IPM-New Year's Reception 2023

12 January 2023, by Website Team Biologie

Photo: Webseite Biologie

On January 11, 2023, the annual New Year's Reception of the IPM, which had to be cancelled in 2021 and 2022 due to the pandemic, took place again. Prof. Dr. Kai Jensen and Prof. Dr. Sigrun Reumann hosted the event and shared their reflections on the past year.

 2022 began with shocking news. In February, a war began in Europe. Since then, shocking news and pictures from Ukraine have been reaching us. For the people there this war means death, flight, physical and mental trauma. Millions of Ukrainians are without electricity, heating and water. In comparison, the restrictions we face at the IPM and in our daily lives seem minor, even if they challenge us: Cold offices and dark hallways in the IPM, rising prices for energy, food and other necessities, so Prof. Dr. Jensen at the New Year's reception.

 Despite the distressing geopolitical situation, we also have positive things to report from 2022: Prof. Dr. Dominik Begerow and Prof. Agnes Weiß now strengthen our institute with their groundbreaking research, Marta Fernandez and Katharina Horst started as technical assistants and Sandra Uckermann, Corinna Lammers and Hara Hernandez now support the Academic Office and the Departmental Management. A further 21 research assistants were able to take up their work with us.

 The working groups of the IPM were able to raise third-party funds of approximately 2 million euros and publish 64 publications in renowned journals. Prof. Dr. Reumann, who succeeded Prof. Dr. Jensen as director of the institute in January 2023, expressed her sincere thanks to all those involved in the research projects: "Many thanks to all the hard-working doctoral students and fellows, all the group leaders and postdocs, all the technical assistants who keep the laboratories in good shape, all the master's and bachelor's students involved, all the team assistants and specialists in the scientific workshops, all the employees of the IPM,  Botanical Garden, Herbarium and the Algae Collection! Without their hard work we would not have been able to achieve such good results."

 At the New Year's Reception, the Elisabeth Appuhn Young Scientist Award 2022, endowed with 12,000 euros, was given to Kim Lara Lühmann. The aim of the Young Scientists Award is to promote the agency of young scientists with excellent research projects in plant science at the IPM. Congratulations!

 Afterwards, a toast was raised to these positive developments.