Various projects
Video: What is synthetic immunology? - Winter term 2025/2026
by Lorant Kofi Amo-Kodieh
This video was developed as an outreach component of the SynthImmune initiative to introduce the concept of synthetic immunology to a broad audience. Infectious diseases and cancer remain major global health challenges, in part because pathogens and tumours have evolved mechanisms to evade the immune system. Synthetic immunology seeks to address this challenge by engineering immune functions to enhance the body’s natural defence.
The video presents this complex scientific approach through an accessible narrative, using the metaphor of the immune system as a team of superheroes. It illustrates how researchers can design biological instructions that enable immune cells to detect and combat diseases such as cancer and infections more effectively. By translating key concepts from the SynthImmune research program into an engaging visual format, the video aims to make cutting-edge research understandable to non-specialist audiences.
As part of the broader SynthImmune effort, the video highlights the transformative potential of synthetic immunology to develop innovative therapeutic strategies and improve the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases and cancer.
Children’s book: “The Knights of the Immune System” - Winter term 2025/2026
by Sina Berthold, Maja Hoberg, Bianca Kaifer and Jannik Maurus
Our project group explored how a basic understanding of the human immune system can be introduced to a very young audience. We developed a children’s book entitled “The Knights of the Immune System” that communicates scientific concepts in an age-appropriate and engaging way.
The book combines a fictional story with interactive puzzles and also contains a reference and solution section. It allows children to directly apply and deepen the knowledge they acquire while learning about the topic in a playful and accessible manner.
The Nobel Laureates' Toilet Papers & Stickers - Winter term 2025/2026
by Jakob Blanke, Kerem Yasin Yildizhan, Myra Sarfraz Iqbal, Wajhi Ahmed, Anna Bütfering and Ezgi Karadag
The project honours the scientific tradition of Heidelberg University by showcasing Nobel laureates affiliated with the university. By creating interesting and fun posters and stickers, the project seeks to make the achievements of the Nobel laureates more accessible to the general public. Each poster/sticker contains a QR code that links to a longer description of the relevant scientific background.
'Let's retell the story...' - Summer term 25
by Selina Morscheid & Marie Lorenz
Knowledge can be conveyed through music—on a factual level but also on an emotional level. That's why I wrote the song ‘Let's retell the story...’. It addresses the downside of ‘green innovation’ and raises questions of global justice. While the North is improving its carbon footprint with e-mobility, countries in the South are bearing the ecological and social costs. The song focuses on the Atacama desert in Chile, which contains a large part of the world's lithium reserves. Lithium mining, which is needed for electric car batteries, leads to water shortages, environmental destruction, and cultural loss. With poetic images and critical questions, the lyrics argue that e-mobility can only be a path to true climate justice if it is not based on colonial structures such as unequal power relations but rather on fair participation of the local population, less consumption, and global solidarity.
Connected science in virtual reality (VR) - Winter term 24/25
by Maximilian Burr & Cornelius Bartosch
This project makes science more approachable and encourages curiosity in exploring different fields of science in a visually appealing way. In virtual reality, users can enter a 3D virtual space filled with floating spheres, each representing a scientific publication. Using a hand controller, the user can navigate around and move closer to different spheres. When getting closer, more information about the scientific publication appears. Upon clicking on the title, users can read the entire publication. Related publications are also displayed.
ArtScience Podcast - Winter term 2024/2025
by MS
This podcast project aims to explore the intersection of science, art, and philosophy through sound. Its goal is to make scientific and philosophical concepts accessible by using expert interviews, storytelling, and music/sound art. Designed for a broad audience, particularly those outside academia, the podcast seeks to provide a fresh perspective on how to engage with different ideas.