News

For three decades, the crews and employees of the F. Laeisz shipping company have supported AWI research in the Arctic and Antarctic, both on land and at sea. Laeisz has operated the Polarstern since New Year's Eve 1995. On 15 January, the AWI honoured this successful collaboration during celebrations in Bremerhaven. A special memento was presented as a token of appreciation for the trusting and successful cooperation.

As part of a research project on climate change education, a Japanese delegation from various universities visited the AWI to exchange ideas. In addition to discussions with researchers, the program also included visits to the Klimahaus in Bremerhaven and the German Emigration Center. The focus was on museum education concepts and international cooperation.

To mark the arrival of the Polarstern in Walvis Bay, Dr Thorsten Hutter, the German Ambassador to Namibia, visited the ship with his delegation. They were welcomed in the Blue Salon by Captain Felix Kentges, the interim director of the AWI, Prof. Dr. Maarten Boersma, and the expedition leader, Prof. Dr. Karen Wiltshire. The afternoon concluded with a presentation on the completed training expedition and a tour of the ship.

The international professional association Society for Underwater Technology (SUT) promotes research and knowledge transfer in underwater and marine technology. Every year, it presents the Gwyn Griffiths Underwater Robotics Award (GGUR), which recognises outstanding achievements in underwater robotics. We congratulate Christian Katlein, who received the award this year.

On 8 December, the AWI signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the IBS Centre for Climate Physics at Pusan National University. The agreement strengthens the existing collaboration between Germany and South Korea in the areas of high-resolution earth system modelling, climate–ice sheet interactions, climate change physics and the promotion of young scientists.

Cultural heritage is an important part of Bremerhaven's identity. In the event of damage caused by fire or water, the emergency network of Bremerhaven’s cultural and scientific institutions ensures that valuable objects are preserved. Staff from a total of 13 institutions, including Christian Salewski from the AWI, take care of securing and professionally treating the damaged cultural assets. For this purpose, a container with special cleaning and packaging materials is needed.

How does eye development work in invertebrates and what role does light play in the shaping of the adult nervous system? An international team led by the University of Vienna and the Alfred Wegener Institute has investigated these questions in marine bristleworms. The results show that the invertebrates' eye growth is based on a ring of neural stem cells and is regulated by ambient light even in adult worms. Such properties have previously mostly been investigated in vertebrates. The study was published in Nature Communications. To the University of…

The AWI has joined forces with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) to share an ice-capable vessel that will resupply three Antarctic research stations for the next ten years.  The Silver Mary will visit the Neumayer-Station III every other season, along with Norway’s Troll station and British Halley VI station The partnership builds on the successful UK-German partnership in 2023 and 2024. To the original press release from the BAS.

The SPD parliamentary group of the Bremen City Parliament visited the AWI in Bremerhaven. AWI Administrative Director Karsten Wurr welcomed the group and introduced the AWI as a research institute. The politicians were then given a tour of the AWI Technical Center, and Dr. Karsten Wurr and Dr. Uwe Nixdorf answered the guests' questions.

The annual "shift change" offers employees the opportunity to swap their workplace for a day and gain new insights into different working environments. The AWI also took part and swapped workplaces with Elbe-Weser-Welten (EWW). The exchange helps to break down barriers and enables inspiring encounters that strengthen the cooperation.