Insights into Current Scientific Findings
Each episode explores a new and exciting topic: Listeners gain insights into the latest scientific findings and the research being conducted at the university’s four Schools. The episodes are released at regular intervals on the website and on popular podcast platforms, and can be listened to and subscribed to for free.
Spark! is produced by the Executive Departments for Press, Communications, and Marketing in collaboration with the Center for Information and Media Technology (ZIMT).
Issue 17: Inequality
Interview with Dr. Svenja Flechtner, Assistant Professor of Pluralist Economics
According to the German Institute for Economic Research, the wealthiest 1 percent of the population in Germany holds more than one-third of the country’s total wealth. In fact, when it comes to the distribution of wealth, Germany is one of the most unequal countries in the industrialized world. While inequality in net income is less pronounced here, the gap between rich and poor is still widening significantly. What exactly is the situation? What demographic characteristics are associated with inequality? And what connections exist—from a global perspective—between inequality and climate change? That’s the focus of this podcast episode with Dr. Svenja Flechtner, assistant professor of pluralist economics at the University of Siegen.
All episodes available for listening
There have never been as many older adults as there are today—which makes the question of how we can maintain our mental well-being even in old age all the more important: What defines mental health in old age—and how can people cope with stress, loss, and traumatic experiences? In this podcast episode, psychology professor Dr. Simon Forstmeier discusses his research on what’s known as life review therapy, in which the conscious recollection and contextualization of one’s own life story plays a central role. Prof. Forstmeier demonstrated that this form of therapy can be effective even in cases of the most severe trauma in a special research project he conducted together with colleagues in Israel: therapeutic work with very elderly Holocaust survivors. Learn more about this remarkable experience and his current studies in this issue.
People with disabilities should be able to participate in social life without restrictions. This is stated in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which has been part of German law since 2009. In practice, however, we are still far from achieving this in some cases: Only 41 percent of German counties and larger cities have so far either begun working on plans to implement the Convention or have already completed them. This is shown by a recent study conducted by the University of Siegen in collaboration with the German Institute for Human Rights. That is far from enough, says Prof. Dr. Albrecht Rohrmann, the study’s director at the University of Siegen. At the same time, however, he also recognizes that the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has set a lot of things in motion in local communities. How inclusion can succeed at the local level and what it takes to make that happen is the topic of this podcast episode.
The scientific community and universities in the U.S. are under massive attack from the Trump administration—on many different levels: Universities are being threatened, with some facing funding cuts in the millions; research funding is being slashed drastically; numerous research projects are being halted; and visas for international visiting students are being revoked. This podcast episode explores why the right-wing movement has declared academia an “enemy,” what goals it is pursuing with its attacks on researchers and universities—and what consequences the scientific community in the U.S. and worldwide has reason to fear. Our guest is Prof. Dr. Daniel Stein, who researches American popular culture and lived in the U.S. for three years.
What are we made of? How did our universe and all the matter in it come into being? How can phenomena such as dark matter or gravity be explained? To find answers to such fundamental questions, particle physicists look at the very smallest scale: they study the smallest known particles and the forces acting between them—with the goal of understanding our universe even better. To do this, particle physicists conduct extremely complex experiments at large particle accelerators. They also develop mathematical methods to calculate the properties and interactions of elementary particles with ever-greater precision. This podcast episode focuses on theoretical particle physics. Our guest is Prof. Dr. Alexander Lenz, who leads the world’s largest group in theoretical flavor physics at the University of Siegen.
A new environment, new routines, new expectations: When children transition from preschool to elementary school—or, a few years later, to middle school—it’s a major turning point. They have to figure out their way to school, make new friends, and meet academic expectations. Whether these school transitions go smoothly or whether children feel overwhelmed and left behind at their new school can have a direct impact on their psychosocial development and academic success. Special education expert Prof. Dr. Daniel Mays from the University of Siegen has been researching the developmental trajectories of children and adolescents during transitional phases for over 15 years. In this podcast episode, he explains how school transitions can be managed effectively and professionally—and what kind of support children with special needs require during these sensitive phases.
Women are a distinct minority in the correctional system: In Germany, only about six to eight percent of all inmates are women. These few female inmates are therefore forced to cope in an environment that was originally designed for men. For several years now, sociologist of law Jun.-Prof. Dr. Anika Gomille from the University of Siegen and her team have been researching what this means in practice—that is, within correctional facilities. During their field studies at a correctional facility, the researchers encountered not only disadvantages caused by external factors, but also, time and again, prevailing gender stereotypes and role models. In this podcast episode, Prof. Gomille explains how these stereotypes affect female inmates and how ethnographic field research in a correctional facility actually works.
Video games are the most popular form of entertainment today. Many major games and game series use historical settings and have been very successful as a result: examples include *Assassin’s Creed*, *Civilization*, the *Anno* series, and, most recently, the medieval game *Manor Lords*. Historian Prof. Dr. Angela Schwarz from the University of Siegen has been studying the portrayal of history in digital games for over 20 years and is considered a pioneer in the field. This podcast episode explores how history is portrayed in video games: Why are historical settings so appealing to game developers? To what extent can players actually “experience” history in these games? What historical narratives are actually created as a result—and is it acceptable for games to fill historical gray areas with fiction and exploit history for the sake of gameplay mechanics?
Millions of people in Germany suffer from addiction. Nicotine and alcohol addictions are the most common, and cannabis use is also widespread. However, those affected are not always dependent on substances; certain behaviors can also be addictive. A relatively recent phenomenon is addiction-like behavior stemming from internet use—online gaming, excessive consumption of pornography, or even compulsive online shopping. Why and how do people develop addictions? What processes in the brain play a role in this? Can similar processes be observed in behavioral addictions as in substance-related addictions? And above all: How can those affected be better helped? That’s the focus of this podcast episode with Dr. Tim Klucken, a psychology professor at the University of Siegen.
Cosmic rays from outer space constantly strike the Earth’s atmosphere. These are tiny particles that we cannot feel or see—but some of them carry extremely high energies. Some cosmic particles even carry ten million times more energy than can be generated by the world’s largest particle accelerator. Scientists have not yet been able to determine which cosmic processes or objects give rise to these extreme energies. To get to the bottom of this mystery, physicists at the University of Siegen are participating in the world’s largest experiment dedicated to the study of cosmic rays: the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina. Dr. Marcus Niechciol, an astroparticle physicist at the University of Siegen, explains how this unique experiment works and what the researchers have discovered so far.
By chance, literary scholar Dr. Niels Penke of the University of Siegen discovered a previously unknown novel by Italian author Umberto Eco on eBay—and, upon reading it, quickly exposed it as a forgery. Last February, he publicly voiced his suspicions on Platform X (then still Twitter). Since then, a sort of literary detective hunt has been underway to find the true author—male or female—of the little book. In this special podcast episode, Niels Penke shares what he’s been able to uncover so far about the novel “Carmen Nova,” the interesting people he’s met in the course of his research—and the leads he still hopes to follow: From paper forensics to literary text analysis using AI, all the way to a district attorney who investigated pirated publications in the 1980s.
Many people no longer drive into the city to shop; instead, they shop from the comfort of their own homes using a smartphone or laptop. Sales in the German online retail sector have been rising steadily since the turn of the millennium, and the pandemic in particular has recently given online shopping a boost. Why does online shopping take place primarily on large platforms like Amazon? What about consumer protection in this context? Is online shopping worse for the environment than shopping at brick-and-mortar stores? And what can we do to reduce returns? These questions—and what it actually means for our city centers when we shop online more and more often instead of in brick-and-mortar stores—are the focus of our conversation with Dr. Hanna Schramm-Klein, professor of marketing and retail at the University of Siegen.
Healthcare spending in Germany has been rising for years and recently reached a record total of just under half a trillion euros. Nevertheless, our healthcare system does not fare well in many areas compared to other countries: When it comes to digitization
, Germany ranks among the lowest in Europe, doctors and nurses in our hospitals have to care for far more patients than the EU-wide average, the organization of care services is extremely complicated here and falls largely on the shoulders of patients and their families. Why is this all the case? What are other countries doing, and what can we learn from them? That’s the focus of our latest podcast with health sociologist and University of Siegen professor Dr. Claus Wendt.
Nearly two years after the catastrophic flooding in Germany, the images of the destruction are still very much fresh in many people’s minds. Time and again, massive floods cause extensive damage—most recently in northern Italy in the spring of 2023. On the one hand, human interference with nature and global warming associated with climate change contribute to flooding. On the other hand, we are repeatedly experiencing periods of extreme dryness and drought. How can we better cope with these extremes related to water, weather, and climate? How can flood warning systems be improved? What adjustments are necessary to minimize the damage caused by floods as well as by droughts? Hydrologist Prof. Dr. Paolo Reggiani from the Institute for Water and Environmental Research at the University of Siegen explains this in the podcast.
More and more people in Germany are paying digitally instead of with cash. The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated this trend since 2020. Yet even though we use it less and less in our daily lives, we Germans are more attached to cash than people in other countries. Why is that? How will digital payment systems develop in the coming years, and what payment markets already exist in other countries? How do we want to pay—and how will we pay—in the future? Dr. Sebastian Gießmann, a scholar of culture and media studies, teaches and conducts research at the Department of Media Studies and the Collaborative Research Center “Media of Cooperation” at the University of Siegen. Since 2016, he has been intensively studying digital payments. In the podcast, he explains why he is in favor of keeping traditional cash—and why he also hopes to see the digital euro introduced.
Swifts lead an extreme life: These migratory birds spend up to ten months a year continuously in the sky—eating, drinking, and sleeping entirely while in flight. In the spring, the swifts return from their wintering grounds in Africa to breed in Europe before setting off again in late summer. One of the largest breeding colonies of common swifts in all of Germany is located inside the Ronnewinkel viaduct near the town of Olpe. Biologist Prof. Dr. Klaudia Witte from the University of Siegen has been studying this colony for over 15 years: She wants to find out what strategies the common swifts use to adapt to their extreme living conditions. In the podcast, she offers insights into the extraordinary lives of these birds and her fascinating research work in the nesting chambers inside the highway bridge.
From baking cakes to home improvement to growing tomatoes: doing things yourself—or “do-it-yourself”—is a popular pastime for many of us. Why do people make things themselves when they could just buy them? What difference does it make whether someone does it as a hobby or is forced to do so for financial reasons? And how do social expectations, gender roles, or even crises like the COVID-19 pandemic influence the DIY movement? Prof. Dr. Reinhild Kreis holds the Chair of “Contemporary History” at the University of Siegen and has been conducting academic research on the topic of “DIY” for many years. In the podcast, she explains when DIY actually began historically and what different trends and shifts it has been subject to over the years—and continues to be to this day.
