The Eucor MobiLab roadshow makes a stop in Freiburg

The universities in the Eucor network conduct cutting-edge research in the field of environment and sustainability - and also want to bring this closer to the public. With this goal in mind, the MobiLab mobile hands-on lab in the form of a tiny house is touring the Eucor region. The first stop of the MobiLab will be Freiburg: From June 26 to 30, 2023, the MobiLab will be located on the Platz der alten Synagoge and will offer a varied program of workshops and hands-on activities on topics such as climate change (adaptation) of cities and energy supply. The general public is invited to come and talk to the participating scientists from the Eucor universities and join in the MobiLab activities.

A varied program of workshops and hands-on activities

The Freiburg stop for MobiLab has been organised by the University of Freiburg in cooperation with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) as part of Eucor. The program will start on Monday, June 26, 2023, at 5 p.m. with the ceremonial opening of the Eucor MobiLab Roadshow at the Platz der Alten Synagoge. There, the Freiburg Vice-President for Internationalisation and Sustainability, Prof. Dr. Daniela Kleinschmit, will welcome the contributors together with the organisational partners of the MobiLab Roadshow.

During its stay in Freiburg, MobiLab will provide a space for numerous events. Among the program highlights on June 27 and 28 is a participatory mapping and survey on the topic of urban heat: How do residents feel and cope with the heat in your city? What solutions can cities develop to adapt to the ever-increasing temperatures and offer citizens a livable space? Accompanied by KIT researchers, MobiLab visitors can document their own experience of heat in the city in a survey with participatory mapping and thus contribute to the research. In the other cities where the MobiLab stops, visitors will also have the opportunity to participate in the mapping. In this way, a cross-border view will emerge.

On June 29 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on June 30 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., the I4C – Intelligence for Cities project, which is being developed by various institutes at the University of Freiburg and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, invites participants to exchange ideas. I4C explores the question of how artificial intelligence can help cities to meet the challenges of climate change. Visitors can experience a 3D animation and interactive climate maps of Freiburg where they can see climate change on their doorstep. They can also discover how a weather station is set up and provides data in real time. Here, too, the participants’ perspective is welcome: a citizens’ survey will support the I4C project by recording their views on artificial intelligence. Scientists involved in the I4C project will be on hand to answer questions about the project and their work.

In addition, on June 28 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., visitors can take part in a compact version of Climate Puzzle, a workshop conducted worldwide by a volunteer community. The aim of the workshop is to acquire in-depth knowledge about the climate system and climate change together in a playful way and to enter into a creative exchange with others. As a team, you bring a card game based on the reports of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) into a sequence of cause and effect and thus recognise the systemic character of climate change. For more information on the climate puzzle, visit the website of the non-governmental organisation Climate Fresk.

Also on June 28, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., visitors can learn how to produce their own solar energy on their balconies at the exhibition workshop "Door opener for the energy revolution: DIY Balcony Solar,” how they can produce solar energy on their balcony themselves. Experts from the Freiburg Energy and Solar Agency (FeSa) will explain what options tenants have for installing a solar system, what they need to do so, and what legal and technical aspects need to be taken into account.

In addition, a variety of other events will take place at MobiLab. The MobiLab Roadshow website provides an overview.

MobiLab – a mobile hands-on lab in the form of a tiny house

The MobiLab was created in 2021 as a mobile hands-on laboratory in the form of a Tiny House through a cooperation of the KIT-Center Humans and Technology and the Karlsruhe Transformation Center for Sustainability and Cultural Change (KAT). It represents a platform for the exchange of science and society, and can be used for diverse forms of participatory research, citizen science, science communication, and participation and dialogue. The MobiLab is a novelty. Both the concept and the realisation as a multifunctional tiny house produced as sustainably as possible are unique. The roadshow will take the MobiLab through six cities in three countries between June and October 2023: Freiburg, Basel, Kehl, Strasbourg, Karlsruhe and Mulhouse. The Eucor-MobiLab -Roadshow is funded by the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts Baden-Württemberg, the KIT-Center For Humans and Technology, and the Karlsruhe Real-World Lab for Sustainable Climate Protection (KARLA).

The trinational university consortium Eucor - The European Campus

Eucor - The European Campus is a trinational consortium among five universities in the Upper Rhine region in the heart of Europe. Its members include the Universities of Basel, Freiburg, Haute-Alsace, Strasbourg, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Together, the universities pool the competencies of 15,000 researchers, 13,500 doctoral students and 117,000 students in a strong research and economic region between France, Germany and Switzerland. The aim is to build up a clearly profiled scientific area without walls and borders with international appeal. The goals are, in particular, the expansion of research cooperation; the establishment of excellent focal points (e.g. sustainability); transfer to the economy and society and its cross-border dimension.

For more information about the MobiLab and the MobiLab Roadshow and the Eucor consortium.

• What: MobiLab Roadshow – Freiburg
  
  
• When: June 26-23, 2023 (dates for other cities here)
  
  
• Where: Freiburg, Platz der Alten Synagoge
  
  
• Hosts: the University of Freiburg in cooperation with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and other Eucor partners
  
  
• Open to the general public. No registration required.

Contact:

Thomas Heine
Eucor Officer, Transfer
Karlsruh Institute of Technology
International Office
Tel.: +49 721 608 44296
e-mail: thomas.heine@kit.edu

Mathilde Colin
Officer for Eucor Research, Teaching and Transfer Hubs
University of Freiburg
Overall planning strategy and university development
Tel: +49 761 203 95267
e-mail: Mathilde.Colin@zv.uni-freiburg.de

Media contact:
Office of University and Science Communications
University of Freiburg
Tel.: 0761/203-4302
e-mail: kommunikation@zv.uni-freiburg.de