April 5, 2023 - KCETA-Research in Focus at KIT Annual Celebration

"Our Universe" is the title of the Science Year 2023 of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Insights into different facets of this theme were provided by KIT's Annual Celebration 2023.

"As the research university in the Helmholtz Association, KIT has unique large research infrastructures. Among them are those dedicated to the exciting questions of astrophysics, high-energy physics, and related disciplines," said KIT President Professor Holger Hanselka at the annual celebration. "For example, with the large-scale experiment KATRIN, we operate the most sensitive balance in the world to determine the mass of neutrinos. At the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina, the world's largest experiment for measuring cosmic rays, KIT is in charge of project management."

In view of growing geopolitical uncertainties, the unifying element of science is becoming increasingly important, he said. "Fascination for the respective research subject and joint scientific work build bridges between nations - not only in astrophysics, cosmology, or research on elementary particles, but in all research fields and disciplines," Hanselka said. "For example, the KATRIN collaboration involves 150 researchers from 20 institutions in seven countries, and the Pierre Auger collaboration involves more than 400 researchers from 17 countries."

Talk session:
"Looking into the universe - finding answers to human questions with high technologies"
Three KIT researchers discussed the major questions of basic physics research, which are also the focus of the Science Year 2023 - Our Universe, with moderator Nicole Krüger: Prof. Markus Klute, Head of the Institute for Experimental Particle Physics, Prof. Milada M. Mühlleitner, Director of the Institute for Theoretical Physics, and Prof. Anke-Susanne Müller, Head of the Institute for Accelerator Physics and Technology and Spokesperson of the KIT Center for Elementary Particle and Astroparticle Physics.