Johannes-Geert Hagmann - Deutsches Museum
1. Briefly describe your current position/project, research focus, and your role within MCQST.
At the museum, I am heading the curatorial department for technology, where we are a team of about 20 people at present. As a curator and historian of physics at the Deutsches Museum, my research focuses on optics and its development. Within MCQST and together with a fantastic team, I am co-developing an exhibition on quantum optics and laser physics entitled "Light and Matter" which is scheduled to open in 2024.
We are extremely happy to see people smiling on our floors and spending their time with friends and family in our exhibitions.
2. What was the biggest challenge you overcame or faced in your work the last year?
In July 2022, the museum reopened 19 new permanent galleries after more than 7 years of planning and development. Transitioning to this new mode of operation was definitely a non-equilibrium situation, with many unforeseen events and issues to fix. Now, however, we are extremely happy to see people smiling on our floors and spending their time with friends and family in our exhibitions. The optics gallery features many hands-on experiments, and we made a conscious decision to avoid the now ubiquitous screens as much as possible. The positive feedback that we are receiving is a tailwind for the next projects to come, including our exciting exhibition that we are developing together with MCQST!
3. What are your plans for the holidays?
To "unplan" and to seek simple pleasures: spending time with family, taking long walks outdoor, and delving into good reads.