The sun sends enormous amounts of energy to the earth.Nevertheless,some of it is lost in solar cells.This is an obstacle in the use of organic solar cells,especially for those viable in innovative applications.A key factor in increasing their performance:Improved transport of the solar energy stored within the material.Now aresearch group at the Technical University of Munich(TUM)has shown that certain organic dyes can help build virtual highways for the energy.Organic solar cells are light,extremely thin energy collectors and as aflexible coating are aperfect fit on almost any surface:Solar cells based on organic semiconductors open up arange of application possibilities,for example,as solar panels and films which can be rolled up,or for use on smart devices.But one disadvantage in many applications is the comparatively poor transport of the energy collected within the material.Researchers are investigating the elementary transport processes of organic solar cells in order to find ways to improve this transport.Stimulating sunlight One of these researchers is Frank Ortmann,Professor of Theoretical Methods in Spectroscopy at TUM.He and his colleagues from Dresden focus more than anything on the mutual interaction between light and material–especially the behavior of what are called excitons."Excitons are something like the fuel of the sun,which has to be used optimally,"explains Ortmann,who is also amember of the"e-conversion"Excellence Cluster."When light energy in the form of aphoton collides with the material of asolar cell it is absorbed and buffered as an excited state.This intermediate state is referred to as an exciton."These charges cannot be used as electrical energy until they reach aspecially designed interface.Ortmann and his team have now shown that what are referred to as exciton transport highways can be created using organic dyes.Turbocharger dyes The reason it is so important that the excitons reach this interface as quickly as possible has to do with their short lifespan."The faster and more targeted the transport,the higher the energy yield,and thus the higher the efficiency of the solar cell,"says Ortmann.The molecules of the organic dyes,referred to as quinoid merocyanines,make this possible,thanks to their chemical structure and their excellent ability to absorb visible light.Accordingly,they are also suitable for use as the active layer in an organic solar cell,Ortmann explains.Energy packets in the fast lane Using spectroscopic measurements and models the researchers were able to observe the excitons racing through the dye molecules."The value of 1.33 electron volts delivered by our design is far above the values found in organic semiconductors–you could say the organic dye molecules form akind of super-highway,"Ortmann adds.These fundamental new findings could pave the way for targeted,more efficient exciton transport in organic solid matter,accelerating the development of organic solar cells and organic light emitting diodes with even higher performance. 查看详细>>

Why do we need aspecial app just for TUM Global Week?Well,originally the app was made for"TUMi",a student initiative that organizes events for international students on avery large scale.Early this year the TUM Global Office contacted me and asked if they could use the app for their Global Week as well,since they saw how well it worked for TUMi.What specifically can the app do?With last year‘s program the user was only able to fill out forms,nothing more.But in the app Iprogrammed you have areal account,you can see what events you‘ve signed up for and link them to your calendar.So it can do everything necessary for amajor event to go smoothly.How did you get involved in programming the original app for"TUMi"?In 2018 Ispent four months abroad in Singapore during my Informatics Bachelor‘s studies.After returning from my studies abroad Ireceived information from TUM on which international opportunities Icould take advantage of at the university in Munich.That‘s how Ieventually got involved with"TUMi"and started to help out.Presumably TUMi wasn‘t yet working with an app at the time...When Ibegan there,at the start of the semester there was aroom where you could register and aline that stretched across half the campus–because all the receipts had to be written by hand.And you could only make payments in cash.That was then entered in Excel spreadsheets and you were given areceipt.Let‘s just say:I got the feeling there was alot of optimization possible.And that got the app rolling?Exactly.I began to build adigital alternative–even though in the beginning it still only supported cash payments.That‘s because back then we were acasual student organization that was still part of the university and we weren‘t permitted to accept online payments.During the pandemic in 2020 we founded alegally registered association,an"e.V.",for"TUMi";I was the founding president.And that really got the entire project going,I was able to redeploy the app–and since then,among other things,we‘ve also been able to accept payment cards.For example now you can pay the participation fees for all the events online. 查看详细>>

Artificial intelligence(AI)can be used in medicine to evaluate image data and assist doctors in making diagnoses.For which applications is AI already being used successfully today?How can risks be limited?Who will take responsibility for decisions based on AI?Experts from science,medicine and industry will discuss these and other questions at the Bioengineering Day on June 23rd at the Munich Institute of Biomedical Engineering(MIBE)in Garching.On this year‘s Bioengineering Day,five experts will give keynote speeches on the topic of"AI in medical applications"from ascientific,medical,ethical and entrepreneurial perspective.They will debate current issues in apanel discussion.For which medical applications is AI already being used successfully today?What are the biggest potentials in the medical field in the near and far future?What are the biggest risks of using AI inmedical applications?What can we do to limit the risks?Will the doctor always have the last word or can some decisions be made by AI?And,if yes,who takes responsibility and liability for those decisions?How will AI change clinical workflows?How much will medical device manufacturers shift to AI-product development?And who will develop new engineering solutions? 查看详细>>

In the brain,microglia perform such functions as engulfing damaged nerve cells and removing the debris.They can also promote the growth of neurons.As aresult,they play an important role in the development of the brain and in diseases of the nervous system.Until now,many aspects of how microglia function have remained unknown.This is partly because their behavior under laboratory conditions is fundamentally different than in the human body.An international research team in which Simon Schäfer,Professor for Advanced Organoid Technologies for Mental Health Research at the Technical University of Munich(TUM),has made decisive contributions,describes an approach to this problem in the journal Cell.Creating microglia and organoids from stem cells“Outside of the brain environment,microglia lose almost all function and meaning,”says Prof.Rusty Gage,senior author and holder of the Vi and John Alder Chair for Research on Age-Related Neurodegenerative Disease at the Salk Institute in California.“We knew that if we found away to replicate the human brain environment in an organoid in order to study human microglia,then we would finally have atool for examining how the healthy and diseased brain influence microglia and,reciprocally,how healthy and diseased microglia influence the brain.”The team developed aprocess for producing microglia from human pluripotent stem cells.Using these stem cells,the researchers were also able to produce an organoid with approximately 5millimeters in diameter.In contrast to previous brain organoids,it permits the modelling not only of the initial stage of brain development,but also subsequent stages.This is an important prerequisite for studying diseases that occur later in life.Imitating processes in the body As the next step the team developed aprocess to seed the stem cell-derived microglia into organoids.This made it possible to model an additional process in the development of the brain:microglia do not move into the area that later forms the brain until around the fifth week of pregnancy.Until now,microglia or organoids in apetri dish did not behave in the same way as in the human body.However,the team was able to implant the organoids into mice.In aliving organism the microglia behaved like their counterparts in the brain.They multiplied and were able to eliminate damaged neurons in the organoid.“We’re now trying to find out how we can get our organoids in the petri dish to behave like those in the body,”says Simon Schäfer. 查看详细>>

The public launch of ChatGPT has led to considerable dismay at schools and universities.However,a position paper authored by more than 20 scientists at TUM and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität(LMU)working in educational,social,computer and data sciences shows that the so-called language models also present many opportunities for education.In this interview,the coordinator Prof.Enkelejda Kasneci explains how the new technology could benefit learners and make teachers’work easier.The New York School District has banned the use of ChatGPT.It that the right way forward?We think it’s the wrong way.It’s also the easy way out.The development of language models like ChatGPT is atechnological milestone.There is no going back.The tools are in the world.They will get better and we have to learn how to use them constructively.We’re convinced that they offer big opportunities for the empowerment of previously disadvantaged people.ChatGPT and similar programs can lead to greater educational equity.Who could benefit from ChatGPT applications?First,this is atool that makes it possible for everyone in the world with internet access to learn–regardless of the quality of the education system in their own country.Second,it can help people to express themselves better in writing who otherwise have difficulty doing so,for example due to adisability.That can offer them new opportunities to participate in society.And how about at school?Here we see major potential for the personalized use of such tools to overcome the individual weaknesses of each child,to bring out strengths and contribute to constructive learning successes.We’re talking about an AI-based tool that can recognize and produce various forms of text.Pupils could get suggestions for alternative wordings or better text compositions.That can help them improve their ability to express themselves.My research chair team has just developed atool that can analyze an essay using large language models and provide feedback such as:“It would be better to use aconsistent verb tense”or“You could pay more attention to the subjunctive.”This feedback could be adjusted to the age and skill levels of the individual children.At present people seem to be worried that language learning will deteriorate.We don’t see it like that.On the contrary,applications like this can promote the understanding of language.But they can also be helpful in other subjects,for example by creating questions on acertain topic.Students preparing for exams at home could use it as astudy partner that would focus on points where more work is needed.That is alevel of individualized learning that would be difficult to achieve in the classroom.So AI could make teachers’work easier,too?We think so.Artificial intelligence could also support them in correcting schoolwork.…that are generated with ChatGPT for pupils who want better grades.Of course nobody can be certain that written homework is done without outside help.But these discussions remind me very much of the debates when Wikipedia was launched.Back then,people were worried that most homework would be copied from the internet.Then,as now,we have to start teaching children from the elementary school level the importance of not relying on the information of just one internet portal and that they need to check information and back it up with sources.If atext automation program can write the answers for an exam,this also says something about the quality of the exam itself.We have to ask ourselves what teaching methods we are using and to what extent we are helping learners to acquire competencies such as critical thinking and problem solving skills.What is needed to ensure that ChatGPT and similar models are actually used in beneficial ways in the classroom?Researchers must deliver more robust conclusions on the effects of the language models on learning,how they can be used in acertain learning context and when they will be ready for use.Holistic teaching concepts and continuing education opportunities will also be needed for teachers.All of us need to work together and bring about arapid response.And the providers must take issues surrounding data protection,security,bias and distortions in machine learning,intellectual property and transparency very seriously.It will take some time before these goals are achieved.How can teachers deal with ChatGPT in the meantime?We advise all teachers:try out these tools!Discover them together with your students.There are no limits on creativity as long as you maintain acritical perspective. 查看详细>>

An interdisciplinary research team led by the Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie(LEIZA)has solved the mystery of agold-plated pendant found in 2008 in amedieval refuse pit in the Old City section of Mainz.Thanks to the non-destructive examinations at the Research Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz(FRM II)of the Technical University of Munich(TUM),the researchers localized miniscule bone fragments inside the object,presumably religious relics.Five individual packets made of silk and linen were discovered during the evaluation of the tomographies and the Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis(PGAA)with neutrons.Each of the five packets contained bone fragments."The non-destructive investigation with neutrons was particularly useful,since we couldn‘t simply open the pendant and look inside.Centuries of corrosion have heavily damaged the object as awhole and especially the lock mechanism;opening the pendant would have meant destroying it beyond all hope of repair,"says Matthias Heinzel,who works as arestorer at LEIZA.During restoration,he discovered afragment of cord in the pendant‘s attachment loop,which on closer examination turned out to be silk."This is the first proof that this kind of pendant may possibly have been worn around the neck on asilk cord.The neutron tomography at TUM meant we could additionally measure the thread size and the string separations of the textiles inside the pendant,"Heinzel adds.Neutron analysis makes organic substances visible In 500 hours of work,Heinzel meticulously removed corrosion deposits from the find.Initial investigations showed that the approximately 6cm high,6 cm wide and 1cm thick pendant was presumably astorage container for religious relics.Since the organic content of the pendant was not visible in the first x-ray images,investigation was continued using neutrons from the FRM II:Dr.Burkhard Schillinger of the Technical University of Munich(TUM)conducted the neutron tomography using the ANTARES instrument;this rendered the individual textile packages inside containing the bone fragments.The researchers determined individual elements of the sample by triggering them to emit characteristic gamma radiation at the PGAA using neutrons."We can‘t say whether or not these bone splinters are from asaint and,if so,which one.Usually relic packages contain astrip of parchment indicating the name of the saint.In this case,however,we unfortunately can‘t see one.As an archaeological research institute of the Leibniz Association,we consider it our duty to preserve the object in its historical authenticity as completely as possible for future generations and to leverage the modern opportunities of non-destructive investigation at the Technical University of Munich,"says Heinzel.Only three other relic containers of this type,referred to as phylacteries,are known to date.The term phylactery is derived from the Greek term for safekeeping or protection.Their owners wore them on their bodies,usually hung around the neck.The exterior of the gold-plated pendant made of copper shows pictures of Jesus,the four Evangelists,Maria and four female saints in enamel.The researchers dated the pendant to the late 12th century and attribute it to aworkshop in Hildesheim,Lower Saxony,in Germany.The find is in the possession of the General Directorate for Cultural Inheritance(Generaldirektion kulturelles Erbe or GDKE),at the State Archeological Directorate of Mainz(Direktion Landesarchäologie Mainz)and can be viewed for the time being in the medieval exhibition"AUREA MAGONTIA–Mainz in the Middle Ages"at the Mainz State Museum. 查看详细>>

Researchers at the Technical University of Munich(TUM)see major potential for the expansion of deep geothermal energy in Bavaria.In its Geothermal Energy Master Plan analysis the research group Geothermal-Alliance Bavaria looks at possibilities for providing geologically disadvantaged regions in the State of Bavaria with sustainable district heating using long-distance heat transport.This is the first time that the technical potential of the hydrothermal geothermal energy in southern Bavaria has been analyzed.The study was commissioned by the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs,Regional Development and Energy,which recently published the report.According to theoretical calculations in the assessment,it would be possible to meet as much as 40 percent of the Bavarian heating demand using deep geothermal energy in southern Bavaria.Although the necessary number of wells would be difficult to realize in practice,the results indicate that much more use could nevertheless be made of deep geothermal energy than has been the case in the past and present.Deep geothermal energy is already proving effective today,especially in metropolitan centers,where high levels of heat demand are concentrated in small areas.Metropolitan areas are however not always located in regions with high geothermal potential.However,regions with less favorable basic geological conditions could be provided with heat from geothermal sources using long-distance heat transport.In addition to transport from the source to the consumer,long-distance heat transport offers another advantage:They make the district heating network more stable and less prone to outages.This makes long-distance heat transport an important factor in the comprehensive utilization of geothermal potentials.The construction of geothermal plants is however very cost-intensive,which is an initial obstacle for many municipalities.Subsurface exploration is the key Southern Bavaria in particular has an enormous proven potential for deep geothermal energy.However,there are also reasons in which geothermal energy is not yet being used and where the potential has not yet been adequately investigated.Northern Bavaria is also home to as yet untapped deep-geothermal potential.The study‘s researchers indicate that establishment of deep geothermal energy sites in the regions where it has not been used up to now will more than anything require extensive further investigations."In spite of the potential assumed on the basis of preliminary investigations,until now in northern Bavaria deep geothermal energy has only been utilized for thermal spas.This is why further exploratory measures such as test wells are necessary in order to determine the extent to which the northern part of Bavaria is suited for the use of deep geothermal energy.In southern Bavaria this also applies for example to Rosenheim and vicinity,where ahigh level of demand is found,but where geothermal energy as yet remains completely untapped,"says Prof.Michael Drews of the TUM Professorship for Geothermal Technologies.Geothermal energy:Heat from the depths Geothermal energy is heat energy which is stored below the surface of the earth.The geothermal energy contained in the top ten kilometers of the earth‘s crust alone would be enough to cover today‘s level of energy demand for thousands of years.This makes geothermal energy one of the sustainable and green energy sources available to mankind.In order to exploit deep geothermal energy,hot thermal water is tapped with wells and then brought to the surface,where the heat can be transferred to adistrict heating system using for example heat exchangers.The cooled water is then returned to the subsurface rock layers via injection wells."There are two classifications of geothermal energy,near-surface and deep geothermal energy.While boreholes for near-surface geothermal energy are only amaximum of 400 meters deep,wells for deep geothermal energy can reach depths of up to 5,000 meters beneath the earth‘s surface.In southern Bavaria we have great potential for deep geothermal energy due to the particularly well-suited subsurface geological conditions,"remarks Dr.Kai Zosseder of the TUM Professorship for Hydrogeology.Deep geothermal energy already successfully implemented today Deep geothermal energy is thus asustainable alternative to district heating based on fossil fuel-fired heat and power plants and as such is an important component in the decarbonization of the state of Bavaria.25 successful projects are already in use in southern Bavaria.Deep geothermal energy is already being used successfully today in the greater Munich metropolitan area and in the southeastern part of the state in particular.It currently covers approximately 0.5 percent of the total heat demand in Bavaria. 查看详细>>

Scientifically speaking it is possible to convert the Research Neutron Source(FRM II)at the Technical University of Munich(TUM)for afuel element with Low Enriched Uranium(LEU).This conclusion is the result of TUM researchers‘calculations,which have been independently confirmed by experts in the USA.This establishes the theoretical foundations for implementing state regulatory requirements to discontinue the use of Highly Enriched Uranium(HEU)as fuel at the FRM II in the future.For the first time,researchers at the Research Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz(FRM II)have used highly complex computer simulations to identify an option for conversion which is to function using fuel elements whose fissionable uranium-235 has been enriched to less than 20%.The proposed LEU fuel element meets safety requirements,is compatible with the current fuel element and can maintain the FRM II neutron flux necessary for research.TUM President Prof.Thomas F.Hofmann emphasizes the enormous significance of the FRM II for science and innovation:"Researchers from all around the world come to Garching and use its neutrons in scientific investigations.These include for example analysis of energy storage materials and batteries as well as materials used in gas turbines.The FRM II even played asignificant role in the development of the mRNA vaccine.I am very pleased that the theoretical calculations have been established for converting the FRM II for LEU fuel operations.This is the foundation for the continuing operation of the neutron source."Results using supercomputers and Deep Learning In acomplicated parameter study Dr.Christian Reiter,reactor physicist at the FRM II and head of the Theory Division at the TUM Center for Nuclear Safety and Innovation,worked with his group on the calculations linked with many possible changes to the FRM II fuel element.This involved the use of aseparate computing cluster at the Leibniz Supercomputing Center(LRZ)and newly developed software with Deep Learning.The conclusion:An LEU fuel element for the FRM II is viable in terms of reactor physics and can be operated using the existing systems;no major conversion of the neutron source will be necessary."Viewed as an average for all scientific instruments and over a60-day operational cycle,the neutron flux from the proposed LEU fuel element will be no more than 10%lower than with the current fuel element,"says Reiter.The simulations by the TUM researchers have been independently confirmed by the Argonne National Laboratory(ANL)in den USA using different computer code.The ANL has been involved in conversion of research reactors worldwide since 1978.Reiter emphasizes the fact that as the prerequisite for the calculations in his study he assumes that the new fuel element will have to be capable of regulatory certification in Germany and that it will be possible to produce the new fuel elements with the proposed changes.The study makes no statements about the actual technical feasibility of fulfilling these conditions.Basic legal parameters An ancillary condition in the third partial certification of the FRM II provides for conversion to a"fuel with amaximum uranium-235 enrichment of 50%[…]as soon as the new fuel has been developed,qualified and is industrially available".In 2020 the Bavarian and federal German ministries of science agreed to decide on the fuel element variant in 2023 based on the research results which will be available by then.The approval procedure for the new fuel is to be initiated by 2025.Scientific Director of FRM II,Prof.Peter Müller-Buschbaum,says:"We have shown that it is possible in terms of reactor physics to operate the FRM II with an LEU fuel element.The groundwork for the decision has now been completed." 查看详细>>

The Technical University of Munich(TUM)has declared sustainability to be an integral guiding vision for its plan of action.President Prof.Thomas F.Hofmann recently presented the TUM Sustainable Futures Strategy 2030 at the first TUM Sustainability Day:"We intend to secure the resilience of our university and shape the sustainable transformation of society with responsibility,talented individuals,scientific excellence and innovative power.We are making TUM acatalyst for the tremendous changes inevitably emerging in our pursuit of sustainable development,taking ecological limitations,economic constancy and social justice into account."TUM is building on afoundation in research and teaching which has evolved over the course of several years.One example is the TUM Campus Straubing for Biotechnology and Sustainability,which focuses on renewable resources,biotechnology and bioeconomy.Research and teaching at the TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan campus spans all orders of magnitude,from the molecular scale to the cellular systems of plant and animal organisms and all the way to sustainable,ecosystem-oriented strategies for land use.The TUM Garching campus and Munich main campus are home to alarge number of research and teaching activities relating to industrial biotechnology,sustainable energy,mobility and infrastructure systems,satellite-guided earth observation and digitalization,all oriented towards the United Nations‘Global Sustainable Development Goals.And TUM researches the Alpine ecosystem in the process of climate change at the Schneefernerhaus environmental research station on Zugspitze and the Friedrich N.Schwarz research station in Berchtesgadener Land.President Hofmann also emphasized the fact that the individual in particular has to be activated as an innovation driver in sustainable transformation:"We have to empower students,employees,alumni,and expert and management staff,above and beyond their expert knowledge,with the sensitivities and new skills necessary to make well-founded decisions,to convince others,to develop effective measures for asustainable future.We must also help them rigorously implement these advances with scalable innovations."Six concrete fields of action Working together with students,employees and scientists in aparticipatory development process,TUM has defined its sustainability strategy based on six concrete fields of action:Research TUM encourages and supports research activities that contribute to the sustainable transformation of society.To this end,the university provides targeted support for the digitalization and scaling of developed solution strategies while taking ecological,political and societal aspects into account.Teaching and Continuing Education TUM helps students,employees and alumni as well as external expert and management staff develop their own understanding of sustainability.Above and beyond the spectrum of university teaching and continuing education,TUM conveys competencies in data-based and evidence-based sustainable behaviors.Entrepreneurship and Innovation TUM promotes and empowers founders in leveraging their own entrepreneurial opportunities to accelerate sustainable transformation.In the future,innovative technologies,products and services as well as new business models are to unite economic success with ecological and social responsibility.Campus Operations and Resource Management As an organization,the university itself is to serve as an exemplary model for the deployment of asustainable and resilient society.The university‘s tasks include reducing consumption of energy and resources,cutting greenhouse gas emissions,increasing energy and resource efficiency and reduced-emission mobility as well as improving equality,diversity,inclusion and providing healthy working and studying conditions.Governance and University Community TUM intends to motivate its students and members of the university community to actively participate by strategically anchoring the Sustainability Strategy at the General Management level and by implementing open,participatory decision-making processes.Communication and Global Engagement TUM intends to create an even greater societal awareness of sustainability with transparent and self-critical communication and to take on aproactive role in the transformation process.To this ends,the university combines its research and teaching agenda with entrepreneurial drive in the fight against climate change and pollution,poverty and inequality as well as against the lack of access to proper health care and education. 查看详细>>

A protein causes higher sex-specific risk of severe cancer progression for men Cause found for higher sex-specific risk of mortality.A remarkable number of life-threatening diseases manifest more severely in males than in females.One current example is COVID-19 caused by SARS CoV-2.Another example is the significantly higher risk of severe cancer progression for men.A research team at the Technical University of Munich(TUM)has now discovered amolecular cause for this difference between sexes.Compared to women,men have ahigher risk of experiencing severe progression of life-threatening diseases such as cancer.For example in Germany,every year over 130,000 male patients die of cancer as compared to only 100,000 female patients.Comprehensive epidemiological studies conducted in recent years have shown that the increased risk of men experiencing amore severe course of cancer is not exclusively based on ahigher-risk lifestyle,such as ahigher average consumption of tobacco or alcohol.Thus,life-style-independent factors have to play arole,making it all the more important to identify parameters which cause the sex-specific course of the disease.This in turn might serve as abasis for improving decision-making and approaches of treatment.A protein is the cause Aresearch team led by Prof.Achim Krüger at TUM’s university hospital Klinikum rechts der Isar has now identified the protein TIMP1 as afactor,which could explain this sex-specific difference and also improve the risk-diagnostics for the clinical course of the disease.The work was funded by the Wilhelm Sander Foundation,among other sources.Based on patient cohorts from Germany and Canada,the research team found that men,whose blood contained ahigher concentration of the endogenous protein TIMP1 also have asignificantly higher risk of dying from cancer.Further analyses then showed that the increase in TIMP1 causes increased liver metastasis,resulting in death in cases of pancreatic cancer,colon cancer,and melanoma.Increased values indicate higher risk"TIMP1 is not higher in all males,but the discovery of TIMP1 as arisk parameter,which can be identified in blood,now allows clinicians to identify the very group of men exhibiting ahigher risk of developing life-threatening liver metastases,"says Krüger."Previous studies have already shown the molecular context in which TIMP1 promotes liver metastasis,"he adds."In connection with our current discovery,there are now new possibilities for personalized medicine with optimized diagnosis and targeted therapy options."In anext step Achim Krüger and his working group plan to further investigate the molecular causes of male-specific modifications in increased production of TIMP1 in the body. 查看详细>>