News from the Project

2026-03-11

From 6 October 2026 to 8 October 2026, our research group led by Prof. Dr. Vera Hagemann, Dr. Krisztina Konya and Carina Nohka took part in the second Retreat of the Cluster of Excellence ‘The Martian Mindset’. Once again, this Retreat focused on intensive exchange amongst the diverse interdisciplinary research groups within the Cluster of Excellence. Following our arrival and the welcome on the first day, three poster sessions provided impressive insights into the ongoing projects. A highlight was the third poster session, during which we presented our own work on teamwork processes in Human-Agent Teams, a topic on which Prof. Dr. Vera Hagemann, Dr. Michèle Rieth and Carina Nohka are conducting research in particular. The preview of our computer-based microworld C3Mars, developed in collaboration with Rego Granlund, attracted particular interest; participants were able to try it out whilst the poster session was taking place.

The second day continued with key presentations on “Research Data Management” and “Communication in Science”. In the afternoon, there was an opportunity for more informal discussion during two social activities designed to strengthen the group’s sense of community: at a traditional tea ceremony in the ‘Teestuv’, we not only learnt about the ritual involving Kluntje, cream and tea, but also got to chat about topics beyond the specialist subjects. The second group went on a mudflat walk, which, in glorious sunshine, left us with wonderful impressions of the North German coastal landscape.

Another highlight on the third day was the “Data, Modelling and Uncertainty” working group, led by Dr. Krisztina Konya, Prof. Dr. Vera Hagemann and Prof. Dr. Lutz Mädler. Our researcher, Dr. Krisztina Konya, provided a comprehensive insight into the various forms that uncertainty can take in research and the steps required to deal with uncertainties in one’s own research processes in a targeted manner. In particular, the guest lecture by Prof. Dr. Hans-Jörg Rheinberger on “Experimental Systems, Modelling, and the Uncertainties of Knowledge Generation” encouraged participants to critically reflect on their own research practices and how they deal with uncertainty in knowledge generation. The presentations were rounded off by an interactive, interdisciplinary workshop.

We have taken away numerous ideas from this Retreat to inform our future work and look forward to further in-depth exchanges. 

2026-03-11

From the 4th to the 5th of March 2026, Prof. Dr. Vera Hagemann, Dr. Krisztina Konya and Carina Litfin attended the first official Retreat of the Cluster of Excellence “The Martian Mindset”. The Project leaders and PhD candidates from all research projects of the Cluster of Excellence came together in Visselhövede to meet each other in person and to familiarise themselves with the various projects. The Retreat was opened by Prof. Dr. Marc Avila, director of ZARM and co-speaker of the Cluster, followed by inspiring introductions of all members. 
Our research project "Human-Agent-Teams in Extreme Environments" was presented by the PhD student Carina Litfin. You want to know what WALL-E has in common with Human-Agent-Teaming and "The Martian Mindset"? Besides the learnings that building something new out of scarcity is possible, the movie shows that Humans and (AI-)robots can create some great effort, when they will come together as a team.
Prof. Dr. Vera Hagemann, Dr. Krisztina Konya and Prof. Dr. Lutz Mädler introduced the Working Group "Data, Modelling and Uncertainty", in which Prof. Dr. Hagemann's sub-group aims to gain knowledge, exchange perspectives and to find cross-disciplinary measures to understand, define and quantify uncertainty.
There was a lot of content-related work, brainstorming, productive discussions and team-building events on both days. During the coffee breaks and lunch, there was also a lot of time for enriching scientific exchange between the different project members. It was such a great pleasure to finally meet and get to know everyone in person. We look forward to more delighting discussions and collaborations within the Cluster.