The RMU Day also was the perfect opportunity to introduce the new RMU container on Irène-Giron-Platz of JGU. Here, RMU members met before the start of the event to catch up and network over coffee and hot fruit punch. The beverages were served in mugs with the RMU’s brand new corporate design, and RMU members were invited to keep the mugs as a present.

To start the day, Prof. Dr. Georg Krausch, President of JGU and current RMU spokesperson, welcomed the RMU members together with science journalist Dr. med. Florence Randrianarisoa, who was the host for the all-day event. Several members gave the audience an insight into their – in some cases long-standing – experience with RMU projects and the cooperation within the RMU alliance. And they made one thing perfectly clear: For many members, RMU is a real matter of the heart. The cooperation between the universities and the complementary nature of their alliance has enabled the realization of innovative ideas and projects. With their statements, the RMU members demonstrated how colorful and varied the alliance is and that it is the members that fill the alliance with life. 

Prof. Dr. Enrico Schleiff, President of Goethe University Frankfurt, Prof. Dr. Tanja Brühl, President of Technical University Darmstadt, and Prof. Dr. Georg Krausch then gave an overview of the Excellence Strategy, its framework conditions and its schedule. They emphasized the chances of a joint proposal by the RMU as a consortium and highlighted the RMU’s strengths. They also invited all RMU members to participate in the afternoon workshops to provide their feedback on the concepts and ideas already developed.

Following this introduction, the persons responsible for the work packages for the excellence project presented their projects, and all RMU members were invited to choose the two topics they wanted to learn more about and to contribute to in the workshops on offer in the afternoon. In the workshops, the existing ideas were discussed intensively in an open and constructive dialogue. To close out the afternoon program, the key results from the workshops were presented to the audience, enabling all participants to gain insights into the topics discussed in the other workshops.

Prof. Dr. Georg Krausch emphasized: “I would like to thank the RMU members who followed the invitation and came to Mainz in large numbers for this year’s RMU Day to shape the future of the RMU together with us. The proposal as a University Excellence Consortium is an adventure – and I am delighted about the strong interest and willingness among RMU members to embark on this adventure with us. Today’s exchange was very productive and valuable and is a great help for us in order to further develop the key ideas and concepts for the proposal. Of course, the RMU Day was not the last chance to be part of the proposal. In the coming year, there will be further opportunities for RMU members to receive updates and to discuss with us at events and during meetings of the universities’ committees.”

Following a buffet dinner, it was time for some fun at the Science Contest. Three interdisciplinary teams with members from all three universities – team „GEZ“ („Gute Erklär-Zentrale“), team „Reason, Matter, Universe“ and the „STEMinists“ – accepted the challenge to answer five scientific questions as entertainingly as possible. The questions had been submitted by the audience during the registration process and selected by the jury for the Science Contest, consisting of Dr. Patrick Honecker, Chief Communication Officer of TU Darmstadt, Junior-Prof. Dr. Elena Link, junior professor for science communication at JGU, und Dr. Phyllis Mania, Science Communiation Officer at Goethe University.

The teams had to answer the following questions: 

• Are chickens able to memorize human faces? 
• Are dietary supplements such as vitamins, zinc etc. useful in order to strengthen the immune system or are they just a waste of money? 
• What was before the big bang? Where did the matter that “banged” come from? 
• How would the social behavior of a generation change if it grows up exclusively with AI friends?
• How can I explain to my friends that horoscopes are useless? 

The teams‘ performance in answering the questions was judged not only by the jury, but also by the audience. With 28 points, team “Reason, Matter Universe” managed to secure the win, a half-day workshop on science communication with Dr. med Florence Randrianarisoa. Of course, the other teams did not leave the stage empty-handed. They received an RMU cotton bag filled with Christmas cookies as a thank you for taking part in the Science Contest. 

Prof. Dr. Georg Krausch stated: „With the Science Contest, we tried an innovative format of science communication at the RMU Day for the first time, which was well-received by the audience. The teams’ creative answers to questions which, in part, were highly complex, did not only provide us with new knowledge, but were also very entertaining. I would like to thank the members of the three teams who have successfully tackled the challenge and ensured that the audience had a very entertaining evening. The Science Contest was a successful conclusion for the 6th RMU Day.”

The next Rhine-Main Universities day will ta place in 2025 at Goethe University Frankfurt.