SOPRA funded the "Before Ruins" conference, held at RUB from March 25 to 27, 2026. Participants from German-speaking regions and abroad, hailing from the interdisciplinary field of Science and Technology Studies (STS), gathered for this event organized by the German-language professional association *stsing e.V.* to engage with this exploratory format. The theme "Before Ruins" addressed both the spatial and temporal dimensions of Anthropocene ruins, focusing on the state of standing "before" them as a tangible problem.

The event was framed by keynote speeches from Anne Pasek (Trent University, Canada) on the potential ruins of artificial intelligence; Alexander Knickmeier (EGLV Emschergenossenschaft and Lippeverband) on the history and future of the Emscher river; and Endre Dányi (Bundeswehr University Munich) on the genealogy of contemporary, collaborative STS research. "Cases" formed the innovative core of the conference: participants gathered in separate groups to work for a full day on a specific topic or case study. Topics included, for example, the problem of industrial pollution in post-industrial regions, the "left-behind futures" of the Transrapid maglev train, and the social and material layers of Bochum’s Westpark, alongside methodological workshops on the digital processing of maps and the critical discussion of AI tools in qualitative research. The groups did not merely discuss the theoretical specifics of these locally situated cases; they also engaged with them through concrete methodological inquiries and field trips. On the following day, the results of this intensive group work were presented—alongside various projects by RUB students—in a "Gallery Walk" format, which sparked engaged, one-on-one exchanges among participants regarding methods and content. Regular panels featuring paper presentations rounded off the conference.

The event was organized by RUSTlab at RUB, which is affiliated with Estrid Sørensen’s Chair of Cultural Psychology and Anthropology of Knowledge. The organizers would like to express their sincere thanks to SOPRA e.V. for supporting the project.

Find out more about the cases and the event here: https://stsing.org/before-ruins

Once a year, the Association for the Promotion of Social Science Practice (SOPRA e.V.) presents the SOPRA Student Award. This award recognizes outstanding and particularly practice-oriented final theses (Bachelor’s theses, Master’s theses, or doctoral dissertations).

The Student Award was presented again in 2026. Eligible applicants were students who submitted their final thesis for assessment at the Faculty of Social Science at Ruhr University Bochum between April 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026.

The 2026 SOPRA Student Award was presented on July 2, 2026. During the Faculty of Social Science’s graduation ceremony, SOPRA Chairman Prof. Dr. Jörg-Peter Schräpler presented the awards to the winners. This year, a Bachelor’s thesis, a Master’s thesis, and a doctoral dissertation were recognized.

You can view the names and thesis titles in the image gallery. Click here to find out more about the recipients.

Details regarding the call for applications and the Student Awards from previous years can be found here.

On June 17, 2026, a book presentation and subsequent discussion regarding the book *Kinder – Minderheit ohne Schutz* (Children – A Minority Without Protection) took place in cooperation with the Center for Interdisciplinary Regional Research (ZEFIR) at the Faculty of Social Sciences. We were pleased to welcome Prof. Dr. Aladin El-Mafaalani, Prof. Dr. Sebastian Kurtenbach, and Prof. Dr. Klaus-Peter Strohmeier as guests. The event was moderated by Louisa Anna Süß.