Outreach

The Art meets Science project brings together physicists from DESY and Universität Hamburg with local artists, who are inspired by scientific questions or physical structures. Various event formats are offered for the general public.

The Physik-Projekt-Tage are a four-day physics workshop for Hamburg high school girls at Universität Hamburg. You will work in small groups on exciting projects in the research groups of the university at the Bahrenfeld campus and get an insight into the daily work. In addition, there is a varied social program and you get to know other physics-enthusiastic girls your age.

Náboj is a mathematical competition designed for teams of five high-school students that represent their schools. The competition lasts 120 minutes during which the teams are trying to solve as many given problems as possible. The international competition takes place every year in multiple countries simultaneously, since 2024 also at Universität Hamburg.

Why are black holes black? What are gravitational waves? And what can we learn about the universe by observing gravitational waves? The game app "Trapped in Gravity" provides playful insights into the physics behind mass, gravitational forces and black holes.

Five scientists give insights into their research. What is Dark Matter? How do the smallest particles get their mass? How does artificial intelligence help in the search for new physics? And why is the Universe a mathematician?

Wissen vom Fass (Science on Tap) takes place once per year in April simultaneously in about 50 different pubs in Hamburg. Scientists from Universität Hamburg and DESY give 30 minute informal talks about their current research, followed by a discussion with the audience.

Based on the successful event series „Wissen vom Fass“, scientists from Universität Hamburg, DESY and the Heinrich-Pette-Institute present their research for one week at the „WIR-WOLLEN'S-WISSEN! week“ in Hamburg schools and answer the questions of students. The respective lecture can be booked either for one school lesson or a double lesson and is suitable for grades 8 and up.

Hands on science communication! Some of our early career researchers took their chance to learn how to write blog articles or plan a podcast. Initiated by the PIER Education Platform, "Science Chatter" not only presents the results of science communication workshops for young scientists, but invites you to explore fascinating research!

STEMme is a podcast by and with Oindrila Ghosh and Philine van Vliet, both PhD students in Theoretical Physics. In each episode, the two host an experienced young STEM researcher to discuss exciting science news from around the globe. The podcast includes a broad range of scientific developments and provides commentaries on social and human aspects of the stories covered, as well as their context.

The Astronomiewerkstatt is a project of the Authority for Schools and Vocational Training of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg in cooperation with Universität Hamburg. It allows pupils to choose exciting courses on astronomical topics, learn interesting facts about the history of astronomy and gain insights into astrophysics as a branch of university research. The courses are led by astronomers from the Hamburg Observatory, an astrophysical research institute belonging to the university, at which are several historic large telescopes in addition to more modern telescopes.

Ferienkurs Forschung has a long tradition at Universität Hamburg. Since 1998, three summer courses are being held annually, focusing on laser physics and photonics (during spring break), solid state physics (during summer break), and astronomy and astrophysics (during fall break). The summer courses are designed to allow students to conduct their own experiments in small groups. For this purpose, extensive task lists are available for independent scientific work. The program is rounded off by physics lectures or casual get-togethers with students, PhD students and professors.

Universität Hamburg's Unimusik in cooperation with the Hamburg Observatory organise the summer Sternstunden Festival. Visitors enjoy a colourful programme: music of all kinds and exciting scientific contributions on the historic grounds of the Observatory in Hamburg-Bergedorf. There are two days of varied music from a wide range of genres – paired with exciting lectures, experiments, tours and scientific facts about the Universe. The program is presented in the observatory park, in the historic telescope domes and the old library.

Cosmic Waves: a zine about gravitational wave bright sirens by Maria E. S. Pereira and Camila Machado.
Meet a special gravitational wave. Born from the collision of two neutron stars over a billion years ago, it traveled across the Universe to finally reach Earth. The birth of this gravitational wave came with a burst of light, an event known as a bright siren, and is helping scientists to uncover the Universe’s secrets.

The student’s laboratory „physik.begreifen“ in Hamburg, founded in 1997, is a cooperation between DESY and the Hamburg School Authority. Intern days for school classes are offered on a total of five different topics. In addition to the regular program, various special events are held, such as a vacation seminar for upper grades. In cooperation with Netzwerk Teilchenwelt, particle physics and astroparticle physics master classes are also organized on request.

On the trail of the big bang: With Netzwek Teilchenwelt, you can experience particle physics and astroparticle physics at first hand. At workshops in schools, student laboratories or museums, young people and teachers throughout Germany experience the world of quarks, electrons & co. up close.

Each summer DESY offers undergraduate students in physics, related natural science disciplines or computing the possibility to participate in the research activities of the laboratory. Selected candidates join in the day-to-day work of research groups at the DESY Laboratory. While the work in the groups is the main activity, there will also be a series of lectures (given in English) related to the research done at DESY. Visits to the accelerators and experiments are also included in this programme.

For thousands of years, people have been asking themselves: what building blocks is the world made of? The exhibition “Particle Zoo” presents the answers of modern particle physics and goes on the trail of Higgs, quarks and photons. The “Particle Zoo” exhibition was a joint project of the DESY research centre and Universum® Bremen that took place in Bremen from 27 September 2013 until 30 June 2014.

Whether it’s scientific education suitable for students and children, concerts or continuing education: Universität Hamburg’s new platform "Wissen Für Alle" offers a wide range of engaging topics. Here, interested parties can research all services, courses and programs concerning public knowledge transfer provided by the university. Services within the portal include digital formats, live events, events for schoolchildren or public lectures.