"We are reinventing ourselves"  [18.01.23]

The Computational Science Lab is now called the Computational Science Hub (CSH). However, the cross-faculty initiative, which has now been joined by more than 20 Hohenheim departments, has already had to reinvent itself in recent years. This is because the original plan to move into a new campus site in Steckfeldstraße has been postponed for the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, the CSH is a real success story. Following its example, further "Science Hubs" are to be founded in Hohenheim in the coming years. A look back.

 

It all began a good six years ago with eleven professorships. All of them are conducting research at their faculties on completely different topics: from climate modeling and smart farming to media analysis and the computer simulation of a human heart. But all the researchers have something in common: they work with computer-intensive methods for modeling and simulating complex systems or analyzing very large amounts of data.

"We all felt we would benefit from more sharing. But across faculty boundaries, that was not a given at the time, especially when the disciplines are scattered all over campus," recalls the initiator of the Computational Science Lab at the time, Prof. Dr. Robert Jung, from the Department of Econometrics and Statistics.

A vision takes shape

At the end of 2016, a unique opportunity suddenly presented itself: The limited campus of the University of Hohenheim could be expanded by 10,000 m² in one fell swoop through the purchase of a former conference hotel on Steckfeldstraße.

For Robert Jung, this is the decisive impetus to get down to business: He put the idea for the "Computational Science Lab" on paper - and was convinced. Both with the promising topic - "Digital Transformation", which is now a central profile topic of the University of Hohenheim - and with the new type of cooperation.

The President’s Office and the university bodies subsequently gave the green light for the eleven departments to move into the new campus area. "This prospect gave us all a great boost at the time," says Jung. "After all, creativity usually doesn't come out of planned meetings, but rather from chance encounters in the hallway or chatting at the coffee machine."

The starting signal fails

All the greater was the disappointment in the years that followed. One piece of bad news from the construction site followed the next. The fire protection renovation turned out to be much more complex than expected. So did the coordination between the authorities. In the meantime, the State Office for Property and Construction has submitted the third version of the building application to the Building Law Office of the City of Stuttgart. The chronic staff shortage in the construction industry is contributing to further delays. A reliable schedule for the renovation has not been set to date.

"The starting signal that we had all been looking forward to at the beginning unfortunately failed to materialize," stated Prof. Dr. Jens Vogelgesang, CSH board member, from the Department of Communication Studies: Media Research and Media Use. "We asked ourselves: does the idea of the CSL carry without the shared building?"

The answer is clearly yes! Even without a shared building, the participating departments simply got started with the collaboration, which initially consisted of getting to know each other.

Interfaculty cooperation proves its worth

More than 20 departments are now active in the CSH. The heart of the CSH is formed by regular seminars and symposia at which the participating departments, as well as external colleagues, provide insights into their research work." Significant pillars of the work in the CSH are also the working groups "High Performance Computing," "Data Literacy," and "Network Analysis."

As director of the CSH teaching program, Vogelgesang is particularly pleased that, at the initiative of doctoral students and postdocs, the "CSH Doctoral Student and Postdoc Forum" has also established itself as a regular series of appointments.

The hub model sets a precedent

"We had to reinvent ourselves to some extent without a building, develop new forms of collaboration, and we also repositioned ourselves organizationally. This includes the new three-member board," said CSH spokesperson Jung. The third member is Prof. Dr. Thilo Streck from the Department of Biogeophysics, who holds the post of CSH Research Director.

In the course of the realignment, the members of the initiative also thought about their name. "We haven't been 100% happy with the name 'Lab' for a while," Vogelgesang said. "People imagine something smaller under it. By now, that doesn't fit us anymore."

The decisive impetus for the name change ultimately came from discussions with the university management. They see the CSH, which emerged from the professors themselves, as a pioneering model that should continue to set an example in Hohenheim. The draft of the new "Structure and Development Plan" (SEP) for the ministry therefore provides for the establishment of further "Science Hubs" in the coming years based on the model of the CSH.

Digital expert Axel Voss as guest at the AIDAHO Lecture

Next week, the CSH will also provide the platform for a series of lectures offered as part of the "Artificial Intelligence and Data Science Hohenheim" (AIDAHO) teaching project. On Thursday, 19 January 2023, digital expert and MEP Axel Voss will give the 1st AIDAHO Lecture in the Palace (Balcony Room) at 6:30 p.m. on the topic: "How does the European Union plan to regulate Artificial Intelligence? Status of the Trilogue Negotiations".

"We are particularly proud to have Alex Voss, a Member of the European Parliament whose focus is digital policy, as our speaker. In his lecture, he will provide first-hand insights on the EU Commission's planned AI Directive," said CSH spokesperson Jung. The AIDAHO Lecture is aimed at students and interested university members.

 

Text: Leonhardmair / Translation: Office of International Affairs