News

If a pregnant woman gains excessive weight, it can pose a problem for both the mother and child. As a solution, regular counseling appointments have been proposed. Based on results with 2286 women, a team of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in cooperation with the Competence Center for Nutrition (KErn) has now shown that although counseling appointments as part of routine prenatal care can encourage a healthier lifestyle, it does not reduce weight gain.

Prof. Heather Hofmeister is new external member of the Board of Trustees of the Technical University of Munich (TUM). The university's supervisory board consists of ten external members, who are are prominent leaders in the fields of science, culture, business and politics, and ten internal members. This governance model, first practiced at TUM in 1998, is now widely used in the German university landscape.

For many people, speaking off the cuff to a large audience does not come easily. But without professional feedback, rehearsing speeches and presentations can be a tough process. A psychologist, a management scientist and an IT specialist have developed an online training tool that uses artificial intelligence to evaluate users' speaking skills and personal characteristics. The team has now established the start-up Retorio at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) to launch the software on the market.

After early reports of microplastic pollution in our oceans and beaches sounded the alarm, the global scientific community intensified its focus into this area. Researchers have since found evidence of microplastic contamination seemingly everywhere – also in lakes and rivers, beverages and food supplies. Dr. Natalia Ivleva, a researcher with the Technical University of Munich (TUM), has developed new analytical methods for the identification and quantification of microplastic. In this interview, she shares her latest findings.

The 2019 Men's Handball World Championship in Germany and Denmark  will begin on January 10. The new world champion won't be decided until January 27, but scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), TU Dortmund and Ruhr-Universität Bochum have already calculated who in their opinion will emerge victorious from the tournament. Their prediction is based on a statistical method used in epidemiology.

We wish all students, staff, alumni and friends of our university a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! At the same time, we would like to thank everyone who made our anniversary year 2018 such a memorable experience. Happy holidays to all of you and a healthy and successful year 2019!

Founding start-ups is ideally supported at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), according to the results of the German "Start-up Radar". For the third time in a row TUM has been ranked number one among major German universities. Approximately 70 companies are founded here each year.

Ingrid Kögel-Knabner, Professor of Soil Science at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), has been awarded the Bavarian Maximilian Order by President Minister Markus Söder. The Maximilian Order is considered the Free State of Bavaria's highest honor for outstanding achievements in science and art.

In severe cases, a viral hepatitis infection can result in liver failure. A team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now discovered how this occurs: by immune cells attacking cells in the vascular system, which disrupts the organ’s blood and nutrient supply. This is responsible for the overwhelming damage that causes the liver to fail. Using an animal model, the researchers were then able to identify an agent to prevent this lethal process.

Enantiomeric molecules resemble each other like right and left hands. Both variants normally arise in chemical reactions. But frequently only one of the two forms is effectual in biology and medicine. Hitherto, completely converting this mixture into the desired enantiomer was deemed impossible. Deploying a photochemical method, a team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now achieved this feat.