Open Campus Day 2026

Robots in your future. Should they know how you feel? 
Prof. Dr. Arvid Kappas – Psychology
As robots step out of the factory and into our homes, schools, and workplaces, our relationship with technology is changing fundamentally. Come and explore the field of human-robot interaction and discover why understanding the human mind is the key to building better technology.
Time: TBD | Location: TBD | Language: English | Duration: 20 min

Mind Reading for AI
Prof. Dr. Markus Wenzel – AI / Computer Science
When AI agents communicate with each other, they do it in words. But when they "think", they do it in numbers. Join us on a journey into how we can research what AI actually thinks — and whether its conversations are as efficient as they seem.
Time: TBD | Location: TBD | Language: English | Duration: 20 min

Fire Protection with Algae: Is it even possible, and if so, how?
Prof. Dr. Matthias Ullrich – Microbiology 
What do algae and fire protection have in common? More than you'd think. Discover how one CU research project tackled two seemingly unrelated problems — and solved both at once.
Time: TBD | Location: TBD | Language: German | Duration: 20 min

Alzheimer's: When Proteins Fold the Wrong Way
Prof. Dr. Torsten John – Biophysical and Computational Chemistry
What happens when proteins change their normal structure and group together into larger deposits? Take a look into the molecular processes behind amyloid formation in Alzheimer's disease and how we study these phenomena in the laboratory.
Time: TBD | Location: TBD | Language: German | Duration: 20 min

Reliable GNSS in the Real World: Building Robust Satellite Navigation
Prof. Dr. Haoqing Li – Electrical and Computer Engineering 
How satellite positioning works, why it fails, and how we make it more robust. 
Time: TBD | Location: TBD | Language: English | Duration: 20 min

Peace Activists Then and Now: Findings from a 40-Year Longitudinal Study
Prof. Klaus Boehnke – Political Socialization
What happens to a generation of idealists forty years on? In 1985, researchers started tracking teenage activists and sympathizers of the German peace movement — then kept coming back, every three and a half years, all the way through 2023/24. Discover what one of the longest-running studies of its kind reveals about how political conviction is formed, and whether it lasts a lifetime.
Time: TBD | Location: TBD | Language: German | Duration: 20 min

Beyond Burnout: When Life Itself Becomes Exhausting
Marina Christodoulou – Philosophy
What happens when we're not simply tired from doing too much, but tired of the very way we're required to live? Philosopher Marina Christodoulou introduces the idea of “ontological–existential exhaustion” — exploring how today's pressures can make life itself feel exhausting, and what might restore care, meaning, and possibility.
Time: TBD | Location: TBD | Language: English | Duration: 20 min

The Chemistry of Chocolate
Prof. Dr. Nikolai Kuhnert – Chemistry
Ever wonder what actually makes chocolate taste like chocolate? This talk takes you inside the process — from bean to bar — exploring the key chemical compounds involved, how they change during processing, and how scientists track them down, with a special focus on the flavor and aroma compounds behind that irresistible taste.
Time: TBD | Location: TBD | Language: German | Duration: 20 min

Can Science Make Us Happy?
Prof. Dr. Song Yan – Psychology
What really makes us happy — more money, more success, more free time? Or do we often get it wrong? Join this entertaining tour through the psychology of happiness research and discover the surprising factors that actually shape our wellbeing — and why our brains sometimes lead us astray on the subject.
Time: TBD | Location: TBD | Language: German | Duration: 20 min 

The Lonely Inner Couch-Potato: On Loneliness and Procrastination
Prof. Dr. Sonia Lippke – Health Psychology
Discover why loneliness and procrastination are more closely linked than we might think, and how both connect to our wellbeing and health. Come away with practical, science-based tips to strengthen social connection and take a more mindful, self-directed approach to everyday life.
Time: TBD | Location: TBD | Language: English & German | Duration: 20 min

Energy from Light: From Photosynthesis to Solar Cells
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Kleinekathöfer – Theoretical Physics
What do a green leaf and a solar cell have in common? This talk offers a short introduction to the molecular tricks behind photosynthesis — and the solar cells of tomorrow.
Time: TBD | Location: TBD | Language: German | Duration: 20 min

Democracy Under Pressure: The Psychology of Right-Wing Populism
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Kühnen – Social Psychology
Using the U.S. as an example, this talk explores how fear of losing status among previously dominant groups plays a key role in the rise of right-wing populist movements — and why Donald Trump's MAGA campaign resonated so strongly with white, Christian Americans facing demographic change and growing secularization.
Time: TBD | Location: TBD | Language: German | Duration: 20 min

From Floppy Disks to AI Brains: The Story of Semiconductor Memory
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Mojtaba Joodaki – Electrical and Computer Engineering
Join us for a lively journey through the hidden history of the tiny chips that store our photos, power our phones, and now fuel artificial intelligence — told in plain language for curious minds of all backgrounds.
Time: TBD | Location: TBD | Language: TBD | Duration: TBD

Less Obvious Applications of Communications
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Werner Henkel – Electrical and Computer Engineering
Digital communication usually means wireless calls or home internet access — but the same channels can do far more. This talk explores using communication properties themselves to protect data, viewing DNA mutations as a communications channel, and even sending signals through pipes or building materials.
Time: TBD | Location: TBD | Language: English | Duration: TBD

Who Wrote This Chapter? — Me or the AI? An Experiment on AI-Assisted Publishing
Dr. Joaquin Aguado – Computer Science
Can you trust an AI to help write a book? We put it to the test — using two different AI approaches on the same real book chapter, then checking every fact against the original source to see which one you could actually trust.
Time: TBD | Location: TBD | Language: TBD | Duration: TBD

One of the First Live AFDM Transmitters in the World!
Giuseppe Thadeu Freitas de Abreu, Eric Rou & Gustavo Fernandes Moreira – Electrical and Computer Engineering
A live demonstration of radio transmission using new AFDM technology — one of the world's first AFDM transmissions. An evolution of OFDM (the technology behind Wi-Fi 6 and 5G), AFDM promises greater robustness against interference, higher data rates, and more reliable communication with high-speed moving users, potentially paving the way for direct phone-to-satellite communication.
Time: TBD | Location: TBD | Language: TBD | Duration: TBD

More details coming soon

• Prof. Dr. Andreas Birk – Robotics
• Prof. Dr. Isak Frumin – Education & Management
• Prof. Jan Lorenz – Social Data Science
• Prof. Dr. Keivan Mallahi Karai – Mathematics
• Prof. Dr. Marc-Thorsten Hütt – Life Science / Computational Systems Biology
• Prof. Dr. Mariana Macedo – Human Behavior and Artificial Intelligence
• Prof. Dr. Michael Bau – Geoscience
• Prof. Stefan Kettemann – Complex Quantum Systems

DIY Happiness — The Science of Living Well
Prof. Dr. Song Yan & Prof. Dr. Hilke Brockmann – Psychology
Ever wondered what actually makes people happy? Join us for a hands-on happiness workshop where you can take part in real psychology research, vote on happiness myths, visit our Happiness Wall, and build your very own evidence-based happiness recipe to take home. 
Time: 11:00 – 17:00 | Location: Lab III Foyer | Language: English & German | Drop in anytime

More details coming soon

• Prof. Dr. Elke Nevoigt – Chemistry & Biotechnology
• Lene Gropengießer – STEM Education

Applied AI — Interactive Online Labs
Mohammadreza Rezaei – Applied AI
Explore the world of AI through simple, hands-on online experiments. No coding experience needed — just curiosity. Drop in and try it for yourself. 
Time: TBD | Location: TBD | Language: English | Drop in anytime

Life Sciences Lab Tour
Prof. Dr. Susanne Illenberger & Team – Life Sciences
Explore the Life Sciences labs at Constructor University — from teaching lab demonstrations to cutting-edge research in microbiology and imaging. Please note: maximum 20 people per tour. Minimum age for independent participation: 16 years. Children aged 10–16 are welcome when accompanied by a parent.
Time: Hourly from 12:00 | Location: Lab II | Language: English & German | Duration: approx. 60 min

Large-Scale 3D Printing Lab Tour
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Yilmaz Üygun – Logistics Engineering 
Visit one of the largest Delta-type industrial 3D printers around and learn more about additive manufacturing — open to the public throughout the session. 
Time: 11:00 – 14:00 | Location: 3D Printing Lab | Language: English

More details coming soon

• Prof. Dr. Andreas Birk – Robotics
• Prof. Dr. Arvid Kappas & Dr. Michael Gröner – Psychology & Robotics
• Prof. Dr. Francesco Maurelli – Robotics – “Ducky Town”
• Natural Sciences Lab – Geoscience, Chemistry, Physics & more