News
Here you will find current news about events, the chair, and information about university events. Older news can be found in the news archive.
1 July: Ninth Town Hall Meeting
On Wednesday, 1 July 2026, the transSCAPE team cordially invites all members of the public to the eighth Town Hall Meeting. This open format brings together stakeholders from the the academic, urban, and cultural communities to actively shape the future of Magdeburg's Science Port.
The ninth Town Hall Meeting will provide an insight into the development of the student agency for the Science Harbour. An initial draft concept was already presented at the eighth Town Hall Meeting. Over the past few months, students have further developed the idea, held discussions, supported projects and devised new perspectives for the development of the Science Harbour. Now, the progress made so far is to be presented, and we will discuss together how the student agency can operate in the future. The concept development is explicitly understood as an open process. The ideas, experiences and perspectives of the participants are sought and will be actively incorporated into the further design.
The event starts at 5.00 pm at the Wissenschaftshafen on the STIMULATE research campus (Building 82), Room 144/140, at Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg (Otto-Hahn-Straße 2, 39106 Magdeburg). Registration is requested.
Film Screenings: Australian War Film
As part of the Australian War Film seminar run by PD Dr Nora Pleßke, various films will be shown over the course of the semester. The screenings take place from 13:00 to 15:00 in building 40, room 284. all interested parties are invitied to join.
| Date | 30 April |
| Topic | The Boer War and (Post)Colonial Identity |
| Film |
Breaker Morant, directed by Bruce Beresford (1980) |
| Date | 21 May |
| Topic | World War I and the ANZAC Myth |
| Film |
Gallipoli, directed by Peter Weir (1981) |
| Date | 4 June |
| Topic | World War II and the Trauma of War |
| Film |
Kokoda, directed by Alister Grierson (2002) |
| Date | 18 June |
| Topic | Imagined Future Wars and Coming of Age |
| Film |
Tomorrow When the War Began, directed by Stuart Beattie (2007) |
| Date | 2 July |
| Topic | Revisiting Wars and Micro-Histories of Conflict |
| Film |
The Spahires, directed by Wayne Blair (2012) |
Photo competition: Past and future between the city and the Elbe
Magdeburg’s former commercial port is undergoing a transformation: from industrial heritage to a vibrant hub for science, innovation and new urban ideas. Directly on the banks of the Elbe and in the immediate vicinity of the university, an exciting environment is emerging in the Science Port where history and the future meet. Where goods were once loaded and industry operated, spaces for research, leisure, culture, living and nature are now developing.
The photography competition ‘Past and Future between City and Elbe’ invites amateur photographers to capture this transformation from their own perspective. What is sought are images that reveal traces of the past, showcase the current upheaval and offer a glimpse into the future of this special place. Selected photographs will subsequently be exhibited in the port's open air gallery. The deadline for entries is 16 June 2026; further information is available here.
The photography competition is part of the transSCAPE transfer initiative, led by PD Dr. Nora Pleßke. The initiative transSCAPE: Cultural Spaces of Knowledge promotes the development of the Science Port into an open and multifaceted place of knowledge through culture-based transfer formats.
23 April: Film & Talk: Medicine and Film
How is medicine portrayed in film – and what does it reveal about our understanding of the body, illness, and healing? The Medicine and Film series, part of the transSCAPE project at Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, examines the representation of various medical themes in popular cinema and connects them with perspectives from the Medical Humanities.
On 23 April 2026, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, the gtransSCAPE team cordially invites all interested parties to a talk by Prof. Dr. Katrin Röder on the topic of "Visualizing Mental and Emotional Complexity: Inside Out (2015)." The talk will be followed by a screening of the film Inside Out in its original English version as well as an open discussion. The event will be held in English and will take place in the Moritzhof Magdeburg.
There is no admission fee!
18:00 – 18:30: Talk on "Visualizing Mental and Emotional Complexity: Inside Out (2015)" (Prof. Dr. Katrin Röder)
18:30 – 20:15: Film Screening Inside Out (O.m.U.)
20:15 – 21:00: Open Discussion (Moderation: transSCAPE)
29 April: Eighth Town Hall Meeting
On Wednesday, 29 April 2026, the transSCAPE team cordially invites all members of the public to the eighth Town Hall Meeting. This open format brings together stakeholders from the the academic, urban, and cultural communities to actively shape the future of Magdeburg's Science Port.
The eighth Town Hall Meeting will provide an insight into key findings: from the refined interim use concept, through engagement formats such as the ‘Kulturbeete’ and the ‘Wissensparcours’, to artistic perspectives, co-creative formats and new approaches such as the student agency.
The event starts at 4 p.m. at the Campus Welcome Center (building 01, lecture hall 6) of the Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg (Universitätsplatz 2, 39106 Magdeburg). At 6 p.m., the Town Hall Meeting finishes with an opening of the exhibition ‘A Journey Through Medical History’. All interested parties are invited to join for an open discussion to learn about the latest research and other initiatives and workshops within the transPORT MedTech ecosystem. Registration is requested.
Students' Conference: "Situated (Dis)Affiliation? The Politics of Belonging and Alienation in Space and Place"
As part of the project module in the Cultural Engineering programme, the interdisciplinary student conference “Situated (Dis)Affiliation? The Politics of Belonging and Alienation in Space and Place” will take place on the FHW campus from 17 to 18 April 2026. It will explore which affective and power-related factors shape our experiences of space and place – and why. The event comprises 17 presentations and begins on Friday, 17 April 2026 at 10 am in Building 44 / Lecture Hall 6. Anyone interested is warmly invited to attend the event or individual presentations without prior registration. The conference programme can be found here.
Conference Details
Organisers: Ella Keim, Jasper Bettin, und Junia Mosel unter
Date: 17 and 18 April 2026, 10–17hrs
Venue: OVGU Building 44 (Lecture Hall 6), Zschokkestraße 32, 39104 Magdeburg
Programme: Programme Situated (Dis)Affiliation