GDNÄ President Heribert Hofer on the highlights of the 2024 Assembly, the responsibility of science and a breath of fresh air from the Young GDNÄ.

Professor Hofer, the 133rd GDNÄ Assembly begins in Potsdam in a few days’ time. As President, you are responsible for the scientific programme – it’s your meeting, so to speak. Are you looking forward to it?
Absolutely. I am very excited about the presentations, the discussions with the audience and the contributions from the many young people we have invited to the conference. 

 “Science for our lives of tomorrow” is the title of the conference. How did this title come about?
We, and by that I mean the GDNÄ Executive Board and Board Council, want to show in Potsdam what future developments are already emerging in science today. We are talking about inventions and discoveries that will have an impact on society as a whole – and much faster than was previously the case. 

What revolutionary changes are these?
Take gene editing in plants, for example. New molecular genetic methods can be used to introduce desired traits into crops quickly and precisely. For example, resistance to widespread pests. This saves on pesticides and protects the environment. In the past, this was only possible, if at all, through years of breeding. Another example is artificial intelligence. New AI developments are reported practically every day and more and more new applications are coming onto the market. 

For many people, AI is currently just a glimmer on the horizon, so their everyday lives have not yet changed much. Is that different at your institute in Berlin?
Yes, we are increasingly utilising the new methods. I don’t know of any research institute in the field of biology that isn’t working or at least experimenting with artificial intelligence. In my field, behavioural ecology, for example, we are trying to improve the observation of wild animals with the help of AI. We are currently validating a pattern recognition programme that should reliably tell us whether individual cheetahs are roaming in Namibia at that moment, whether they are eating or whether they are sleeping. To do this, we have previously equipped the big cats with acceleration sensors and tiny radio antennas. The aim is to automatically classify behaviour around the clock, which would ideally complement on-site observations by researchers. We are very confident that AI will provide us with unimagined insights into the lives of animals in the wild. 

You have mentioned the advantages of new inventions. There are also downsides. Will these also be discussed in Potsdam?
Yes, and that is a major concern of mine. If you want to do science responsibly, you have to look at both sides. In Potsdam, we will be presenting the pros and cons of new technologies and weighing them up in dialogue with the audience. The methods of research, i.e. the question of how scientists arrive at their results, will also be discussed.

© MIKA-fotografie | Berlin

Well attended as always: The Science Slam “Science in 5 minutes” at the GDNÄ Assembly 2022 in Leipzig. Heribert Hofer (left) supervised the participating students.

The GDNÄ has had a well-functioning student programme for many years. Now a Young GDNÄ is to be founded. What is the difference?
The student programme has been running on the side, it was a nice additional programme item. The Young GDNÄ will be our youth organisation, a core element of the GDNÄ – with a wider age range than we know from the student programme. With the Young GDNÄ, we want to accompany selected Students on their way to university and foster dialogue with them. These are great young personalities and we want to say to them: you are welcome here and we look forward to your contribution. To put it in a nutshell: Students used to be our guests, today they are partners. 

Will this already be visible in Potsdam?
Yes, there will be a panel discussion after each lecture block, usually with three presentations, in which the speakers, together with two or three representatives of the Young GDNÄ, will debate with each other and with the audience. The young people will take part in two workshops before the meeting to familiarise themselves with the content. The highlighted discussion format is completely new, there has never been anything like it before. The young people will also be given a special stage at the start of the Assembly on Thursday evening, 12 September, when a number of them will compete against each other with short, snappy presentations in the traditional “Science in 5 Minutes” competition.   

Young people are being courted in many places today. What can the GDNÄ offer them?
Scientific expertise at a high level, but without technical jargon, and a direct exchange with renowned researchers, among them also Nobel Prize winners. All in German, which generally makes communication easier. Most of the students are wide-eyed and can hardly believe that the luminaries are available to them in person – I have experienced this time and time again for many years. The study counselling provided by experienced scientists at our conferences is also highly appreciated.

The GDNÄ only meets every two years. What happens to the Young GDNÄ in the meantime?
We want to talk to the young people about this and we will start in Potsdam. Internally, there is the idea of regional networking with regular meetings and events. A mentoring programme is also being discussed.

What do you have in mind?
A nationwide programme with academics who accompany young people on their way through school and university, right up to the first career stages. I hope that we in the GDNÄ can inspire numerous outstanding members for this task.

Your time as GDNÄ President ends this year. What will happen next with the Young GDNÄ?
It will remain a core element of the GDNÄ. My successor, mechanical engineering professor and head of the German Aerospace Centre Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla, sees it the same way. We have already worked out our future plans for the GDNÄ over the past two years and will continue to develop them at a strategy meeting in November. The Young GDNÄ will play an important role in this. I am happy to be involved in the implementation of our ideas – also as First Vice President of the GDNÄ, which I will be from 2025 to 2026.

Finally, a quick question: Who should make the journey to Potsdam in September?
For anyone who wants to take a look into the future, who wants to talk to impressive scientists, physicians and young talents and who wants to understand current topics from an interdisciplinary perspective. Last but not least: Potsdam is a great conference venue with a still young university that has developed excellently and is a wonderful host.