First-hand knowledge - also digital

In 2019, the first Kassel Science Night had attracted numerous visitors to the Kulturzentrum Schlachthof. Due to the current Corona situation, the event team had to reschedule this year and therefore moved Science Night 2020 to the digital. Thus, on November 17, scientists from the University of Kassel once again presented their research topics to the public and invited not only to listen and watch, but also to participate at the first digital Science Night. Around 250 visitors accepted the invitation and joined in the experiments.

 "Once again, it's a very special atmosphere," Vice President Prof. Dr. Ute Clement opened the evening. "We see why science communication is so important every day on the daily news," Clement said. The Covid 19 pandemic illustrates the need for scientists to communicate, she said, and thus forgoing this year's Science Night was not an option. With exciting lectures, videos, science quizzes and live experiments, the participants and moderator Sascha Vogel braved screen fatigue.

What do physicists actually have to do with an ELCH? Are bananas really threatened with extinction? And how can artificial intelligences cooperate? Scientists answered these and many other questions at Science Night. Florian Knauer, for example, reported on the vulnerability of consumers when making online purchasing decisions, and Daniel Koch illustrated some of the mistakes made in recruitment campaigns by the German armed forces.

With a humming flute and color-changing cocktails, the presenter also created a spirit of research at home and curiously lured even the youngest children in front of the computer. The regional science communication initiatives CoLab e.V. and Science Bridge e.V. also enriched the program with a science quiz and illustrated the immune defense of bacteria. Afterwards, detailed 3D worlds at Mozilla Hubs offered a new virtual experience. There, visitors could take their time exploring the rooms and had the opportunity to talk to the scientists.

For those who missed the event, the video of Science Night will be available for viewing on the website starting December 1, where you can also continue to visit the scientists' digital exhibit at Mozilla Hubs: www.uni-kassel.de/go/sciencenight

The event is the conclusion of the further qualification project "Communication School" of the Graduate Academy of the University of Kassel and is funded by the Hessian Ministry of Science and Art as part of the study structure program.

Contact:

Gianna Dalfuß
University of Kassel
Graduate Academy
Tel.: +49 561 804-2427
E-mail: gianna.dalfuss@uni-kassel.de