Awards for winners of the Falling Wall Lab at FAU
Resistant bacteria, nerve cells and tracking animals
A total of eight participants showcased their innovative ideas in just three minutes each at this year’s ‘Falling Walls Lab’ at FAU. This year’s winner is Alexander M. Petrescu from Jacobs University Bremen, who has qualified for the finals in November in Berlin. Niklas Duda from the Chair of Electronics Engineering at FAU came in third with his idea. The jury of leading figures from science and industry was faced with no easy task, with topics ranging from antibiotic resistance to using spider’s silk to heal bones to digital communication and the growth of nerve cells.
About Falling Walls Labs
Falling Walls Labs offer young researchers the opportunity to present their projects to a selected audience of experts from various disciplines from research and industry as well as the general public. The focus is on encouraging young talent and networking. Competitions of this nature are now held in 57 countries throughout the world. The FAU Falling Walls Lab is one of only three labs to be held in Germany. At the beginning of November, the winners will travel to the Falling Walls Conference in Berlin.
-
(Enlarge)Falling Walls Lab 2019 at FAU
Representatives from research and industry as well as the general public were invited to the Digital Health Innovation Platform (d.hip) to attend the Falling Walls Lab at FAU, one of only three events of its kind in Germany. (Image: FAU/Heike Nowak-Schwerdtfeger) -
(Enlarge)Falling Walls Lab 2019 at FAU
Last year’s winner of the Falling Walls Lab, Fadli Fadli from the University of Bonn, reported back on his experience at the Falling Walls Final in Berlin last year. (Image: FAU/Heike Nowak-Schwerdtfeger) -
(Enlarge)Falling Walls Lab 2019 at FAU
Niklas Duda from the Chair of Electronics Engineering at FAU won third place with his presentation ‘Breaking the Wall of Biologging’. Keeping a log of animals’ behaviour can prove useful in a number of ways. For example, monitoring the animals in a region closely can provide valuable insights for tracking the effects of climate change for the animal population in that area, or can be used to analyse and possibly even predict the spread of epidemics. At the moment, however, the required devices can only deliver limited data and are restricted to large animals due to their size and weight. Duda’s system allows animals and their social contacts to be monitored precisely for the first time, and is suitable for use on a large number of species, as it weighs even less than one gramme. (Image: FAU/Heike Nowak-Schwerdtfeger) -
(Enlarge)Falling Walls Lab 2019 at FAU
Shahin Homaeigohar from the Finnish Aalto University won second place for his presentation ‘Breaking the Wall of Neurological Disability. If injuries to the peripheral nervous system are not treated appropriately, it can give rise to serious restrictions in movement. One option is to simulate regeneration via nerve canals. Homaeigohar has developed a scaffolding structure of biomaterials which accelerates growth and the proliferation of nerve cells, thereby reinstating nerve function. (Bild: FAU/Heike Nowak-Schwerdtfeger) -
(Enlarge)Falling Walls Lab 2019 at FAU
Alexander M. Petrescu from Jacobs University Bremen won first place with his presentation on ‘Breaking the Wall of Bacterial Multidrug Resistance’. The spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria is a major challenge for the medical sector. Petrescu has developed a method aimed at tracking down specific molecules which cancel out the resistance mechanisms in bacteria. It is hoped that this can improve or reinstate the effectiveness of antibiotics. (Bild: FAU/Heike Nowak-Schwerdtfeger) -
(Enlarge)Falling Walls Lab 2019 at FAU
All participants presented groundbreaking and fascinating ideas. It was no easy task for the jury to decide on the winners. This year, students and researchers from the following universities and research institutes took part: Jacobs University Bremen, Aalto University, Max-Planck-Institut Marburg, University of Limerick, University of Cologne and FAU. (Bild: FAU/Heike Nowak-Schwerdtfeger)
Further information:
Lisa Wittenzellner
Phone: +49 9131 8525925
lisa.wittenzellner@fau.de