In the year of its 75th anniversary, the Max Planck Society is convening in Göttingen, the birthplace of the Society, for a truly special annual meeting, coinciding with a change in the presidency. The celebration of the milestone anniversary at the founding location will include an exhibition entitled “Pioneers of Science,” which pays tribute to the 30 Nobel laureates associated with the Max Planck Society. The exhibition is hosted at the Forum Wissen. In addition, there will be a “Max Planck Day”, featuring a science fair, guided tours, and a science slam.
The Max Planck Society was founded in Göttingen on 26 February 1948.
© MPG
The Max Planck Society (MPG) was founded on February 26, 1948, in Göttingen. On this day, it was established in the cafeteria of the Aerodynamic Research Institute, now part of the German Aerospace Center (DLR). It succeeded the Kaiser Wilhelm Society (KWG), founded in 1911 as the first institution in Germany dedicated to promoting non-university research in its own institutes. The renowned physicist Max Planck agreed to lend his name to the KWG’s successor organisation. The position of the first President was assumed by the chemist and Nobel laureate Otto Hahn. Both of these individuals, who played a crucial role in the Max Planck Society, are buried in the old city cemetery in Göttingen.
Over 700 internal and external guests are expected to attend this year’s annual meeting. Kicking off the event with an opening lecture on Tuesday evening is Melina Schuh, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences. She will speak on the topic “From Exploring the Oocyte to the Desire for Children” in the auditorium of Georg-August-Universität at Wilhelmsplatz.
Plenary Assembly with a special highlight
The meetings of the committees that play a central role within the governance of the Max Planck Society will follow on Wednesday and Thursday. This includes the three Sections, which will meet to discuss the appointment of new Scientific Members and to honour this year’s Otto Hahn Prize recipients. In addition, the meetings of the Executive Committee and Senate will be held, along with the General Assembly of members.
The highlight and culmination of the event is the Plenary Assembly on Thursday evening, which this year is marked by a change of office. After nine years, Martin Stratmann is handing over the Presidency to Patrick Cramer, who has so far had his “Max Planck home” in Göttingen, as Director at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences. Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger is expected to attend the ceremony, representing Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who had to cancel at short notice due to pressing international commitments. The Minister President of Lower Saxony, Stephan Weil, as well as the Minister of Science of the state, Falko Mohrs, and numerous other high-ranking representatives from science and industry have confirmed their attendance.
Strong networks at the location
The location in Göttingen is home to four Max Planck Institutes with approximately 1,580 employees: the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organisation, the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences and the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research. These institutes all engage in international research and maintain close connections with the University of Göttingen and other regional partners. The excellence of research in Göttingen is also reflected in the significant number of Nobel Prize winners – four of them from the ranks of the Max Planck Society: Manfred Eigen (Nobel Prize for Chemistry 1967), Erwin Neher and Bernd Sackmann (Nobel Prize for Medicine 1991) and Stefan Hell (Nobel Prize for Chemistry 2014). Anyone interested in exploring the research conducted by these and other Max Planck Nobel laureates are cordially invited to visit the exhibition “Pioneers of Science “, which will open on 23 June in the Forum Wissen, or to learn more through the Digital Story available on the website: www.nobel.mpg.de.
Max Planck Day in Göttingen
A day of wonder, exploration, and engagement awaits visitors at the Max Planck Day on June 23rd, located at the Science Market in front of the Old Town Hall. This event will showcase the research conducted by various Max Planck Institutes in Göttingen and across Germany – encompassing a wide range of diverse topics in basic research. The Max Planck Day will end with a Science Slam held in the Old Town Hall.
In Lower Saxony, the Max Planck Society operates a total of five institutes, employing a combined workforce of 1,730 individuals. Alongside the Göttingen location, there is also a branch of the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics situated in Hanover
