Back in Sankt Augustin: Visionary researchers

Originally, the exhibition was to be shown to mark the 25th anniversary of the university, but it could not take place due to the coronavirus pandemic. The project then came to fruition after all, initiated and curated by Sabine Baumgartner and Fidegnon Witte from the Centre for Science and Technology Transfer (ZWT). "The women portrayed were and are not only pioneers in their respective disciplines, but are also role models in their passionate and courageous commitment to social justice, emancipation, integration and sustainability beyond the boundaries of their disciplines in each individual case," says Fidegnon Witte. The exhibition was created in collaboration with the university's equal opportunity commissioner, Dr Barbara Hillen-Haas, and Josephine Kullat, gender consultant in the PeP@H-BRS project.

The 30 women include greats such as Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie, the CEO of General Motors, Mary Barra, and the recently deceased behavioural scientist Jane Goodall. Less well known, however, is the Danish geodesist and seismologist Inge Lehmann, who discovered the existence of the earth's solid inner core, which revolutionised our understanding of the earth's structure. Also represented is nuclear physicist Lise Meitner, who worked closely throughout her life with chemist Otto Hahn, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1944 for proving nuclear fission. She herself was nominated for the Nobel Prize 48 times, but always came away empty-handed.

Large-format photo collages with short biographies

The exhibition consists of large-format photo collages with short biographies and was opened on Wednesday, 26 November 2025, at the library in Sankt Augustin. It was then on display for several weeks in the library on the Rheinbach Campus.

From 9 February 2026 to 31 March 2026, there will be another opportunity to view the exhibition in Sankt Augustin (in the library). Admission is free of charge. The show will be accompanied by an extensive selection of literature on the topic.

In realising the exhibition to mark the end of its anniversary year, the university worked with regional partners who helped to fund the project as sponsors for the individual researchers. The sponsors are Spectral Service, EATON/Hein Möller-Stiftung, Stadtwerke Bonn, Carl Knauber Holding, Conet, Kreissparkasse Köln, Reinold-Hagen-Stiftung, Miltenyi biotec, IHK, Solidaris, CPA ReDev, HiSolutions and C. Gerhardt.