The TUM presents current research projects at the Central Agricultural Festival

Science you can touch

From September 17–25, 2016, a team of TUM scientists will be at the festival to present visitors with the latest research findings from the fields and forests, and the laboratories. Furthermore, study advisors and students will also be there to explain the various course options at the TUM School of Life Sciences and to provide information about the content of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences courses, among others.

The Hans-Eisenmann-Zentrum (HEZ), the central institute for agricultural sciences, will also be represented at the festival. Its role is to consolidate agricultural research at the TUM, provide channels for the exchange of information, and establish a link to real-world applications. The TUM booth at the largest agricultural expo in southern Germany will be located in Hall 7 on the Theresienwiese in Munich, booth no. 7023. It will be open daily from 9 am to 6 pm.

Each day, different scientists will be presenting what they are currently working on: From September 17–19, the major research cluster enable will be present, which is currently coordinating 22 projects researching how nutrition can be improved in all phases of life. Using special scales, every expo visitor can check their own status quo. In addition, smartphone apps developed by the joint research project enable will also be presented to the public for the very first time. "APPetite", as the app is called, allows meals to be rated based on photos.

Subsequently, from September 20–22, employees of the Chair of Brewing and Beverage Technology will be presenting a new research proposal involving gluten-free baked goods. Particularly over the past few years, the topic of gluten allergies has gained an increasing amount of attention from people who have an intolerance to this type of protein in products containing grains. Researchers recognized the necessity of investigating this issue in greater detail, and scientists from the TUM will be presenting their initial findings on the topic.

How important is the soil and its humus content for mankind’s food requirements? Martin Wiesmeier, a scientist from the Chair of Soil Science and an expert on the topic will be glad to tell you everything you need to know during these three days, and will be bringing soil samples—allowing visitors to truly experience science they can touch. 

On Wednesday, September 21, forest owners can speak to Professor Axel Göttlein all about what sustainable nutrition in forest management means and the challenges that need to be faced. On this day, he will be at the TUM School of Life Sciences expo booth to provide information on everything related to the topic of forest management.

From September 23–25, researchers at the Chair for Organic Agriculture and Agronomy will also be presenting the concept of precision farming—what it means, and how every farmer can benefit from it. At the same time, a continuously variable gearbox from the Chair for Agricultural Systems Engineering will also be on display to better demonstrate how such a device functions and why it saves fuel.

Those interested in finding out how far the always propagated controlled germination influences the feed value of grain or legumes are invited to visit the booth from September 23–25, when a team of the Chair of Animal Nutrition explains their recent research about this topic. 

At the same time, study advisors will also be providing information on the wide range of courses at the TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan. This not only includes the familiar courses in the fields of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Forestry Science, Food Technology, Nutrition, and Brewing Technology, but also new courses of study such as the ‘studium naturale’, a foundation course in the natural sciences, or the international master’s degree in Horticultural Sciences or Nutrition and Biomedicine.

Contact:

Technical University of Munich
Corporate Communications Center
Sabine Letz
Tel. +49/8161/715403 (WZW)
Tel. +49/89/289 22562
Cell: +49/162/2953 036
E-mail: sabine.letz@tum.de