Science Show der CAU Kiel | Film

The Science Show is made up of young people, namely young people who are doing their doctorates at Kiel University. They are about to tell you their stories. At the first Science Show, my family was there, That was in fact the first time they even knew what I do. I think that's just so that we can show a bit what else is out there. And if there’s someone who is really involved in: how should I design a format so that it engages others, so that it comes across emotionally? - That's Ulf. He’s alwa

ys bubbling over with ideas and is always very positive. That’s something different. And a different atmosphere comes across. University and research is of course an area where there is not only a lot of ambition, but often also a lot of pressure. That can be the pressure to compete, to publish, of external judgement, or a lot of systemic issues. We want to show the people behind the research. It’s not about ranking or competing, but simply: who are the people behind the research? Why are they p

assionate about what they do? And why can this be interesting or even relevant for our audience? We invented the Science Show very early on, when the Graduate Center was founded, because we realised that young researchers really enjoy showing their research on stage and that way they learn how to give presentations in a relaxed atmosphere. This has an incredible added value for giving a scientific presentation at conferences. The story of how it came about, of first wanting to do a Science Slam

and then realising that the competitive part, doesn't necessarily have to be, I think that's nice because it also offers more opportunities to really try things out. In my opinion, Katharine coaches them really well in terms of stage presence and I think you can tell that they both are incredibly passionate about what they do, that they really live what they do, that they also take a personal interest in promoting young scientists. What I also find really great about their work together is that

they can respond so flexibly to suggestions. This format was born at a particular moment: And that was 13 years ago, I think. Ulf was on a course where I was asked to teach the theatre side of presenting. And I brought in this idea of preparing as you would in the theatre, with a dress rehearsal, with real rehearsals. He contributed the Science Slam idea i.e. a crisp format that also focusses on entertainment. And this is how we began. The way we work is unusual, perhaps even unique in Kiel. It'

s unusual because we deliberately include these show elements and create a space for them to try things out, before the researchers, the doctoral researchers go on stage. And we have been working in this unusual way for years knowing that this might open new doors. That's what we want and it's what we’ve achieved. I believe it is very important, especially with regard to hostility towards science, to communicate science to people who do not have such access to it. And I think it's a good way, to

explain things simply, to break topics down, not to talk down to people, but to take them with you. There’s internal and external science communication. Actually, of course, when scientists communicate, it's all communication. But that’s mostly about scientists communicating with other people, the so-called external scientific communication. And in the past, people used to say, there's the expert, and they talk to others. Today we’d rather say, it's nicer if they talk to each other, and when yo

u develop something new together, when you exchange ideas. And this is, I think, what characterises science communication, that you talk to each other. It also gives many people who are not themselves active in science an insight into what science does, why it exists and why it is important. We have so much knowledge in so many specialist areas. And I think it's important that this is shared with the public. I think we've really seen that in recent years. That people are beginning to understand,

perhaps, what scientific work really is. Because somehow it is similar between the different disciplines. That's a point you don't really come into contact with otherwise. And especially now with the many formats that are available. You can kind of see that on social media now, too, that people are getting involved in some way and offering something. I think that's great. The university is a part of society. Society invests in the university. And the knowledge we generate here we have to someho

w feed back, in order to solve social problems. Society should get something back from us. And, if possible, something that is also fun, where you leave the event with the feeling “I’ve learnt something, I’ve understood something", it was just great, I can talk about it” and not, “Well, I could read about this, but maybe I won’t”. And the other point is, of course, that I work on topics that are important for humanity. It would be stupid if I worked on it in a quiet room and came to conclusions

that make sense and then decided, well, I'll just hand in my work and that's it. Science communication for me is more like if you can explain something, like your topic to a person. It can be, it can have a scientific background they can have a scientific background or they can not have a scientific background, it does not matter. If they do not understand you, what is the point of doing science? You know? It is just like you do it for yourself When you go to a conference and you hear maybe the

maximum expert of your field, you realise that he is not able to capture your attention. And so it’s ok, you can be whoever you want, you can be the maximum expert but if you cannot explain what you are doing, what is the meaning? Yes, research is for people, it’s for humanity. And we are very interested in promoting dialogue between research or science and the public. To engage with the audience in front of you and try not only to have fun yourself, but to have fun together with the audience. A

nd all under the star of science. Yes, I think that's Science Show for me. It's there for everyone. It's difficult to say, but I would say that for me, Science Show is the entertaining presentation of the research I do. And that in a short, concise and, above all, entertaining way. Imagine you're sitting on the sofa and then you think about it and say: For me, that’s what Science Show is. Well, I've only done one so far, so I can only tell you about it. But I know, for example, there was a boy i

n the audience, I don't know if he was ten or so, with his mum, and they were looking at my slide, where you search for genes in a genome, and they were looking for them. And I thought that was really nice. Because they said, yes, and yes, and somehow I could tell that he had understood it. And I really liked that. I come from Preetz, which is in the neighbourhood, and we had a show there too. And that really was the special moment for me, being able to perform on stage in my home town. And to s

how them, so to speak, after so many years, what I'm doing now, and to go on stage as a Preetzer again, but with all the scientific background that I've acquired in the meantime. And to be able to show them what we do, what I do in particular, that was really great. The idea is to give everyone access to science, with the threshold as low as possible. And that's why it's also a principle, for example, that everything has to be free of charge so that everyone really has the chance to come, that

their financial situation, for example, shouldn’t be a barrier to going there. Do you have a favourite story or a special anecdote where you say: For me, this is totally Science Show, when I remember that, that is Science Show for me? I think my favourite Science Show so far has been the ‘Women in Science’ Science Show. And I think it was the moment just before, when we really stood there and said to each other, this is going to be great, we’re just going to have fun and celebrate ourselves as w

omen scientists. I thought that was really nice. I felt really good after the show. You take so much energy with you for the work itself, that of course can always be very stressful, and I think you need something like this. For myself, I once had the pleasure of being coached a bit by Katharine, during the last Excellence Initiative, and to experience that, to learn what you can say better, what you can do better, in a really nice way. That was a highlight for me, personally. Yes, I had that to

o and it also helped me to understand how the doctoral researchers feel on the stage. To experience that you can really be who you are and you don’t need to put on a show, even if it’s called “Show”, but that you can be completely yourself. And that you yourself count in this process of communication, too. I thought that was really great. And, again, as a person, from one person to another, from person to person. It's not just about the topic. Hello! Hello! Thank you. Welcome to the Pumpe. Welco

me to - Science Show! Now it's all about the people and the stories and not just the content. It's always about that, but I find it so lovely to experience what comes to the fore. Because everyone is different. So you've really gone through the classic process, from the course, to coaching, to the stage. Yes. What did you learn about yourself? How was the course for you? Thanks to the courses, I was really able to work on it again and develop the storyboard, to really tell a story in the presen

tations. The courses really helped me with that. And no matter what kind of presentations they’re now, whether for the Science Show or at congresses, it has definitely helped a lot. And what comes into it now is: the group. You feel that, too. Yes, now they all come together, they’re all at the same point. They’re all a bit nervous, but perhaps their expectations of themselves are different. Now it's about looking after each other, about: what habits do I have, am I still doing them or have I pu

t them aside already? It’s just about supporting each other. I particularly liked that we were given a lot of room for our own creative ideas. I really was able to develop my own concept in these courses. What I liked, too, was that I could take this concept from course to course and always add an element. At the beginning, there was Zooky - so my project now is ‘Zooky sugar’. Zooky was really just a little sketch on paper at the beginning, and all the training courses and workshops helped me a

lot to develop these ideas. We talk to each other a lot in course, we support each other a lot and we give each other input on our ideas, and feedback, too. and that has helped me a lot to improve on all these ideas. All that within a framework that allows you to simply try anything out at any time. You can say something, perhaps things you wouldn't otherwise dare to say, because you think they’re unscientific. Because you’re afraid the group won't like it. You can just try it out and see how pe

ople like it. Sometimes you hear that you have to leave your comfort zone in order to be successful. We offer a safe space to try out new methods of presentation. What is often forgotten is that people often bring something with them, something that is already there. It is also very important to us to live a feedback culture that’s not just about talking about what I can do differently or what I can improve on, but what is already there, what reaches people and why. People are often not aware of

this and then they need honest, sincere feedback to be told this, to then continue to work on things that are basically already there, in addition to the things that really are about leaving the comfort zone. Anything else? Any more “stars and wishes” for Duygu? Sophie? Maybe just to remark that actually I think: It comes across that you are enjoying it. I just love that you have this goal: You will enjoy it, we will enjoy it. Everyone will be happy. I like how you always came back to your titl

e. So that’s a kind of common thread. I think the structure became more clear and it's even more interesting to follow you now. I really liked that. What I find particularly great about the courses is that everyone is addressed personally. They don’t say: you have a great presence, you can already stand there really well; everyone has their unique way of doing things and I thought it was great that they worked with this. And I think that's what this individual approach to someone, emphasizing t

heir strengths, is something there was no room for, during my studies, and I think that relatively little time is spent on this otherwise: really going into individual strengths during the presentation of - whatever. I think that has provided a really great foundation. Just really breaking down the presentation, i.e. the body language and the gestures and facial expressions. The content was not important at first. It was more about what my body was doing, how I felt about it, how can I get over

feeling bad while doing it? I think that was a really great goal, to start by breaking down the presentation, not the content. I have the feeling that at the university you always learn: first your content, then your presentation has to fit it somehow. I really learned a lot in the course, especially how to somehow keep people’s attention so it's not too boring or trite, but somehow it's well, a bit, a bit entertaining. The two of them put a lot of emphasis on this. Come on, what can you see fr

om there? Stand up. Come on, come on. Don’t be shy. Olé First of all, close your eyes. And if your eyes are already closed, try to remember your last conflict. For me, it's always really nice to see that the scientists go out of their labs and are simply there where people are. So it's not that people come to the scientists, but the other way around, you go to where life is happening and that creates a very special atmosphere. How a topic is presented in such a short and concise way, in a way th

at laypeople can also understand. You can just sit down and learn something. The topic: often you have a short description, just the title, and then you have a different idea in your head than what actually happens. Scientists are often accused of sitting in an ivory tower doing research. I think that it is our task - because we ourselves are convinced that we are doing things that are relevant to society - to inform society about them and ultimately to provide the public or society with informa

tion from science, so that the public can form its own, well-founded opinion. They are also usually very entertaining, due to the training. So it's not that it's just conveying dry facts, but it's fun to listen to and these are the highlights, to hear, briefly and succinctly, where people are researching, what's new, where innovations are coming from. I was at the STUDIO cinema in the evening and I thought, oh, you don't have to be there so early, there won't be that many people. And then I got

there: There was no free chair, at all, it was fully packed with people. All kinds of people, I don't know, I don't think necessarily just people from the university, but from all kinds of areas. The presentations were just all great and all so professionally done and the women were really able to present themselves as personalities, and convey their work so brilliantly. You could really feel it, there was such a great atmosphere. Of course there was a lot of applause and in between you could ha

ve a drink and so on, it was just great. If this was your first Science Show: What did you think of it? I thought it was really super. I think that people tend to keep to themselves in their own subject. And I found it so super to get such a colourful mix. So I think that you get new impulses, too. That was very cool. Personally, I liked astrophysics best because I love the subject and I thought he did it really well. With the experiments, the balloons. That was very sweet. I think this impress

ion is not enough to have a complete overview. But with some things I did think, wow, so more like, wow, interesting.. I would actually read up on that myself. Would you come again? I definitely would. Yes, absolutely. If you could say something to Ulf and Katharine now, what would that be? That they should continue the way they’re doing. I think it's really nice and that they keep doing their thing, I think that's really good. All in all, for the future of science communication, it’s important

that we tell people's stories. What I also think is great about the Science Show is that it offers young scientists a platform. Otherwise, it is often just the professors who are in the foreground and in the public eye. The Science Show also creates role models, so that young people can see: Oh, a career in science seems really exciting and doesn't have to be boring. The connection with art, the connection with culture, just getting out of the academic grey. Exciting, fast, young. Young, dynamic

, inspiring. Entertaining, surprising and lively. Honestly, I just want to thank them. Because they made me a different person in a good way. Not just like scientifically, it is just that I can communicate better with other people. I am more open, I have confidence in me and so on, like you know, they transformed me, to a better version and I cannot thank them enough for this. Keep going. Keep going, because even just if we are not considering the science communication aspect, that coaching is a

n activity, that all the people in the university need. I think I would just say thank you, that was a great opportunity. I learned a lot and I had a lot of fun.