Impulses from society, service for society
“It’s nice to see here that a lot of ideas for projects and events are really being initiated from within society,” says Dr. Ina Opitz, the study's lead author, and head of “Berlin forscht mit!” at the BUA, which also forms part of TU Berlin's Science and Society unit. The University of Münster Foundation also offers a special Citizen Science Award to promote these projects.
Meanwhile at the University of Kassel, scientists and students see themselves as service providers for the population. “Service learning” is the name of the concept that has been used to link academic teaching and social commitment for more than ten years. For example, teacher training students or social work students take on sponsorships for socially disadvantaged children over a period of 10 months – accompanied by support and feedback and a scientific seminar. Prospective agronomists prepare “common good economy balance sheets” for small farms, while engineering students advised the Kassel prison on how to improve its energy balance.