- Awards and Personnel
- Event
Published:
Today (27 June) is »Schiller Day«. With this annual day of celebration, Friedrich Schiller University Jena commemorates the inaugural lecture of its namesake and former professor in 1789. Traditionally, the best young academics of the past twelve months are honoured on »Schiller Day«. University President Andreas Marx welcomed the doctoral candidates at the beginning of today’s ceremony and referred to the great challenges they face: intense competition, tight budgets, balancing research, family and social responsibility. »As recent doctoral graduates, you bear a special responsibility. You are our hope and our trust in the future of science.«
In her keynote speech »The Art of Balance-Insights from the Microverse«, keynote speaker Kirsten Küsel invited those present on a mental journey between the micro and macro worlds. Starting from Schiller’s idea of balance as a human ideal, she drew a line to the »Microverse«--the fascinating universe of microorganisms. »For billions of years, they have been shaping life on our planet through complex interactions and amazing resilience,« said the spokesperson for the Cluster of Excellence »Balance of the Microverse«. »Their strategies of balance and coexistence can also be an inspiration for us: for scientific work, for social coexistence and, last but not least, for our own path between change and stability.«
Afterwards, those present from the total of 567 doctoral graduates who successfully completed their doctorates at the University of Jena in the past academic year were presented with their certificates. The best early career researchers then took centre stage.
