"Saturdays at 12" shows science - as exciting as a thriller!
The "Saturdays at 12" series at the House of Science (HDW) at the University of Siegen will kick off the winter semester 2025/26 with three events from the fields of science and music from October 25, 2025. The format is aimed at interested citizens and takes place at the best Siegen market time on the Lower Castle campus. Participation is free of charge - prior registration is not necessary. The program is supported by the Bürgerstiftung Siegen.
Reading: "The strangest particle in the world. On the hunt for the neutrino"
With "Science at 12", the event series starts on Saturday, October 25, with an exciting hunt for "ghost particles". The guest is the internationally renowned elementary particle physicist and neutrino researcher Dr. Christian Spiering (DESY Zeuthen). He will be presenting his new non-fiction book "The strangest particle in the world. On the hunt for the neutrino", which will be published on October 14 - "as understandable and exciting as a science thriller", promises the publisher. Spiering uses seven portraits to tell the story of the hunt for the neutrino, a "ghost particle" that has been going on for more than 100 years and has taken physicists to the South Pole, deep underground, between the fronts of the Cold War and often to the brink of despair. The "ghost particles" are a key to understanding the universe - but how do you capture something that cannot be captured? The author and researcher will talk about this on Saturday, October 25, at 12 noon at the US campus, in room US-S 002 (Obergraben 25, 57072 Siegen).
"Music at 8": Jazz concert with Stephanie Neigel
On November 15, 2025, the format "Music at 12" will exceptionally take place as "Music at 8" as part of the Siegen Night of Music. On this evening, the University of Siegen invites you to a jazz concert with Stephanie Neigel and Hanno Busch. The multi-instrumentalist wrote her first songs on the piano at the age of 14. During her studies, she started her solo career, released four albums and took part in numerous productions. She later played at national and international festivals such as the Sapporo Jazz Festival in Japan.
Stephanie Neigel has been working as a lecturer for jazz/pop/rock singing at the University of Siegen since 2024. In her latest work, the duo album "Phalleé & Baldu", she redefines the art-pop universe. The program for "Music at 8" at the University of Siegen is made up of some of these self-written songs and selected favorites. She will be accompanied by Hanno Busch - professor of jazz guitar at the HfMT Cologne since 2024 and one of the most sought-after guitarists of his generation. Neigel herself will also be performing on guitar and piano. Visitors can look forward to handmade, rousing music between jazz and pop with clever lyrics. The concert starts at 8 p.m. in the foyer of the US-C lecture hall building (Unteres Schloss 3, 57072 Siegen).
500 years of the Peasants' War - New perspectives with Prof. Dr. Thomas Kaufmann
The series ends with "Science at 12" on 13 December: In commemoration of the Peasants' War 500 years ago, church historian Prof. Dr. Thomas Kaufmann (University of Göttingen) will present his non-fiction book "Der Bauernkrieg. A media event". Alongside the Reformation, the Peasants' War also marked the threshold to the modern era, but unlike the reformers, its protagonists were unable to push through their demands, some of which were very modern. The peasants' uprising was bloodily suppressed. The Peasants' War has always been interpreted ideologically and above all as a media event. With the help of comprehensive source studies, Kaufmann now exposes the ideological distortions in his book and presents a captivating reinterpretation of the war - an analysis that not only sheds light on the past, but also reshapes our view of the present and future. The lecture will take place from 12 noon at the US campus, in room US-S 002 (Obergraben 25, 57072 Siegen).
