Science slams: opening our view of the world

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Carly Russel still remembers what she thought last year when she won the CAS Science Slam with a talk about lichen: “Nice to know I haven’t lost it!” The biologist has practical experience in making science understandable for everyone. When she was still living in her home country, the United States, Russel worked at an aquarium in Utah, where she would explain to people of all ages how coral reefs work and what happens when invasive species are introduced into an ecosystem. “That was good training,” she smiles.

Russel is doing a doctorate at the Chair of Systematics and Ecology of Fungi and Algae at the Faculty of Biology. Her favorite subject is lichen. The doctoral student could talk for hours about these symbiotic communities of fungi and algae: what they look like, what they feel like to the touch, and how little we actually know about them, even though they span the entire planet. Whether Arctic tundra, tropical rainforest, or Bavarian paving stones – lichens are everywhere. Even in the LMU Main Building on 17 June, when it plays host to the CAS Science Slam on the theme “One Planet – Many Questions,” in which Carly is taking part.

The next science slam takes place just over a week later, organized by the Munich University Society (MUG) under the patronage of LMU Vice President Beatrice Lugger. Participating scientists will be competing in three categories: Science Talk, Freestyle, and Poetry Slam.

“Our researchers not only produce outstanding scholarship – they also have a remarkable ability to inspire people with their work. Science slams provide a wonderful stage for this, and I hope all participants are rewarded with enthusiastic applause. By sparking curiosity, making people laugh or reflect, and offering insights into both their research and their day-to-day work, they make science accessible, relatable, and engaging for a broad audience,” says Beatrice Lugger.

Munich University Society is holding its science slam in the Walther Straub Lecture Hall for the fifth time in a row. A newcomer to the event is Dr. Richard Paktiaval. The PhD in medicine has a clear goal: “I want to make people laugh.”

MUG Science Slam: the loudest applause is winning

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Paktiaval has tried his hand at stand-up comedy on various stages around Munich this year. Now he wants to combine humor with science. For him, science slams are a classic form of edutainment. “The audience is entertained and can learn things at the same time.” And he also benefits from the experience. While performing, he can express his creative side: “Some people play a musical instrument; others paint; I work with communication and language.”

At the MUG Science Slam, the decibel meter decides the outcome, with the loudest applause winning. For his performance, Paktiaval has prepared a presentation on the topic of cosmetic medicine: about Botox, ambiguities, and the zeitgeist. “The human body concerns everybody, so I think it should go down well,” he says.

Inspiring and entertaining

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Law student Isabelle Rödel is addressing a very different topic. In February, she took part in a mock trial at the Chair of Criminal Law and Criminology. To this end, she attended several court hearings at the Munich Criminal Justice Center and even appeared in a lawyer’s robe – as a defense attorney delivering a closing argument she wrote herself. “Performing a poem before the court is not the done thing,” says Rödel. At the MUG Science Slam, by contrast, it is welcomed. And so Rödel reworked her closing plea for the Poetry Slam. “Many people still see law as dry and boring. I want to prove the opposite. Slams should entertain – that’s what they’re for.”

Rödel likes performing at poetry slams in general, including at Bahnwärter Thiel. She’s already published some of her texts in book form. Writing helps her better understand herself and complex subjects. She is glad to be returning to the MUG Science Slam, where she performed a text about justice and legal philosophy two years ago and felt the energy of the audience: “It’s always a nice evening where people can find inspiration for their life and their art.”

Sparking curiosity to make the world a better place

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At the CAS Science Slam, which is being held in cooperation with the LMU Graduate Center, Carly Russel will talk about lichen again this year. “I want to build a bridge between nature and people, who feel alienated from it,” she says. Scientists in general, she feels, should be better at communicating their research in an accessible manner. She herself grew up with wonderful science communicators like Steve Irwin and David Attenborough, with scientific TV programs that inspired curiosity. “If we have more people who are interested in science and the planet, together we can ensure that the world remains a beautiful place.”

After the last science slam, Russel recalls, a spectator approached her, thanked her for her presentation, and told her that she’d always cleaned the lichen off her house. Until this moment, she did not know that lichens were living organisms. “The science slam opened up her world a little,” observes Russel. “There’s no better feeling.”

Taking research out into the world

Joanna Joy Hunsmann, research associate and doctoral candidate at the Department of Psychology, is embracing the challenge of the CAS Science Slam for the first time. She feels that speaking in front of large groups of people is an important part of a researcher’s life. After all, research findings are not meant just for textbooks, but also for people’s lives – and importantly, the information should be correct. In the area of psychology in particular, there are a lot of myths flying around on social media: “We’re the ones who accumulate and possess the knowledge. So we should also disseminate it in a way that people can understand.” Her topic is overthinking and post-event processing – that is to say, negative thought spirals such as can occur after social interactions.

These thoughts, Hunsmann explains, are entirely normal to a certain extent. “But when they become rigid and excessive, they can pose a serious risk to mental health.” She wants to use the science slam to shine a light on this topic and help people. “It’s important that we package our research in accessible language. Only then is there is a chance that everyone will hear it.”

Science slams at LMU Munich

No fewer than two science slams are taking place at LMU in June:

The CAS Science Slam with the title “One Planet – Many Questions” is being held at the LMU Main Building on 17 June, starting at 7:00 p.m.

For more information, see: CAS Science Slam

The MUG Science Slam is being held in the Walther Straub Lecture Hall at LMU’s Institute of Legal Medicine on 25 June, starting at 6.00 p.m.

For more information, see: MUG Science Slam