Dresden 2026 – scientific programme

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SYSC: Symposium The Sustainability Challenge: A Decade of Transformation

SYSC 1: The Sustainability Challenge: A Decade of Transformation

Monday, March 9, 2026, 15:00–17:45, HSZ/AUDI

The UN Sustainable Development Goals call for transformative action across all sectors. Physics, as a foundational science, plays a key role - from understanding complex natural and socio-economic systems to developing sustainable technologies, fostering responsible resource use, and advancing sustainability-oriented education and public outreach. This symposium brings together diverse perspectives from within the physics community to explore interdisciplinary contributions to sustainability, including earth system modeling, energy systems, transport, molecular recycling and circularity as well as science education. Through five expert talks from various fields, we aim to highlight the relevance of physics and physics education for future-oriented transformation and inspire early-career researchers to engage with pressing global challenges in meaningful, scientifically grounded ways.

	15:00	SYSC 1.1	Invited Talk: Open-Endedness and Community-Based Approaches to Sustainability Challenges — •Hiroki Sayama
	15:30	SYSC 1.2	Invited Talk: Education as a Social Tipping Element: Evidence from Climate and Physics Education Research — •Thomas Schubatzky
	16:00	SYSC 1.3	Invited Talk: Mechanistic and Material Perspectives on Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Semicrystalline Polyesters — •Birte Höcker
	16:30		15 min break
	16:45	SYSC 1.4	Invited Talk: Decarbonization Options for Industry — •Uwe Riedel
	17:15	SYSC 1.5	Invited Talk: Impacts of Cosmic Dust and Space Debris in the Terrestrial Atmosphere — •John Plane