University Provided Insights into Current Research Projects

This year’s Mainz Science Market took place on the first weekend of September. Under bright sunshine, dedicated researchers presented over 50 research projects in an easy-to-understand manner. Mainz University of Applied Sciences was represented by various projects from the Business Informatics and Media Management (WIMM) research group, the Institute for Spatial Information and Measurement Technology (i3mainz), the Mainz Institute of Architecture (AI Mainz), and the inter-university collaborative project EMPOWER. Exciting hands-on activities amazed the numerous visitors over the two days. In addition to the already established Science Market booths, visitors had the opportunity for the first time to experience science on stage.

Following the opening session with (from left) Markus Müller (Artistic Director of the Mainz State Theater), Dr. Sabine Nikolaus (Country Manager for Germany at Boehringer Ingelheim), Nino Haase (Mayor of Mainz), Prof. Dr. Susanne Weissman (President of Mainz University of Applied Sciences), Prof. Dr. Michael Maskos (Chairman of the Board of the Mainz Science Alliance), Dr. Birgit Heide (Director of the Mainz State Museum), and Clemens Hoch (Minister of Science and Health for the State of Rhineland-Palatinate), the Chairman of the Mainz Science Alliance called on attendees to explore for themselves the role of science in people’s lives and communities at the Mainz Science Market.

Visitors had the opportunity to do so in the tents at Gutenbergplatz and in the LUX Pavilion at Mainz University of Applied Sciences. The projects exhibited in the LUX by the Mainz Institute of Architecture invited interested visitors to use virtual reality headsets and augmented reality apps to learn more about ancient temple complexes and medieval wooden synagogues, as well as to find out about the Erasmus+ project CovHer.

The EMPOWER consortium project was represented over the weekend by all five participating universities. In the EMPOWER tent, the pilot projects already underway—covering the five sub-projects of sustainability, health, cybersecurity, connectivity, and new work environments—were presented in creative ways.

The Connectivity theme, based at Mainz University of Applied Sciences, focuses on networking through digital infrastructures that are fundamentally changing the way we live and work. The four projects—“Digital Manufacturing,” “Mixed Reality Applications,” “Smart Industry,” and “New Venture Studio”—invited visitors to try things out and experience them firsthand through well-attended hands-on activities, such as making breakfast boards or experimenting with virtual reality headsets.

In the “Yellow” tent, visitors at the WIMM research group’s booth were treated to a demonstration of the Travelguide web app, which was prototyped as part of the project of the same name by an interdisciplinary research team from the departments of Engineering and Business at Mainz University of Applied Sciences. As part of the AI4MediaData project presentation, interested attendees were able to experience eye-tracking and facial expression recognition technology firsthand. The goal of the project is to analyze media data using AI methods and to link the information gained in the form of data-driven decision-making tools. Another project by the WIMM research group focuses on digital training for and by migrants. Hannah Risser and Janna ten Thoren also presented the research findings on stage at the Science Market on Sunday.

An absolute highlight for the young visitors to the Science Market was interacting on an equal footing with the humanoid robot Pepper, which belongs to the WIMM research group.

One tent over, at the i3mainz booth, the audience could try out various methods of 3D data capture using cameras and observe the differences for themselves.

During their tour of the Science Market, Clemens Hoch, Minister of Science and Health, and Mayor Nino Haase stopped by the i3mainz booths to learn more about the projects of this institute at Mainz University of Applied Sciences.This included the “RAFVINIERT—Spatial Intelligence for Integrated Care of Seniors in Rural Neighborhoods” project, which was also presented on Sunday by project coordinator Florian Brunn in a discussion with moderator Julia Schneider—also from Mainz University of Applied Sciences—on the Science Market stage.

Another highlight of the stage program was the Science Slam duel organized by the Mainz University of Applied Sciences’ Network for Young Science, moderated by Gabriel Belinga Belinga, head of the university’s International Office, on Saturday evening.