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Education and Research

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US Schools Receive Support to Boost Focus on German

In the United States, Germany's global initiative, “Schools: Partners for the Future,” is encouraging schools to focus on the importance of German-language instruction and to support existing German programs. The initiative will work with 17 partner schools as well as the five German schools in the US.

DAAD Jazz Ensemble Plays at German Embassy & Ambassador’s Residence

The first-ever outdoor concert at the German Embassy attracted a capacity crowd of over 300. The romantic atmosphere created by strings of lights, grilled brats, German beer, and the outstanding music of the German Academic All Stars jazz ensemble made for an enchanting evening.

Newseum: Students Experience Legacy of Friendship Left by Berlin Airlift

A group of sixth-graders encountered both living history and the cold vestiges of a totalitarian regime when they visited the Newseum to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift and to learn more about life in Berlin after World War II.

"Schools: Partners for the Future" to Boost Interest in Germany, Language

"With our partner schools abroad we not only want to give children access to the German language and education but also to awaken an interest in and understanding for each other," Foreign Minister Steinmeier said about his partner schools initiative.

Apply for the International Parliamentary Scholarships (IPS)

The International Parliamentary Scholarship combines an internship in the office of a Member of the German Bundestag with an academic program organized by Berlin’s three universities and the experience of being together with participants from 25 nations.

Upward Trend for German Language in US Colleges & Universities

German remained the third most taught language at US colleges and universities in 2006, with a 3.5 percent increase from 2002, continuing an upward trend, according to a report by the Modern Language Association

New German Technology Could Aid Gene Therapy

A new technology developed by researchers at the Institute of Photonic Technology in Jena may revolutionize gene therapy. NanoCut technology works by having lasers bundle large quantities of energy in an extremely small point.

Six Universities Added to Ranks of Elite Institutions

Universities in Aachen, Berlin, Breisgau, Göttingen, Heidelberg and Konstanz have been added to the ranks of Germany's elite institutions, making them eligible to receive an average of 21 million euros in federal funding toward plans for top-class research..

Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Germany's Gerhard Ertl

Researcher Gerhard Ertl of the Max Planck Society’s Fritz Haber Institute in Berlin has been awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize in Chemistry “for groundbreaking studies in surface chemistry,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on October 10.

Nobel Prize for German, French Physicists for Technology Used in Hard Drives

Germany’s Peter Grünberg of the Research Centre Jülich and Albert Fert of France have been awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physics for the 1988 discovery of Giant Magnetoresistance that is used in almost ever hard drive produced today.

Cocoa Could Make Your Day, Cologne Researcher Finds

Dr. Dirk Taubert and colleagues at the University Hospital of Cologne found that trial participants who were given just 6.3 grams (30 calories) of dark chocolate a day saw a small reduction in blood pressure, according to a study published in JAMA.

Waldsee BioHaus Wins Minnesota Environmental Initiative Award

Concordia Language Villages’ Waldsee BioHaus, the first certified Passive House in North America, has won the 2007 Minnesota Environmental Initiative Award for air quality and climate protection. Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt sponsored its construction.

Helmholtz Assocation visits the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

A trio of high-ranking leaders representing the Helmholtz Assocation, Germany's largest scientific research organization, recently visited Washington and met with top counterparts at the Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), among other institutions.

Germany & US Meeting in Middle on Cancer and Stem Cells

In an interview with The Week in Germany, Dr. Otmar Wiestler, chairman of the German Cancer Research Center, spoke about scientists in Germany and the United States sharing their findings in a new research area exploring the similarities between cancer cells and stem cells.

International Polar Year Coordinates Challenging, Complex Research

At a time when climate change is a constant topic of public discourse, the aim of the International Polar Year is to determine the role that the Arctic and Antarctic play in climate, and in this context, to study the earth’s ecosystems.

Ambassador Scharioth Hosts Transatlantic Celebration on EU’s 50th

Ambassador Klaus Scharioth invited future American leaders, the ambassadors of EU countries and Ambassador John Bruton, head of the European Commission Delegation in Washington to celebrate the EU’s history and contemplate visions for its future.

Frontier Research to Get Major Boost with European Research Center

Over 1 billion euros a year will flow into research projects through the newly opened European Research Center, the first pan-European funding body set up to support investigator-driven frontier research. Its launch marks a landmark in European research policy, Chancellor Merkel said

As Brücke Project Closes Window on America Opens

As the “Brücke New York-Berlin” project comes to a close after five years of bringing students from families affected by the attacks of 9/11 to Germany, the US ambassador to Germany has announced a program for German students to visit America.