10 years HITS – time to celebrate

This year, the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS) will celebrate its 10^th anniversary. The Institute was established in 2010 by physicist and SAP founder Klaus Tschira (1940-2015) and the Klaus Tschira Foundation as a private, non-profit research institute. To mark the occasion, we have prepared a bunch of special events for you.

At the beginning of January, we kicked off the anniversary year by launching the new corporate design. A few weeks later, we set up our first HITS blog on “Scilogs – Tagebücher der Wissenschaft” (“Scilogs – Scientific Diaries”), together with „Spektrum der Wissenschaft“. The blog called “Via Data” will provide more information on our research and will also feature 10 research highlights from the past decade. The first post was published in February and describes the sequencing of the axolotl genome, a truly gigantic research project in many ways, which was completed in 2018.

As in previous years, we will again participate in various local and regional events. On 26 March the annual Girls‘ Day is on the agenda where HITS scientists will demonstrate in two interactive workshops how thrilling the life of a scientist can be. From 24-28 June we will join „Explore Science“, the annual science festival organized by the Klaus Tschira Foundation in Mannheim’s Luisenpark. Under the motto “Chemistry”, we will offer various hands-on activities for different age groups. On 26 June HITSters will dust off their running shoes and take part in the annual NCT Charity Run to raise money again for cancer research. (Update 25 March 2020: The events Girls’ Day, Explore Science, and NCT Charity Run have been cancelled)

The central event will take place on 11 July when the institute will open its doors for the general public. From 11:00 to 20:00 visitors can get a taste of life at HITS as they participate in short talks, a wide range of activities and guided tours – including the garden as a special treat! (Update 21 April 2020: The Open House Event is postponed to summer 2021)

For some events we will leave the campus and head downtown: the Mathematics and Informatics Station MAINS will host our anniversary lecture series „#HITS – Wie Daten Wissen schaffen“ („How data create knowledge“) where HITS scientists will present their research to a general public. The series will start with a talk by Frauke Gräter, head of the „Molecular Biomechanics Group“ at HITS and professor at Heidelberg University. Together with her PhD student Isabel Martin she will talk about „Proteine im Crahtest“ („Crash tests for proteins“) to illustrate the interaction of biochemistry and mechanical forces in our body. The event will take place on 13 February at 19:00 in the MAINS, Kurfürstenanlage 52, 69115 Heidelberg. Admission is free. No booking required. (Update 21 April 2020: The even series has been cancelled. We might offer a digital talk series in the upcoming years instead)

For more information on all regular and special events, please visit the HITS website or follow us on social media.

More on the history of HITS

HITS was established on 1 January 2010 when EML Research gGmbH changed its name. However, the history of the institute goes back much further. The most significant events from 1997 to 2016 are summarized in the “HITStory” at: https://www.h-its.org/de/institut/hitstory/