Project focus
The idea for the project arose from the desire to get people excited about research into sustainability, data, and digitalization in times of pressing social challenges. Young people in particular should be able to access these topics in an enjoyable and accessible way. The Science Slam format was chosen as an approach to make science exciting, captivating, and humorous. The Science Slam provides a stage on which young scientists can present their current research projects in a clear and understandable way. This has created a lively dialogue between researchers and society, making complex topics such as sustainable technologies, data innovations, and social transformation processes tangible.
Review and results
The project attracted seven science slammers, who inspired the audience with their topics and impressively demonstrated how diverse and relevant research is for our society. The range of topics covered was very broad:
- Elena Ebert and Svjetlana Zimmermann presented their research project “1000 Days of Maternal and Child Health Care” in cooperation with Addis Ababa University. Their work showed the first steps toward an information app for expectant mothers, which aims to make health information easily accessible and thus contribute to better healthcare.
- Marten Borchers took the audience into the world of crisis and disaster research: In his presentation “Why we shouldn’t surf in Hamburg,” he showed how real-time data can be used to create dynamic situation reports that enable rescue workers to quickly and comprehensively orient themselves.
- Tobias Bauer presented the “Spatial investigation of the competitive potential between wild bees and honey bees in relation to food availability in northern Germany.”
- Lucas Nesso impressed with his presentation “Mahlzeit” (Mealtime), which, like Tobias Bauer’s slam, was the result of the same student project. Both presentations focused on data processing and evaluation relating to food competition between wild bees and honey bees in northern Germany and showed how important research is for the protection of these species.
- In her slam “Sustainability and Digitalization in the Classroom,” Julia Pargmann highlighted how lecturers can raise awareness among students about these future-oriented topics and teach them in a practical way.
- Dr. Daniel Thewes brought the topic of water quality to the stage: In “Look at the Sea,” he vividly demonstrated how data about our waters is collected and how it contributes to environmental and health protection.
The science slams were developed in close cooperation with Science Slam e.V. – a collaboration that proved to be extremely constructive and enriching. The first step was a targeted search to find exciting researchers from the fields of digitalization, data, and sustainability. Ultimately, seven outstanding “Slammies” were found who were willing to present their research on stage in a creative and entertaining way.
In preparatory workshops, the slammers worked with the team to develop their contributions and received feedback and support in developing their presentations. At the same time, the organizational planning of the event and the accompanying marketing activities were carried out in order to reach a wide audience. The result was a coherent overall package of professional preparation, diverse content, and successful public relations work, which made the Science Slam a special experience.
Data Literacy Education and the Science Slam
The project enabled participants to learn about a wide variety of topics from different fields of research in which data literacy education plays a central role. This always took place in relation to issues of sustainability. The Science Slam not only imparted knowledge, but above all sparked enthusiasm for the topics and encouraged participants to engage more intensively with the underlying research work afterwards. At the same time, the creative and innovative format opened up new perspectives on how science can be communicated in an exciting, accessible, and effective way, while also reinforcing the urgent need to inspire potential future professionals to engage with the future-oriented topics of the Twin Transformation. This showed students how they can communicate their own projects later on.