iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

The @uni-freiburg.de weather station is once again attracting little visitors

Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

I keep thanking the gardeners who had my allotment before me, for planting grape vines. The only thing that was happy during this extreme summer and they keep giving me a great harvest.

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

The garden is somewhat recovered from the extreme drought we had this summer and is gifting flowers to me.

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

The beans are the purple variety 'Blauhilde'

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

A very garden heavy dinner tonight. Courgette, beans, and purslane pesto all from my allotment. I am delighted that I have anything to harvest after a late start to the garden year and a record drought / heatwave.

A plate, on it: half a courgette, topped with melted cheese, a bunch of green beans, and a swirl of spaghetti

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

I do like to grow unusual varieties so that my garden veg does not look like it came from the supermarket. In this case the climbing French Bean "Blauhilde". This blue Hilda was the first of this year's varieties to be ready.

I am holding a hand full of purple long beans. In the background lush leaves and a yellow and red garden sculpture made from glass

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Spent a couple of hours in the garden today pottering around, weeding, and even harvesting a bit. One of my most prolific weeds is common purslane, which is edible. So weeding and harvest are the same thing. Cleared half a bed to sow kale, got 1.5kg of purslane.

A photo that shows a pile of green small leaves plants, a white zucchini and a small handful of purple runner beans

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Bit of an experimental batch with wintery spices. Let's see if this makes a decent punch.

A pot full of small blue grapes. Some cinnamon sticks are visible.

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

For round two I am trying to combine the tedium of cleaning the grapes off the bunches, with some fun @dimension20.dropout.tv episodes.

A bowl full of small blue grapes. In the background a laptop with a video running.

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

One batch of grape jelly finished!

Seven small glass jars filled with dark purple jelly

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

The jars are ready to receive the grape jelly!

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

I do love the colour of this grape mess.

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

I feel like picking them off the bunches is the most tedious part. 🤔

A colander full of individual small blue grapes

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

This is one half of the grapes. I will tackle this batch first.

A big blue plastic mixing bowl with bunches of small blue grapes piled high in it

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

The squash and courgettes are also amongst the survivors of the record dry summer. Can you tell which is the courgette and which is the squash?

To oblong vegetables next to eachother. One is pale green the other pale white in colour

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

I took over an allotment in June. Turns out right before a historic drought and heatwaves, is a bad time to start a garden. The last 3 months have been absurd. Very grateful to the previous allotmenteers who planted grapes. Only plant that was remotely happy this summer! Picked 'a few' grapes today.

A big sturdy gardening bag full of small blue grapes

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

I am delighted that our research was included in a major news magazine in a broad article about the success of photovoltaics! A digital version can be found here: www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft...

Photo of images in a news magazine in German

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

The information I provided was condensed well by the journalists and editors. What I had not quite anticipated was that they included a couple of lines about me as a person, commenting for example on the mini model of a #perovskite crystal structure I was wearing as a necklace.

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

I am deeply impressed with the level of investigation the journalists put into this piece, covering many areas of photovoltaics, interviewing many people, in multiple locations. In Freiburg I got to give a guided tour of our new Pero-Si-SCALE platform, pictures of which made it into the article.

Foto of Images in a print magazine. One shows scientists handling big silicon wafers in a lab. One shows big electrical inverters in a field

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

First day back, after teaching at a summer school, and I am delighted to find a copy of @spiegel.de on my desk. It includes the article 'Victory of the Sun' which highlights the many successes of solar cells of recent years, including my research into #perovskite silicon tandem solar cells.

Cover of the German News Magazine "Der Spiegel"

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

I don't think I'll ever come across a longer pride flag.🏳️‍🌈🚄

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

So despite everything, my overall journey is currently on track and overall I have zero delay. Even the views are good!

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

This is the main meadow in my local park. Normally on a rain free weekend like today, it is full of students picnicking, playing spikeball, and chatting. Today it is totally deserted. Glad to see people are smart enough not to be in the sun in 37°C temperatures. Sad to see the grass so dead.

Foto of a park with a lake in the background. There are some trees. In the middle a big patch of brown dead grass

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Here in Freiburg we are on day 10 of temperatures over 30°C. Day 8 of over 35°C. Even nighttime temperatures are in the mid 20s (higher between buildings), making it hard to cool down flats even with open windows overnight. It is 8pm. My flat is at 29°C, the outside temperature is still 37°C.

Temperature graph of a weather station over the last 2 weeks.

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

I keep rechecking the weather forecast cause I cannot fully believe that the whole next week will have 35°C+ temperatures. I have resources and will somehow cope (not yet sure how). Am worried for many others who will not be able to cope with these scorching temperatures. #heat #climatechange

Screenshot of a weather app. Each day is dark red with peak temperatures above 35°C

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Happy to report that Berlin is still as odd and inexplicable as ever. Meet Clown+Buddha. On Sundays he likes to chill out on park benches and creep out passerby.

Photo of a white porcelain figurine. It looks like a Buddha covering his ears. A creepy red and purple clown face has been painted onto it

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

I am sorting some old paperwork and stumbled upon this pamphlet. My immigration to the UK really didn't happen at an opportune time. The lies and vitriol of the Brexit campaign were my welcome to the UK.

A UK government leaflet from 2016. The title reads "Why the Government believes that voting to remain in the European Union is the best decision for the UK."

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

Luckily the bike had nothing else wrong with it and is now back in commission. I took it to the market today where it demonstrated its amazing ability to carry potted plants, veg, and cheese. I look forward to putting it to good use once the pick-your-own-strawberries field opens.

Photo of a small cargo bike with potted herbs and a big flower pot in the front basket

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

I quickly found the culprit behind my bike woes, and changed out the punctured tube. Only took me two years to get started on this task.

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

With the lock removed I could finally begin the actual repair job!

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

I was very impressed with myself and my newly acquired power tool skills, and in no time the lock was starting to look awfully thin

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

I dragged the locked deflated bike to my local Makerspace and asked around if anyone would be able to help me cut the lock. A fellow member volunteered to show me how to safely use the angle grinder and a couple minutes later I was happily cosplaying as a bike thieve.

The back wheel of a bike. A U shaped lock is clamped to the frame of the bike. The locks steel shackle is partially cut

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

The whole voting process was so quick that afterwards I had plenty of time to go on a bike ride, stop at a lake, and pick some ramsons. Great spring Sunday!

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

Inside the school were clear signposts to the seven different classrooms each acting as voting locations for one small area of the City. Across the City of #Freiburg voting is happening in like 40 different buildings.

A corridor with wood floors and a big welcome sign in German

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

Freiburg is having mayoral elections today. So I took my voter notification and cycled over to the local school. Lots of other people had also used their bikes or were doing a Sunday walk to the polls.

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Today is Girl's Day! I attended this career orientation day when I was a school girl and am delighted that today my research group is hosting visitors for the same event! Just walked by a crowd of girls checking in at @fraunhoferise.bsky.social front desk. Love to show them careers in STEM! 🧪

A poster in German advertising Girl's Day. An event to enable job orientation free from clichés

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

Delightful lunch! Was a bit overwhelmed by all the options on the menu. I am used to having a limited choice of dishes I can actually eat, not used to having all the options.

Rolled borek nicely decorated on a blue plate

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Frankfurt is wild. Just casually strolling through the center of European capitalism.

Photo of a big Euro sign statue. In the background are big skyscrapers

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Lovely weather outside of the train!

View of a river with a bridge in the distance

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Just got on a train and for once it is not for a work trip but for fun! Anybody have a recommendation for a vegetarian lunch option in #Frankfurt? Somewhere between the mainstation and the Schirn Kunsthalle would be great!

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

Magical bird encounter on the way home in Freiburg tonight

A heron standing in a very urban small stream. A street light is dramatically illuminating it

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

What time is it? Spargelzeit! (Asparagus time)

A plate with green asparagus and potatoes and sausages

A plate with green asparagus and little irregular noodles

A plate of green asparagus, potatoes and an egg

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

I am glad my past self decided to interrupt her speedwalk from one Paris station to the next, to buy a treat. Wouldn't want to starve during the last bit of my trip!

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

The TGV is packed, but still calm enough for me to review a research paper while shooting through the French countryside towards Straßburg. There the train suddenly empties out. Leaving me almost alone on this carriage.

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

Tight time window in Paris to get from Gare du Nord to Gare de l'Este. So just a very quick picture of the statue in front of the station.

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Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

Before long the Eurostar train emerged in Northern France where it was weirdly both sunny and kinda foggy.

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