bavarian Natural History Museum in Munich. She studied Modern History and American Studies in Tübingen, Trier, Palo Alto and Nashville, completed a scientific internship at the Technoseum Mannheim, after which she began research and exhibition design at the Deutsches Museum in Munich. As curator at the Rachel Carson Center, she was project leader of the special exhibit in 2014, "Welcome to the Anthropocene Era".

BIOTOPIA is the new name for the popular Mensch und Natur Museum at the Nymphenburg Castle, currently under renovation and construction until 2025. Under the direction of Prof. Dr. Michael John Gorman, the innovative museum aims to become a world class center promoting understanding and appreciation for Nature, facilitating scientific communication with the public, as well as creating dialogs in Science and Art. BIOTOPIA currently conducts various satellite programs including an annual festival, a traveling exhibit throughout Bavaria, and the BIOTOPIA Lab in the Botanical Garden with exhibits, workshops and different educational events.

Dr. Elizabeth C. Atwood is a Project Manager at RSS - Remote Sensing Solutions GmbH, Munich. She completed her bachelor's studies at UC Santa Cruz, a master's at UW Seattle, and recently her doctoral thesis at LMU Munich. Her current work utilizes remote sensing techniques and statistical modelling to address a variety of ecological issues that are of interest for government institutions, NGOs and development initiatives. Some of her recent projects include developing methods to monitor plastic debris distribution in rivers and coastal oceans with satellites as well as UAVs (drones), and satellite-based measurement of tropical peatland fire characteristics and burning in Southeast Asia as a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.

Dr. Georg Vogl is Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) Manager at Thermo Fisher's Regensburg site, one of the leading sites in Europe with a clear and globally valid EHS-policy, and is integrated in the company’s EMEA and global EHS and sustainability organization. He graduated in food chemistry at the LMU and did his PhD in biochemistry at the TUM. His motto: "It's only EHS, but I like it!"
Thermo Fisher Scientific is the world leader in serving science (some 70,000 employees globally). The company mission – “We enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer” – is confirmed by numerous policies and activities regarding Environment, Health & Safety and Sustainability.

Johanna Kobilke, MSc. (InnovationsGeist, LMU) studied Business Administration at the University of Cologne, where she was first introduced to the topic of sustainability in business. After completing her bachelor's thesis on an example of the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR), she completed a master's in Sustainable Management at Uppsala University in Sweden. Returning to Munich, she joined the team coordinating the LMU project "InnovationsGeist" which aims to encourage interested students from all academic disciplines to apply practical knowledge to innovative ideas for social impact and change. In 2019, the project will offer its second program on social impact innovations and the global challenges, thinking about potential solutions and transforming these into viable actions. Her motivation is to encourage every single one of us to think how we can change to move just a single step further towards a long-lasting, equal and fair future for everyone.