Scientific Ambassador Prof. Rolf Emmermann

Audio Version

Prof. Rolf Emmermann interviewed by Thomas Prinzler (rbb Inforadio)

To be a scientific ambassador means to carry out respectable honorary work. What can you do in your capacity as a scientific ambassador and what are your tasks?

One of the main tasks of a scientific ambassador consists of making the “new” federal state of Brandenburg more famous, of highlighting its potential in the fields of science and research, of pointing out opportunities for a transfer of expertise and of promoting cooperation with businesses from the region. Nowadays Brandenburg is very well positioned within the scientific landscape as it has nine higher learning institutions – which were established 20 years ago – and more than 30 extramural research institutes covering a broad spectrum of specializations and topics that continue to deliver extraordinary research and development results. The pooling of these activities and their increased utilisation for collaborations with companies in the region are of key importance to the future development of a state, which was impacted by a profound economic transformation process after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

By simply looking at the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam | German Research Centre for Geosciences today it becomes apparent that it is well-positioned and that it conducts successful work; for example, there is its tsunami early warning system or its earthquake monitoring. When you think back to the time the centre was established, what did you encounter here and what did you want to achieve?

Back then, after careful consideration and intense discussions with my family, I decided to embark on the adventure of setting up a new large-scale research facility for the field of geosciences in Potsdam; the facility was based on a concept that I myself had masterminded. The Telegrafenberg in Potsdam has been home to world-renowned geoscientific research institutions since the end of the 19th century. During the German Democratic Republic, the Central Institute of Geophysics was located here and did a good job in many areas of the geosciences. This institution was dissolved at the end of 1991. The already present and highly qualified scientists and technical staff members were brought together with additional recruited scientists from West Germany and from abroad and thus it was possible to create a completely new research institution, which to this day is one of a kind worldwide in terms of its range of subjects and its expertise.

Telegrafenberg with its German Research Centre for Geosciences, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam and the Alfred Wegener Institute etc. certainly forms the scientific centre of the state of Brandenburg. How important are such aspects as short geographical distances and cooperation?

Both aspects are important. A variety of collaborations and research networks have developed here also thanks to, of course, the short geographical distances. But cooperation with the University of Potsdam is equally important. Extramural research institutions like to cooperate with strong university partners; on the one hand, to acquire and support doctoral students and to attract well-qualified young talents, on the other hand, to contribute to the development of new, attractive study programmes based on their own expertise, and finally, to expand their overall range of disciplines and research opportunities. We have followed this path very consistently. Back then leading scientists at the German Research Centre for Geosciences were the first geoscientific professors who started working as university lecturers at the newly founded University of Potsdam in the framework of so-called “joint appointments”. This happened even before the field of geosciences became an actual part of the university. This was followed by joint appointments by Potsdam’s research centre of the Alfred Wegener Institute, by the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam and by other research institutions. Today, the University of Potsdam has about 60 jointly appointed professors and has thus seized the opportunity to network with extramural research institutions and to simultaneously develop highly attractive new study programmes. Additionally, the German Research Centre for Geosciences Potsdam is also connected to the Freie Universität Berlin, the Technical University of Berlin and the Berlin Humboldt University through joint appointments, which means that today the geosciences in the region of Berlin-Brandenburg are clearly a key scientific field with a strong international presence.

What about partners from the business sector? They are of particular importance in the field of geosciences. Can you find them in your region? Do you have to bring them over from other parts of the world?

The use and the development of innovative technologies form an integral part of geological research. We have a large number of collaborations with partners from the business sector, both at the national and the international level, and from the very beginning we have also worked together with small and medium-sized enterprises from our region. This cooperation has been getting significantly stronger over the years. Our worldwide network of seismic observation stations, geophones and large geodetic measurement networks consisting of GPS stations, which form the backbone of the tsunami early warning system we developed, have led to innovations in the fields of instrument engineering and measurement technologies, but also in the evaluation and processing of vast amounts of data. And companies from Brandenburg participated in these projects. I would like to particularly emphasize our expertise in the development and use of geosatellites for earth observation purposes. In 2000 our mini-satellite GFZ1 was followed by CHAMP, our very own first large-scale satellite project, which we financed by using funds for the promotion of space travel in the “new” federal states and carried out jointly with the German Aerospace Center. The CHAMP concept was adopted by NASA and used for the GRACE twin satellite mission, which was carried out together with the German Aerospace Center and the German Research Centre for Geosciences. And next year, ESA's "Swarm" mission will use three CHAMP-type satellites with the goal of studying the Earth's magnetic field; they will be launched under the auspices of the German Research Centre for Geosciences. And then in 2015 the joint project of the German Research Centre for Geosciences and the German Aerospace Center EnMAP will bring forth the first satellite for hyperspectral monitoring of earth-related and environmental parameters from space.

When you take a look at Potsdam, Brandenburg, Telegrafenberg – at the region itself: What framework conditions do you think are conducive to your goals and which ones would you like to add or create?

In my view, the framework conditions for the fields of science, research and development are very good here. Brandenburg is especially prominent thanks to its large number of excellently well-positioned extramural research institutions; their density is high in Potsdam and its surrounding region and they put a clear focus on the fields of natural sciences and technology. Alluring beacons that can be seen internationally are Telegrafenberg’s Albert Einstein Science Park and the Science Campus Golm, both of which are working closely together with the University of Potsdam and are integrated into an international network due to their varied research and development activities.

The cooperation between the field of science and the business sector in the region has become significantly stronger in recent years, not least thanks to corresponding programmes provided by the state, the federal government and the EU. It is precisely the small and medium-sized companies – which are a hallmark of Brandenburg's economy – that will gladly use technological innovations and developments from the field of research in order to turn them into real-life products or to find a use for them. As an example I would like to mention the future European navigation satellite project GALILEO, to which the German Research Centre for Geosciences has contributed with its GPS experience and geodetic expertise from the very beginning. We see this as a great opportunity, and we have therefore already prepared the corresponding concepts for developing completely new hands-on measuring methods, processing strategies and applications together with a number of companies from the region.

What is your vision for the region for the next 25 years?

In 25 years we will certainly have merged into a Berlin-Brandenburg scientific and economic region and we will have become one of the centres of research and innovation in Europe. As far as the geosciences in general and the German Research Centre for Geosciences Potsdam in particular are concerned, we will have substantially expanded our international networks and our cooperation with the industrial sector in order to make a contribution to overcoming the major challenges facing the international community in general and the society in Germany in particular. The main topics we will have to deal with will be: the energy system of the future; securing resources and their sustainable use; dealing with climate change and adaptation strategies; natural hazards and risk mitigation; and all issues related to the environment. According to my vision we will be joining forces at the international level in order to establish global networks of terrestrial, marine and satellite-based observation stations to visualise the current state of the "System Earth" and of its compartments, to monitor changes quantitatively and to identify critical developments.

What do you have to say to the world in your capacity as a scientific ambassador?

By using examples from the field of geosciences, I am trying to show the world that science and research make relevant contributions to the delivery of public services and that they form the foundation of innovations and new products. I often use Telegrafenberg as an example and point to everything that has been achieved here in recent years.