Gambrinus Forum Presents Findings from Drug Research and Family Sociology
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On 30 October, TU Dortmund University once again invited representatives of the urban society to scientific lectures in Dortmund’s city center. At the 27th Gambrinus Forum, Prof. Elsa Sánchez García, Professor at the Department of Biochemical and Chemical Engineering at TU Dortmund University, presented computer-aided drug research. Sociologist Prof. Norbert F. Schneider, President of the German Society for Demography, spoke in his lecture about the understanding of childhood and parenthood in Germany. For the first time, the Internationalization Prizes of TU Dortmund University were also awarded at the event.
President Prof. Manfred Bayer welcomed numerous guests from science, industry, and urban society at the Westphalian Industry Club. Once again this year, the event stimulated both international and interdisciplinary exchange with its lectures on computer-aided drug research and family sociology.
New Starting Points for Drug Research
Prof. Elsa Sánchez García gave a lecture on the possibilities that computer-aided research opens up for the search for antivirals and new antibiotics that can combat resistant bacteria. For example, researchers could use virtual reality to examine the structures of bacteria and viruses in detail under different conditions. Prof. Sánchez García also demonstrated how effective proteins can be found using simulations and machine learning. Thus, through simulations, bioengineers have found potential drug components that are particularly selective and effectively bind to the membrane of viruses or bacteria. By means of her research, Prof. Sánchez García aims to contribute to the fight against dangerous pathogens under the motto “To defeat your enemies, you must first know them well and then hit them accurately”.
In 2023, Prof. Elsa Sánchez García accepted the call to the Professorship in Computational Bioengineering at TU Dortmund University. Previously, she was a Professor of Computational Biochemistry at the University of Duisburg-Essen. Her research is embedded in the joint RESOLV Cluster of Excellence of TU Dortmund University and Ruhr University Bochum.
On the Changes in Society and Family
Prof. Norbert F. Schneider spoke about the transformations of the family in Germany. In his lecture, he shed light on society, the social construction of children and parenthood as well as gender roles in families. In a rapidly changing society, the changes and diversity in the family must be regarded as normality and no longer as a crisis. Prof. Schneider encouraged parents to dare to be relaxed and to trust more in their children’s abilities. Society must also take the pressure of expectations off parents and focus more on parental well-being, because: “Satisfied parents are better parents.” Fathers should also be more integrated into family work, as current surveys illustrate that a change in gender roles in families so far only takes place on the surface, but that much remains stable at the core.
Sociologist Prof. Norbert F. Schneider is the President of the German Society for Demography and was previously the Director of the Federal Institute for Population Research. He has contributed to the Federal Government’s Family Report and the Demography Advisory Board of the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
Internationalization Prizes Awarded in Four Categories
As part of the Gambrinus Forum, the Internationalization Prizes of TU Dortmund University were awarded for the first time. Prof. Tessa Flatten, Vice President International Affairs, thereby honored exceptional international commitment in the areas of teaching, research, transfer, and administration.
Prof. Christoph Schuck, Dean of the Department of Humanities and Theology, received the prize in the Teaching Category for establishing the English-language Master’s Degree Program in Religion, Ethics and Politics. Prof. Uwe Wilkesmann and Prof. Liudvika Leišytė, who jointly head the Center for Higher Education, received the prize in the Research Category for organizing an international Summer School with participants from 17 countries. In the Transfer Category, the prize went to Dr. Tobias Herken from IANUS GmbH. The TU Dortmund University spin-off develops simulation-based AI assistance systems and has been active in the international market since its inception in 2006. The prize in the Administration Category went to Petra Marciniak from the Office of Research Support Services for her comprehensive support in European third-party funding projects.
The Dortmund Gambrinus Fellowships
Since 1993, the Gambrinus Fellowships have enabled research residencies by foreign researchers at TU Dortmund University. The fellowships were launched in 1993 by the Association of Dortmund Beer Brewers on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the brewing rights of the City of Dortmund. In total, more than 200 guest researchers have already been welcomed to Dortmund, and numerous international collaborations have been established. Since 2016, the annual Gambrinus Forum, featuring lectures by internationally renowned researchers, is aimed at a non-university public and has been held at the Westphalian Industry Club.
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