DAAD Research Ambassadors Program

Since 2005, DAAD New York has been operating its highly successful "Young Ambassadors" program, consisting of recently-returned undergraduate students who have studied in Germany are willing and excited to promote Germany as a study and research destination on their campuses. In an effort to assemble a similar cadre of informed and enthusiastic experts and advisers on higher-level research opportunities in Germany, DAAD New York is pleased to announce the launch of its Research Ambassadors program.

DAAD Research Ambassadors' primary role is to inform students and researchers in the USA and Canada about Germany as a research destination and to foster collaborations with German colleagues. They are a group of scholars and scientists committed to a wide range of activities to promote research in Germany, from providing information, mentoring, participating in panel discussions or information fairs, to being available to answer questions via email, hosting information events, etc. Individuals in all disciplines are invited to apply, but must have completed a total of at least 10 months conducting research in Germany at the doctoral level or above. In 2009, we are particularly interested in having researchers from the fields of nanotechnology and environmental technology among the group.

Priority will be given to DAAD Alumni, but other "Germany Alumni" will be accepted, including some German nationals who studied in Germany but are now living in the US or Canada.

Please apply by June 5 to become one of the 15 DAAD Research Ambassadors for the USA and Canada.

For more information, visit www.daad.org/?p=ra-program

Advertisement : : FUBiS

Freie Universität Berlin International Summer and Winter University (FUBiS) invites registrations for summer terms

FUBiS is an intensive, academic program through which students can earn credits that may be counted towards their degrees at their home institutions. FUBiS sessions run for 4 to 6 weeks and take place both in summer and winter.

Dates for Summer 2009:

Term III: July 25 - August 22, 2009 (4 weeks), registration deadline: July 9, 2009

Students applying before May 11 (term II) / June 29 (term III) will save 50 Euro off the Program Fee.

FUBiS participants can choose from intensive and semi-intensive German language classes on five different levels of proficiency as well as Business German. In addition FUBiS offers subject classes on various class topics. These classes are held mostly in English by distinguished German and international faculty.

Please find the course program for term II and term III on our website.

Please note: The FUBiS Winter Term 2010 (term I) will take place from January 16 – February 13, 2010 (4 weeks).

Contact: www.fubis.org or fubis@fubis.org

European Students Surveyed About Higher Education

The European Commission's March 2009 "Flash Eurobarometer" report, a survey among students in higher eduation instutions in the EU Member States, focuses on "Students and Higher Education Reform." The Flash Eurobarometer is an ad hoc thematical telephone interview conducted at the request of any service of the European Commission. The Main Findings of this survey have to do with opinions about access and costs of higher eduction, purposes of higher education, quality and transparency of higher education institutions, mobility and recognition, cooperation of universities and businesses, and post-graduation plans.

The report reveals that European students are most interested in wider access to higher education at lower costs, and would like to see increased cooperation between universities and businesses.

Download the complete report at ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/flash/fl_260_en.pdf

Showcasing German Nanotechnology at the NSTI Nanotech Expo in Houston

Germany will showcase its achievements in the field of nanotechnology at the NSTI Nanotech Expo in Houston, Texas, on May 5 and 6, 2009. More than 15 German companies, universities and research organizations will present their nanotechnology innovations and research projects in the designated "German Area" at the George R. Brown Convention Center. The exhibition is part of the “Research in Germany – Land of Ideas” initiative, which promotes Germany’s research capacities.

Among the exhibitors who will be presenting their innovative highlights and key competencies at the designated “German area” will be: Center for Applied Nanotechnology, TU Dresden, CTC Nanotechnology, HiNanoAnalytics, Innovation Alliance Carbon Nanotubes, Bayer MaterialScience, JenOptik, VDI Technologiezentrum, German Academic Exchange Service, Federal Ministry of Education and Research, and Research in Germany.

A workshop will also be held on "Research in Germany" in Room 362 E at the George R. Brown Convention Center, starting at 2 pm on Wednesday, May 6 2009. The workshop will feature leading scientists, researchers and experts in the field of German nanotechnology.

Venue:
George R.BrownConvention Center
1001 Avenida de las Americas
Houston, Texas 77010
Visit us at the German Area booth number 700

To find out more about nanotechnology in Germany, please visit www.research-in-germany.de/nanotechnology

Research in Germany.de Launches New Newsletter

English-language Internet portal “Research in Germany” now offers a newsletter with current information on the research landscape in Germany. The bi-monthly newsletter reports on projects and research, opportunities for cooperation and cutting-edge developments in the fields of high-tech strategy in Germany.

The newsletter is a part of the Internet portal "Research in Germany, which includes an overview of the German research landscape, the latest news and events, a web catalog with more than 200 annotated links on life and research in Germany.

Check out the portal at www.research-in-germany.de

Subscribe to the newsletter at www.research-in-germany.de/newsletter

Dr. Christiane Lemke Awarded Short-Term Lectureship

At the most recent Short-Term Lectureship (KZD) committee meeting, DAAD awarded Dr Christiane Lemke funding for a short-term lectureship at UNC Chapel Hill. This isn’t her first KZD funding, as she was selected in 2005-2006 to serve at the Center for German and European Studies (also funded by DAAD). In 2006, Dr. Lemke became the first female head of a German State Parliament (Landestag).

To read more about Dr. Lemke’s accomplishments, visit the DAAD Faculty page www.daad.org/?p=lecturers

To learn about the Short-Term Lectureship program, please visit www.daad.org/?p=stlectureship

US Colleges and Universities Organizing in “Freedom Without Walls” Campus Weeks

US students are commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, with support from the German Embassy, by organizing Campus Weeks at more than 25 colleges and universities around the country.

The Campus Weeks are a component of Germany’s Freedom Without walls campaign, an effort tot reach out to the generation that was born around the time the wall came down. German Ambassador Klaus Scharioth explained that reaching today’s university students is critical if the memory and the inspiration of the fall of the wall is to be preserved. “Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the vestiges of the wall remind us that freedom is precious,” he said. “We are proud to support a new generation of future leaders in their effort to discover and to share what the fall of the wall means to them,” he continued.

The Freedom Without walls Campus Weeks will include public speaking competitions and an art competition involving replicas of the Berlin Wall.

Participating Colleges and Universities are:
Amherst College
Boston College
Bowdoin College
Brown University
California State University Long Beach
Canisius College , Buffalo
Chapman University , LA
University of Cincinnati
Columbia University
Cornell University
Duke University
University of Florida
University of South Florida
George Mason University
Georgetown University
Johns Hopkins University
University of Massachusetts – Amherst
University of Michigan
Middlebury College
University of Missouri-St. Louis
University of Oregon
Rice University
University of St. Thomas
UCLA – to be confirmed
Vanderbilt University
University of Virginia
Wartburg College
Washington University
Westminster College

The German Embassy has created a website with information about the historic anniversary at www.germany.info/withoutwalls, which will document the Campus Weeks using online video and photos.

Glimpse Correspondents Program

Are you a writer or photographer going abroad to Germany for at least 10 weeks? Then check out Glimpse, a program encouraging talented young correspondents to share their stories at www.glimpse.org.

Ten Correspondents are selected each semester. Correspondents receive a $600 stipend, a professional editor, career training in writing and photography, and guaranteed publication on Glimpse’s website.

Deadline to apply is June 15, 2009

Learn more and apply at glimpse.org/correspondents

DAAD's Presence at the 2009 NAFSA Conference

DAAD will be at Booth #613 at NAFSA's 61st Annual Conference in Los Angeles, CA, from May 24–29, alongside representatives from many German universities. At our information booth you'll find our brand new brochures outlining DAAD's various grant programs for the 2010/11 academic year. We'll be there to answer any questions you might have.

Sessions Featuring DAAD Representatives

The following panels and poster sessions will feature presentations by speakers from DAAD on trends in study abroad and current issues in higher education in Germany:

Tuesday, May 26
2:30-3:45pm Session: Measuring Impact: Learning from Evaluations to Assess Study Abroad Outcomes (Peter Kerrigan/Ulrich Grothus)

Wednesday, May 27
1:45pm Session: The Future of Student Recruitment (Ulrich Grothus)

Thursday, May 28
3:30–5:00pm Poster Session: Internship Opportunities in Germany (Laura Montgomery)
4:00–5:15pm Session: Developing International Experiences for Budding Scientists and Engineers (Peter Kerrigan/Christian Schaefer)

Friday, May 29
9:30–10:30am Session: German Response to 9-11: Intercultural Dialogue with the Middle East (Heide Wedel)

We look forward to meeting you there in person!

For more on the conference, please visit www.nafsa.org/annual_conference

Alumni Association Call for Nominations: Scholarly Exchange Award

The DAAD Alumni Association announces the inauguration of the

DAAD-Alumni Association Award for International Exchange

to be presented to an individual or organization from the academic, governmental, corporate, or philanthropic sectors for outstanding support of German-American student exchange. The contribution may be at the secondary and/or post-secondary levels. Nominations, including self-nominations, accompanied by a brief biography, are invited until June 30, 2009.

For further information or to submit nominations, contact alumniassociation@daad.org or

DAAD-AA Award
871 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017

New Issue of TRANSIT Online Journal Out Now

TRANSIT, an online journal of travel, migration and multiculturalism in the German-speaking world published by the UC Berkeley Department of German, has just released its 2008-2009 issue. It includes works by and about Feridun Zaimoğlu, Peter Weiss and Ursula Biemann, a feature on multiculturalism in Switzerland, plus more articles, interviews, book reviews, and videos.

In addition, TRANSIT is currently soliciting submissions of academic and creative work for its next issue; submissions should be received by July 15 in order to be considered for publication in Fall 2009.

Please visit the TRANSIT website for more information. While you're there, sign up for the TRANSIT newsletter to learn more about future publications.

International Mobility Among German Students on the Rise

A new study by HIS Higher Education Information on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) and DAAD shows that German students are more likely to be internationally mobile when the concept is integrated into their studies. That includes study abroad programs or integrated curricula with foreign universities. The study surveyed 7,000 students, and found that the international mobility of German students rose from 23 to 26 percent between 2007 and 2009.

BMBF and DAAD set a goal that at least 50 percent of students spend time abroad during their first degree, whether through study and language stays or internships.

The shift to a Bachelor-Master structure is one such way to integrate international mobility into a course of study. (A new program model consisting of a four-year bachelor's degree includes a one-year international phase.) Most students take part in a three-year Bachelor program, and among them, applications for DAAD scholarships have not decreased; however, it is expected that the length of the stays abroad will be shorter, so that students can fit the study abroad into the three-year program.

More information about this report (in German) can be found at www.go-out.de

DAAD Young Ambassador and Research Ambassador Programs

The deadline is approaching for two exciting programs—DAAD Young Ambassadors and DAAD Research Ambassadors.

DAAD Young Ambassadors are undergraduate students from North America who have recently studied in Germany and are interested in promoting study in Germany at their home institutions. This year, DAAD has 20 spots available for students from all over the US and Canada to help demonstrate to their peers what makes Germany such a unique and attractive destination for study abroad.

Complete program information, including application and nomination forms, is available at www.daad.org/?p=ambassadors

In an effort to assemble a similar cadre of informed and enthusiastic experts and advisers on higher-level research opportunities in Germany, this year DAAD New York is lauching the Research Ambassadors program. Research Ambassadors' primary role is to inform students and researchers in the USA and Canada about Germany as a research destination and to foster collaborations with German colleagues.

For more information, visit www.daad.org/?p=ra-program

Applications for both programs must be received by June 5, 2009.

Berlin Capital Program 2009

The Berlin Capital Program, organized by the German-American Fulbright Commission on behalf of the German Foreign Office, will invite 15 young American journalists and students of journalism to Germany to participate in an intensive series of seminars, presentations, and visits to important German media and German political and cultural institutions, November 14-22, 2009. The program will be conducted in English and is fully funded (including roundtrip airfare) by the German-American Fulbright Commission.

For the purpose of fostering transatlantic relations and promoting professional and academic networks between Germany and the U.S., the program offers young U.S. journalists the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the political, economic and cultural environment in Germany/Europe with a special focus on the transformation of German media landscapes and the changing role of media in politics and society. The program will contribute to the participants’ professional development and expertise and broaden their cultural horizons.

To learn more about the program, including eligibility requirements, and to download and application, please visit www.fulbright.de/togermany/grants/berlin-capital-program.html

Germany Popular with Chinese Scholars

Germany is the second most popular destination (after the United States) for Chinese students who have received national scholarships to study abroad. In 2008, 481 Chinese students awarded scholarships went to Germany, out of 4,892 award-winning students total. That's 9.8 percent of all scholarships.

To read more (in German), please visit www.daad-magazin.de/10593/index.html