Category: News

We would like to invite you to our colloquium, “Opening up Indoor Vertical Farming – How (not) to Communicate a Novel Food Production System,” on January 23rd at 13:00 (German time).

Dr. Gugganig will discuss how proponents of indoor vertical farming like to herald it as a precise and efficient (urban) food production system that keeps out various nuances, be it pesticides, pathogens, or even humans, as carriers of germs, or imperfect workers that cannot compete with automated systems. This raises the question of what human-plant relations emerge as a result and how to communicate a novel food production system in public spheres when its setup is inherently closed off. Based on findings of a public engagement project, this talk will juxtapose the prominent depiction of vertical farming as a ‘black-boxed’ silver bullet solution for various food and agri-environmental crises with opening up vertical farming as a wider platform for deliberations over the transformation of the contemporary agrifood system.

Dr. Gugganig received her Ph.D. in Cultural and Social Anthropology from the University of British Columbia in 2016. She was a Fellow at the Program on Science, Technology & Society at Harvard University and at the Department for Science, Technology & Society at Cornell University, and a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Ottawa. Since Spring 2023, she has been a Lecturer (akademische Rätin) at the Chair of Life Sciences in Society and an Affiliated Researcher at the Rachel Carson Center, both at the University of Munich (LMU), and she continues to be a Research Associate at the Department of STS at TU Munich.

This is an online event carried out in English. However, questions in German are also welcomed. We look forward to your participation in our lively after-talk discussion! Please register here in advance: https://lmu-munich.zoom-x.de/meeting/register/u5Mpcu6rqzwsHNWeW8_MHfmn64VCP6tlsFMF

More information on each colloquium will be sent to our mailing list as the dates approach. Here you can subscribe to our email list: https://www.mscl.de/mailing-list/ .

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or ideas about possible topics and speakers.

We would like to invite you to our colloquium, “Objective and Subjective Knowledge: “Feeling the truth” and its Importance for Science Communication,” on December 12th at 13:00 (German time).

In this talk, Dr. Helen Fischer will discuss the relevance of objective and subjective knowledge (“Feeling the truth”) for attitudes towards controversial and politicized science such as climate change or COVID-19. She will also show how objective and subjective knowledge shape behavior and why science communicators should be aware of “truthiness,” the phenomenon that some statements ring true irrespective of evidence.

Dr. Helen Fischer is a postdoctoral researcher at the IWM (Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien), working in the Perception and Action research group. Her research focuses on the role of metacognition, specifically insight into the limits of one’s own knowledge, in shaping beliefs about politicized science topics such as climate change and COVID-19. She is also involved in various projects exploring the importance of metacognition in recognizing one’s own thinking biases, such as motivated information processing and in information dissemination in social networks.

Dr. Fischer completed her Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Heidelberg in 2016. She has held postdoctoral positions at the University of Heidelberg and Heidelberg University Hospital, working on projects related to public perception of climate change. In 2019, she was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the German Research Foundation (DFG). She has also worked at the Stockholm Resilience Centre in Sweden and was a guest researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin. She was involved in the Lancet Countdown on Climate Change and Health in 2018, specifically in media coverage of health and climate change, and completed a research visit at the University of Waikato, New Zealand, funded by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation.

This is an online event carried out in English. However, questions in German are also welcomed. We look forward to your participation in our lively after-talk discussion! Please register here in advance: https://lmu-munich.zoom.us/meeting/register/u5codO-rrTspGtL8F9oIxLyb-6-z8clkSsFA

More information on each colloquium will be sent to our mailing list as the dates approach. Here you can subscribe to our email list: https://www.mscl.de/mailing-list/ .

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or ideas about possible topics and speakers.

REGISTER NOW!
07 and 08. December 2023

The Munich Science Communication Lab (MSCL) and the Impact Unit invite you to the joint conference “Evaluation in Science Communication” at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich. The conference will present and discuss current developments, challenges, and future perspectives of evaluations in science communication and will bring together insights from practice and research.

Current discussions show again and again how important a comprehensible, credible, and effective science communication is. Therefore, it is key to reflect on whether projects of science communication are really making a difference, to ask questions about quality, and to discuss what constitutes good science communication. Evaluations are means to check the effectiveness of a science communication project. However, they can also help to better understand the mechanisms of a project and identify areas for improvement.

This conference will provide a space for 1) reflection on current challenges in evaluating science communication, 2) the presentation of learnings and recommendations for the evaluation of science communication from practical and scientific perspectives, 3) the discussion of future developments in science communication evaluation, and 4) exchange and networking among science communication practitioners and researchers in order to foster collaborations and mutual support opportunities.

The conference is aimed in particular at…

• Science communication practitioners (e.g. representatives from communication departments of universities and research institutions, schools, museums/science centers);
• Researchers of all disciplines involved in science communication;
• Scientists with a focus on science communication;
• Science communication trainers

This is an in-person event held in German – however, you can always ask questions and make comments in English if you feel more comfortable.

Location: Oettingenstraße 67, Raum B001 and Foyer

Preliminary program:

We would like to invite you to our colloquium, “Fostering Synergy: Combining Science and Art to Communicate with the Public – Lessons from the Project ¡vamos, simbiosis!” on November 21st at 13:00 (CET).

The interdisciplinary project ¡vamos, simbiosis! uses science-inspired artworks to emotionally connect with people and encourage action in preserving the Mediterranean Sea, which is used as an example to communicate the importance of healthy ecosystems for combating climate change and maintaining well-being and economic stability. This project emerged from a partnership between molecular biology and arts and aims to bridge the gap between science and society. Recognizing the severe threats to the environment, particularly the oceans, caused by human impact, the project seeks to understand the symbiotic connection between humans and the sea in the past and present. Prof. Dr. Annika Guse and Dr. Stephanie Guse will speak about the project itself, its outcomes, and innovative approaches to communicating with the public.

Prof. Dr. Annika Guse is a Professor at the Biology Department at Ludwigs-Maximilans-Universität München. She has a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Vienna, and in her research she aims to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying coral symbiosis as the basis for adaptation to environmental in the past, present and future.

Dr. Stephanie Guse is an interdisciplinary artist addressing societal issues. She studied fine art and communication design at the Braunschweig University of Fine Arts and at the Städelschule Frankfurt am Main. In 2015 she completed a Ph.D. in Philosophy of Art on Thinking Hands, a collaborative drawing method she designed, at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna.

This is an online event carried out in English. However, questions in German are also welcomed. We look forward to your participation in our lively after-talk discussion! Please register here in advance: https://lmu-munich.zoom.us/meeting/register/u5Asf-mgrzktHNNZ9R1sgMGM1O6ij34ZOaz-

More information on each colloquium will be sent to our mailing list as the dates approach. Here you can subscribe to our email list: https://www.mscl.de/mailing-list/ .

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or ideas about possible topics and speakers.

We would like to invite you to our colloquium, “Practicing Transatlantic Science and Knowledge Diplomacy: The German Center for Research and Innovation New York” on October 10th at 13:00 (CET).

The German Center for Research and Innovation (DWIH) New York, as part of a global network of research and innovation centers, was established with the goal of strengthening Germany’s reputation as a land of research, science, and innovation and by providing a platform for leaders in science, technology, and the humanities to deepen transatlantic exchange and collaboration. The DWIH New York thereby offers a unique opportunity to assess practices of science and knowledge diplomacy generally and those that have been established in a transatlantic context more specifically.

Dr. Lüdert will give us a practitioner´s perspective on the evolving field of science and knowledge diplomacy. The talk will a) offer a brief outline of the historical and political context of establishing a global network of German Centers for Research and Innovation (DWIH); b) discuss normative and practical importance as instances of both science and knowledge diplomacy for establishing academic freedom and exchange between researchers, policymakers, and industry; c) illustrate the day-to-day praxis of the DWIH New York through highlighting the work of the center.

Finally, he will invite a discussion on the importance of fostering science and knowledge diplomacy, considering contestations to the liberal order, academic freedom, and science skepticism, amongst others.

Dr. Jan Lüdert is Head of Programs at the German Center for Research and Innovation in New York City. He earned a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of British Columbia (UBC), holds a Harvard Kennedy School Public Leadership Credential, a First-Class Honors MA in International Relations from the Australian National University, and a BA in Public Policy from Hamburg University for Economics and Politics.

He previously served as an Associate Professor at the City University of Seattle, where he was the inaugural Director of Curriculum and Instruction. Dr. Lüdert held positions as Visiting Research Scholar at the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies at City University of New York’s Graduate Center as well as a Research Associate with the DFG ‘Dynamics of Security’ project at Philipps Marburg University. He is an alumnus of Seattle’s World Affairs Council Fellows and UBC Liu Institute for Global Issues Scholar programs.

This is an online event carried out in English. However, questions in German are also welcome. We look forward to your participation in our lively after-talk discussion! Please register here in advance: https://lmu-munich.zoom.us/meeting/register/u5ckd-mqrT8tGt0KcNo5Fs2GFJSpOqv9Nxd0

More information on each colloquium will be sent to our mailing list as the dates approach. Here you can subscribe to our email list: https://www.mscl.de/mailing-list/ .

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or ideas about possible topics and speakers.

We would like to invite you to our colloquium, “Simulation Games on Climate Health as a Teaching Format: Results and Challenges,” on September 26th at 13:00 (German time).

Dr. Michaela Coenen and Brigitte Strahwald, MSc. will report on a simulation game on climate health they developed as a new teaching format. In addition, the results of a cross-sectional study on the knowledge of and interest in Planetary Health in health-related study programs in Germany will be presented.

Dr. Coenen is the Head of the Research Unit for Health Promotion and Prevention and the Course Coordinator of the MSc Public Health at LMU. She has a diploma in psychology and a master’s degree in public health from LMU; and received her Ph.D. in 2005 from the Institute for Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, also from LMU Munich.

Ms. Strahwald is responsible for the coordination of the Pettenkofer School of Public Health. She studied medicine at Université de Rennes 1 and at FAU Erlangen, received a master’s degree in Medicine Ethics and Law from The Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, and a master’s in epidemiology from LMU.

This is an online event carried out in English. However, questions in German are also welcomed. We look forward to your participation in our lively after-talk discussion! Please register here in advance: https://lmu-munich.zoom.us/meeting/register/u5AtdeGgpj4oEty6Nuti8t-yhwG5NRCrJn-5

More information on each colloquium will be sent to our mailing list as the dates approach. Here you can subscribe to our email list: https://www.mscl.de/mailing-list/ .

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or ideas about possible topics and speakers.

We would like to invite you to our second July colloquium “Science in the Firestorm of Social Media: Research between Reach, Participation and Hate” on July 18th at 13:00 (German time).

Prof. Dr. Lena Frischlich will give a science communication-oriented insight into the use, chances, and risks of science communication and reception in social media. In particular, she will examine the dynamics and consequences of hate speech and so-called fire storms.

Prof. Dr. Frischlich is a communication scientist and media psychologist. She studied psychology at the University of Cologne and earned her doctorate there. In 2016, she moved to Münster and into communication science, where she led an interdisciplinary junior research group on democratic resilience. Since April this year, she has held a professorship in Empirical Communication Studies at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich. She investigates how digitalization, on the one hand, creates new opportunity structures for the staging of online propaganda and related phenomena such as disinformation or hate speech and, on the other hand, opens up new possibilities for the support and “empowerment” of media users and the promotion of democratic resilience, “resilience.”

This is an online event carried out in English. However, questions in German are also welcomed.

More information on each colloquium will be sent to our mailing list as the dates approach. Here you can subscribe to our email list: https://www.mscl.de/mailing-list/ .

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or ideas about possible topics and speakers.

If you missed the event, you can still watch Prof. Dr. Lena Frischlich’s presentation here:

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Another shout-out to all the film lovers out there: you are invited to a free open-air screening of the award-winning documentary “Dear Future Children” on July 21st at 21:15. The screening will take place at the garden of Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München at Bernd-Eichinger-Platz 1, München.

For the first time the Public Health Filmfestival (https://www.phff.de/), supported by the MSCL, will be joining forces with Munich’s other film festivals during the Popup Sommerkino powered by M-net (https://www.popup-sommerkino.de/). Each evening another film festival team will be curating a free open-air screening of a film of their choice, allowing you to experience a great spectrum of films over the course of two weeks.

The film “Dear Future Children” is about young activism. It follows three female activists on the protests in Hong Kong against the Beijing-influenced administration under Carrie Lam, the protests in Chile against social inequality in the country, and in Uganda at the local Fridays for Future protests and actions for climate justice.

After the screening, there will be a discussion, hosted by Katharina Wabnitz from the Centre for Planetary Health Policy, about the film and the interrelation of climate, democracy, and equality with our own health. We will look at this topic from the perspectives of scientists and activists.

Do not miss this important film and talk and guarantee your free ticket here: https://rausgegangen.de/events/public-health-filmfestival-dear-future-children-0/

We would like to invite you to our July colloquium “Designing a free online course on planetary health as a science communication method” on July 11th at 13:00 (German time).

Paula Schwenke has a master’s in public health from LMU and is a scientific research associate at the Chair for Public Health and Health Services Research at LMU.

Ms. Schwenke and her team designed a course for the VHB (the Virtual University of Bavaria) about Planetary Health; and in this colloquium, she will provide insights into the development, implementation, and evaluation of an online course as a science communication format. Free accessible online courses offer an easy opportunity to implement the relevant and interdisciplinary topic of Planetary Health, regardless of the human or financial resources of the university.

More information on each colloquium will be sent to our mailing list as the dates approach. Here you can subscribe to our email list: https://www.mscl.de/mailing-list/ .

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or ideas about possible topics and speakers.

If you missed the event, you can still watch Paula Schwenke’s presentation here:

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Open “MSCL Colloquium: Designing a Free Online Course on Planetary Health as a Science Comm. Method” directly