Political Foci

Due to recent events, there will be a panel discussion devoted to the Ukraine. At 5 p.m. representatives from academia and civil society will discuss the current situation. At 9 p.m. researchers from the Collaborative Research Center "Governance in Areas of Limited Statehood" along with colleagues from other institutions will participate in another round of discussions on fragile states and the challenges of this type of situation for international politics.

For the first time the Stasi Archives in cooperation with the Forschungsverbund SED-Staat, a research center at Freie Universität, will be displaying extensive examples of their results. They will be in the Henry Ford Building, Garystraße 35–37, 14195 Berlin (subway station: Thielplatz, U3, GREEN Route).

Can You Really Eat That?

In many countries people regularly eat insects, which seems creepy for most Europeans. As a source of food, insects offer many environmental and health benefits. During the Long Night of Science, students in the master's degree program at the Institute of Biology will be informing visitors about insects as a sustainable source of food for the future. There will also be samples of grilled insects! 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Königin-Luise-Str. 12–16, 14195 Berlin (subway station: Dahlem-Dorf, U3, BLUE/PINK Route).

A Different Kind of VIP

Soccer VIPs will be visiting the campus in Dahlem during the Long Night of Science: The FUmanoids, champions in robot soccer, will demonstrate what they can do. Small human-shaped robots with miniature video cameras installed in their heads can "see" the field, the ball, and the other players. Through a chip – in a sense, the brain of the robot – they process the data and thus "know" what the other robots are doing or where the ball will land. 5 p.m. to midnight, Takustraße 9, 14195 Berlin (subway station: Dahlem-Dorf, U3, BLUE Route).

A Flying Robot

On May 10 a flying robot, called Archaeocopter, might be seen in the air above the activities. Developed by computer scientists at Freie Universität for use by archaeologists during excavations, the flying robot will be available to be examined by visitors. Or, they might have an opportunity to fly it themselves via a computer simulation. 5 p.m. to midnight, Takustraße 9, 14195 Berlin (subway station: Dahlem-Dorf, U3, BLUE Route).

The Whole Wide World in Dahlem

There will be various venues for visitors to Freie Universität to encounter foreign countries and cultures. The Institute of Korean Studies will present lectures and workshops dealing with Korea's World Heritage sites and will offer a short Hangŭl language lesson and a cooking class: visitors will be able to learn how to cook Korea's intangible world cultural heritage, kimchi. Looking toward the 2020 Olympic World Games in Tokyo, the Institute of Japanese Studies will focus on sports: besides lectures and conversations with Japanese athletes who live in Berlin, there will also be demonstrations of different Japanese sports. The Seminar for Semitic and Arabic Studies will take its visitors to the Middle East with music, literature, and dance. 5 p.m. to midnight, Fabeckstr. 7, Hittorfstr. 18, Altensteinstr. 34, 14195 Berlin (subway station: Thielplatz or Dahlem-Dorf, U3, BLUE/PINK Route).

View the Brain

What exactly happens in the brain when we speak or process what we have heard? The electroencephalogram - EEG for short - says it all: the brain waves are measured and become visible on a monitor. Anyone interested in being a test subject in the lab for brain and language research, can go there between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.: Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Corridor KL 29, Hörsaal 2 (subway station: Thielplatz or Dahlem-Dorf, U3, BLUE/PINK Route).

Blue Gold

Scientists at the Institute of Geological Sciences in Lankwitz will address issues related to the Berlin drinking water, "virtual water," heat and electricity from deep groundwater resources, climate-adapted water management in Berlin, crystals and light, seismology, and planetology.  5 p.m. to 11 p.m., Malteserstr. 74–100, 12249 Berlin (Emmichstraße, Bus X83, ORANGE Route).

Science for Children

From the science rally and the many interactive labs at the departments of mathematics, computer science, physics, and chemistry to excavations of the Neolithic period at the archaeology institute, calligraphy schools in Arabic and Jewish studies, a martial arts taster course at the Confucius Institute – there are many activities for children and teen-agers at the Long Night of Science at Freie Universität: www.fu-berlin.de/langenacht/kinderprogramm

General Information about the Long Night of Science

• Date: Saturday, May 10, 2014, from 5 p.m. to midnight
• Telephone Hotline: (030) 61 00 55 15
• Program booklets with maps can be downloaded at www.fu-berlin.de/sites/langenacht/media/lndw-fu-programm.pdf?1396269009 and are also available at 200 different locations in Berlin and Potsdam.
• Tickets and Prices: for adults, 14 euros (reduced 9 euros); family ticket: 27 euros (up to 5 pers., incl. 2 adults and at least one child under 18). Late Night Ticket at box office starting at 10 p.m.: 6 euros. Groups of elementary and/or high school students: 5 euros per ticket for groups of 7 or more. Children under 6: no charge for admission.
• Advance sales: as of April 24, 2014, at all transportation ticket outlets, DB service stores, customer centers, and ticket machines of the Berlin S-Bahn and the BVG. Online from April 9 to May 5, 2014, at www.langenachtderwissenschaften.de (payment by credit card or through PayPal) and www.eventim.de
• Shuttle Buses: www.fu-berlin.de/sites/langenacht/praktisches/busshuttles/index.html