“Research-based learning” is high on the agenda at the University of Bremen. Just recently, for instance, Social Science students under the leadership of Professor Uwe Engel published the results of a representative survey they carried out. The title says it all: “Bremen and its Exhibitions. How the people of Bremen perceive their city, and their interest in science and exhibitions held in Bremen and Bremerhaven”. The study was commissioned by Bremen’s Senator for Science.
Positive results
950 citizens of Bremer responded to a questionnaire which asked whether they knew about Haus der Wissenschaft (House of science) and the “Einfach Wissenswert” [simply worht knowing] series of exhibitions held there. The results were extremely positive. People say of the facility in Sandstraße 4-5, which opened in consequence of Bremen being crowned “City of Science” in 2005, that it serves its purpose very well. It consistently supports ongoing dialog with the citizens of Bremen and awakens interest in new research, especially research made in Bremen.
Students show keen interest
Students’ interest in the teaching project was very keen: 25 social science students put their name down to participate, 18 of them chose it as a term paper, and now it is even the topic of a master’s thesis. The students carried out the survey independently using telephone and online interviews. Together with the data evaluation, the project enabled them to gain valuable practical experience in empirical social science research.
Has Bremen got a future?
The survey, which was embedded in the University’s Social Science Methods Center led by Professor Uwe Engel, went a step further. The team also wanted to find out to what degree respondents thought science to be a profile building element in the federal state of Bremen. According to Professor Engel, around 75 percent share a very positive view of Bremen’s future; but about 25% were not so optimistic when answering three of the survey questions: “They don’t think of Bremen as an economically strong industrial location or burgeoning science center and doubt that Bremen is a city with a bright future.”
The current show: Health Sciences
Haus der Wissenschaft will continue working, though, to inform exhibition visitors about Bremen’s strength in research. The seventh show in the series “Einfach Wissenswert” is open till April 27, 2017. This time it’s about “Health Sciences”. One of the exhibitors is the University of Bremen’s Centre for Public Health and Nursing Science, which informs visitors especially about two of its current research projects: There is a quiz which takes a more playful approach to the facts and figures surrounding the topic of pregnancy and another exhibit presents the findings of a study carried out on health provision for elderly citizens in the State of Bremen.
