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Innovative Earth observation with “DIEGOSat” supporting climate protection, agriculture and security¹

With the support of the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, a joint consortium of scientific teams and space industry has now launched the “DIEGOSat” satellite feasibility project. Under the leadership of Dr. Johannes Schultz from Ruhr University Bochum, a thermal infrared sensor, originally developed for the International Space Station (ISS), is foreseen to be operated on its own satellite. The satellite sensor will provide thermal imaging data with high temporal resolution, enabling a variety of applications in environmental monitoring, agriculture and disaster control. Researchers from the University of Bonn are involved in the project.

Two winners of the International Paper Award 2025²

This year's International Paper Award of the Department of Geography at the University of Bonn goes to Douwe van Schie, research group Development Geography by Prof. Dr. Lisa Schipper, and Dr. Frankline Ndi, Economic Geography from Prof. Dr. Britta Klagge. Congratulations!

Global Exchange in Action: Welcoming Tanzanian Partners to GIUB during the International Partner Days³

From June 23–27, 2025, the University of Bonn hosted its first International Partner Days, welcoming around 30 guests from 15 countries for a week of workshops, lectures, and networking under the theme "Change and Challenges." A special highlight was the visit from our partner university in Tanzania (Mzumbe University). During their visit to our Department, the Tanzanian guests discussed future research collaboration and student exchange, and gained insights into our administrative processes. Beyond the academic program, guests enjoyed discovering Bonn and left with new ideas and plans for continued collaboration.

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New Joint Research Focus Areas at the Department of Geography⁴

The Department of Geography has defined five new research focus areas that enable and promote joint research on current global challenges for society and the Earth system at the department and beyond. The topics Water Futures, Risk and Security, Governing Transformations, Inequality and Justice and Land Surface Dynamics are intradisciplinary in geography and will lead to collaborations within the University of Bonn’s Transdisciplinary Research Areas as well as with other institutes and researchers at the University of Bonn, the Geoverbund ABC/J and with research partners in Germany and further afield.

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Geography Students represent the University of Bonn at the UNESCO Water Youth Dialogue in Paris⁵

Learned during their studies, put to immediate use at the UNESCO Water Youth Dialogue: 14 geography students worked together with young people from over 40 water youth organisations worldwide in Paris on a Water Youth Strategy. The aim: to integrate and strengthen young and marginalised voices in global water policy!

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Student group from Kenya in Bonn⁶

Ten Kenyan Master's students visited the Department of Geography in Bonn from 28 May to 9 June 2025 as part of the international exchange project ‘Future Rural Africa’ in order to present research results of a previously conducted field research on rural water management in Kenya together with students from Bonn. The visit offered all participants a valuable experience of intercultural learning and academic exchange, which was concluded with a visit to the ‘Futurium’ in Berlin.

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Benedikt Walker and Dr. Linus Kalvelage win JOEG Early Career Researcher Paper Prize 2024⁷

Benedikt Walker and Dr. Linus Kalvelage (university of Cologne) have won the 2024 JOEG Early Career Researcher Paper Prize for their study of Germany’s extraterritorial role in Namibia’s green hydrogen industry. Their paper reveals how states use de-risking, asset creation and market-building to steer global production networks, even in liberal economies. We warmly congratulate them on this prestigious award.

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Guest Lecturer Alexandr Nováček brings urban planning to life at GIUB⁸

Dr. Alexandr Nováček, Assistant Professor at the Department of Human Geography and Regional Development at our ERASMUS+ partner University in Ostrava (Czech Republic), visited our Department from May 20 to 22, 2025. His connection to Bonn dates back to his ERASMUS stay at GIUB in 2014.

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