There were long queues at the Clubschiene for the first Science Slam. Foto: WWU
Münster (upm), 06. September 2010
A huge number of people came to the first Science Slam in Münster in May, with very last seat at the Clubschiene at the old railway goods station taken. Because it was so successful, the Science Slam is now due to be repeated on Monday, 18 October. The idea behind this scientific competition is simple. A handful of young scientists briefly present their current research project in an entertaining way and try to win the hearts and minds of the non-specialist audience.
The organizers from Radio Q, the university's own radio station, are now looking for contestants for the second slam. "The field of study is unimportant, as is the subject," says cabaret artist and Science Slam presenter Christoph Tiemann. "The main thing is that the audience learns something and the whole thing is entertaining." What Tiemann learnt during the first Slam is that it's not the contestant whose presentation has the most interesting title who wins. Surprisingly, it was the driest subject -‘Registering Medical Images' that won the first Slam. "But the contestant presented it in such a humorous and entertaining way that he won the Golden Brain award in the end."
The young scientists have ten minutes in which to present their research on the stage and they are free to choose their method of presentation. The audience then votes for the Slam Champion. Any undergraduate or doctoral student involved in a research project can enter the competition. Information on the Science Slam can be found at www.scienceslam-ms.de (in German only), where there is also a video showing excerpts from the first Slam in May.