Science Communication Nature Marsilius Visiting Professorship
The visiting professorship for science communication, established in the winter term 2018/2019, is a joint initiative of the Veranstaltungsforum of Holtzbrinck Berlin, the Klaus Tschira Foundation (KTS) and Ruperto Carola.
With KTS funding, experts are invited to impart in a specialised programme what constitutes high-quality reporting on scientific work and findings. At the same time, they are encouraged to initiate a broad-based discussion on new forms of exchange between science and the public.
With the establishment of the professorship, the three partners hope to sharpen awareness of the growing importance of good science communication. The visiting professorship is intended to aid society in shaping the future through science in the face of increasingly complex research.
A champion of excellent science communication and quality journalism is usually appointed as a guest professor each semester. Along with the furtherance these aims, young researchers are also trained to better communicate their research and findings to the public. The Nature Marsilius Visiting Professorship is located at the Marsilius Kolleg of Ruperto Carola, which serves as a bridge between the scientific cultures in Heidelberg.
Ninth Nature Marsilius Visiting Professorship: Kai Kupferschmidt
Kai Kupferschmidt is a science journalist, presenter and author. He studied Molecular Biomedicine at the University of Bonn and later attended the Berlin School of Journalism. Corresponding for the specialist magazine “Science”, he has been reporting for many years, primarily on infectious diseases and global health. For example, he has been informing on Ebola, Covid-19 and Mpox. He also writes for numerous other German and international publisher and shares his knowledge via the podcast “Pandemia - Die Welt. Die Viren. Und wir.”He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Media Prize of the German Aids Foundation and the NASW Science in Society Journalism Award.
Fireside-Chat
The 9th Nature Marsilius Visiting Professorship will be launched with a fireside chat with colleagues from the Marsilius Kolleg on Monday, 9 December 2024.
Public Lecture
Zwischen Pandemie und Populismus: Verantwortung und Vertrauen im Wissenschaftsjournalismus
Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 7pm, The Great Hall of the Old University
Courses
A: Workshop
Talking Science to Non-Scientists
Co-Instructor: Kerstin Hoppenhaus
1. Course language: German
Tuesday, 10.12.24, 9-13 h (part 1) Guesthouse INF 370, Seminar Room
Tuesday, 17.12.24, 9-13 h (part 2) INF 130.1, Seminar Room 01.105
1. Course language: English
Wednesday, 11.12.24, 9-13 h (part 1)
Wednesday, 18.12.24, 9-13 h (part 2)
INF 130.1, Seminar Room 01.105
Target group: PhD candidates, Postdocs, Professors
How can you talk about your work in a way that is understood by people outside of science? Where do you start? How do you tell a story? And why should anybody care in the first place? In the first session of this workshop we will focus on the differences between scientific and journalistic writing, the power of (the right) words and storytelling. Participants will use what they have learnt to prepare a short pitch about their work.
In the second session a week later we will focus more on storytelling and participants will present their pitches.
B: Career-Talk
Ein Beruf, der (Wissen) schafft?
Course language: German
Monday, 16.12.24, 11-13 h
INF 130.1, Lecture Hall 00.101
Target group: students in higher semesters, PhD candidates, Postdocs
Journalists, press spokespeople, influencers: many people write and talk about science full-time. But what is it exactly that a science journalist actually does? How is it different from other science communicators? And would one of these professions be right for me? In this course, we will discuss the job description of science journalists and science communicators and how to become one.
C: Debating-Workshop
Fakten, Fakes und Volksverdummung: Eine Unterhausdebatte zu Medien und Misinformation
Course language: German
Tuesday, 17.12.24, 15:30 – 17:00 h
INF 130.1, Lecture Hall 00.101
Target group: anyone interested
Climate change? All made up. Covid-19? Half as bad. Vaccines? The real killers! Sometimes it feels like there is no common agreement on a common reality in our society. Why is that the case? What role does (social) media play in this? Will artificial intelligence exacerbate the problem? What can we do as a society? We want to discuss misinformation and disinformation.
D: Workshop
Nerd Immunity: Navigating our Information Ecosystem
Course language: English
Tuesday, 14.01.25, 10-13 h, INF 130.1, Seminar Room 01.105
Thursday, 16.01.25, 10-13 h, INF 130.1, Lecture Hall 00.101
Target group: students in higher semesters, PhD candidates, Postdocs, Professors
Fake news, and rumors, propaganda and post-truth: Worries about misinformation and disinformation are everywhere these days. But what even is misinformation? How do scientists define it and how do they study it? And what are they learning? In the first session of this course, we will encounter many different forms of false and misleading information and how and why they are spreading. In the second session, we will learn about different interventions that scientists are studying to tackle the problem at different levels and what, if anything, we can expect from them.
E: Workshop
Ein Anruf, der (Wissen) schafft?
Course language: German
Monday, 20.01.25, 10-13 h
INF 130.1, Seminar Room 01.105
Target group: PhD candidates, Postdocs, Professors
Monday morning, you receive an email: A journalist is interested in your work and wants to interview you! This workshop will bring light to what you can expect, the journalists expectation, which questions to await and which questions you should answer, even if they are not asked; why you should trust yourself and who you should not trust.
F: Workshop
Lügen und Betrügen mit Vergnügen: Die besten Rezepte aus der Gerüchteküche
Course language: German
Tuesday, 21.01.25, 10-13 h
INF 130.1, Seminar Room 01.105
Target group: PhD candidates, Postdocs, Professors
In this workshop, we will discuss various examples of targeted disinformation, work out where they come from and who has spread them, as well as develop a plan together on how one should tackle them.
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