Good Scientific Practice for Qualification Reports and Theses in Physics

German Physics Departments publish recommendations

Scientific misconduct has gained great public interest in Germany. Two federal ministers had to step down because of plagiarism in their doctoral theses. In reaction to such cases, several organisations have developed recommendations and rules for good scientific practice. However, these recommendations are mostly quite general and often apply better for humanities than for the scientific disciplines.

School competition “Incredible Light Machine” – the winners!

In the school competition “Incredible Light Machine” [Die unglaubliche Licht-Maschine], kids from all over Germany were encouraged to submit videos of self-made “incredible machines”. The winner is the team “The Incredible Eight” from Luitpold-Gymnasium in Munich.
Bad Honnef / Cologne, 10 August 2015 – Sometimes it simply needs a little push to get things going. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the German Physical Society (DPG) have initiated a school competition in order to inspire teenagers for physics and technology in a hands-on fashion. In the school competition “Incredible Light Machine” (Die unglaubliche Licht-Maschine), kids from all over Germany were encouraged to submit videos of self-made “incredible machines”. The vast number of submitted movies and the creativity of the teams from 193 schools made it very difficult for the jury to name the winner. Finally, the team “The incredible Eight” from Luitpold-Gymnasium in Munich – six girls and two boys, who built a truly “incredible light machine” – came out on top.