Latest news from science communication

The topic of artificial intelligence is attracting more and more public attention. And this will increase when ZDF and 3sat take on the topic from mid-September - with a six-part fictional series (‘Concordia - Tödliche Utopie’), which will be available in the ZDFmediathek from Saturday, 14 September 2024, 10 a.m.

‘Life in Concordia is free, fair and familiar, monitored by cameras and an AI. When a resident is murdered and hackers infiltrate the system, the community threatens to break apart.’ (Source: ZDF, translated from German)

Here, in a nutshell, is the most important information:

Representative survey

ZDF has also commissioned a representative survey of 1,000 young adults on the subject of AI, which, according to the broadcaster, will also be included in contributions to the programme focus. ZDF has also already announced the first results: When asked ‘Would you be willing to be completely monitored by an AI if you were guaranteed personal security and data protection in return?’, 35.8 per cent of respondents agreed somewhat or even completely. And 43.9 per cent could imagine having a chip implanted that would monitor their health in real time and have the data analysed by an AI.

AI at the University of Bayreuth

At the University of Bayreuth, which is a member of the international AI Alliance for the development and promotion of open technologies for artificial intelligence software, models and tools, the topic of artificial intelligence is also becoming increasingly important. The university recently launched a new research infrastructure - the Research Centre for AI in Science & Society (RAIS2). This central platform for sharing AI expertise at UBT connects researchers, developers and users of AI methods across all faculties. Here, experts jointly address the current social, economic, ecological and technological challenges and opportunities that AI brings with it.

Specifically, the research centre is based on these pillars, which are to be further expanded in the future:

AI Technology (Lead: Prof. Dr. Anton Schiela) – The theoretical and methodological basis for RAIS2's research and teaching activities is bundled here.

AI for Life Sciences (Lead: Prof. Dr. Jörg Müller) – This pillar brings together expertise in the identification and development of AI methods for answering questions in the life sciences, as well as the acquisition of knowledge in the life sciences using artificial intelligence methods.

AI for Materials (Lead: Prof. Dr. Johannes Margraf) – The combination of AI in materials science and experimental materials research illustrates the interdisciplinary nature of the Bayreuth campus. A unique selling point with national and international visibility is expected.

AI for Business and Industry (Lead: Prof. Dr. Agnes Koschmider) – The importance and volume of data is also continuously increasing in business and industry, which is increasing the demand for methods to analyse data efficiently and use artificial intelligence effectively. This pillar is specifically dedicated to these applications, also in close cooperation with the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Bayreuth.

AI in Society (Lead: Prof. Dr. Lena Kästner) – Modern AI systems are increasingly permeating our everyday lives. Against this backdrop, this pillar poses the question: What impact does the widespread use of AI have on modern society?

AI for Environmental Sciences (Lead: Prof. Dr. Lisa Hülsmann) – The aim is to utilise the increasing wealth of data to gain knowledge and make predictions on environmental issues and to develop solutions for current problems such as climate change, environmental pollution, habitat loss and species extinction.

The professionalisation and further development of science communication is picking up speed across Germany. The limitation: the speed and dynamics of realising these goals vary from state to state. This is the result of a study by the so-called ‘Transfer Unit’, a joint project of Wissenschaft im Dialog gGmbH and the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. According to the Transfer Unit, the federal states have different priorities: 

• Science communication in the sense of technology transfer has been more firmly established to date, but the social dimension of science communication is gaining importance.
• Some federal states focus more on knowledge transfer and the application of scientific knowledge, e.g. in industry and business – other federal states have a more normative perspective on science communication as a social task with a broader public as the target group.
• Science communication in the sense of technology transfer is more firmly established, but the social dimension of science communication is gaining in importance. Despite the differences in terminology and priorities, the overarching objectives are very similar, e.g. creating legitimacy for science, increasing competitiveness, shaping a cultural change within science and providing services for the common good (e.g. scientific education, counteracting misinformation and disinformation).
• Above all, the federal states create structural incentives so that primarily universities, but also foundations, academies, museums and other local stakeholders can realise the envisaged goals in practice.
   

Below you will find a link to the Transfer Unit website. There you can download both the comparative study on science communication in Germany ‘Status Quo in the Länder’ and the in-depth study on Bavaria.

The city of Bayreuth is honouring the work of the ‘forum1.5’ initiative with the Umwelt- und Naturschutzpreis 2024 (Environmental and Nature Conservation Award 2024), according to Mayor Thomas Ebersberger, who announced that the city council had passed a resolution to this effect at its last meeting before the summer break.

The ‘forum1.5’, writes the city in a press release, ‘is a platform for all those in Bayreuth and the region who are dedicated to a climate-friendly future and want to play an active role in shaping the path to a sustainable future.’ It is based on an initiative of the Chair of Urban and Regional Development at the University of Bayreuth under the direction of Professor Dr Manfred Miosga. ‘The forum has developed from a university research project into a recognised platform for the discussion of climate protection and climate adaptation issues,’ said Mayor Ebersberger. It stands for an open and constructive exchange between science, civil society, business and politics. It is therefore also an excellent example of how worthwhile it is to bring scientific findings into urban society. Science communication has an impact! The city's environmental and nature conservation prize is awarded every two years and is endowed with 2,500 euros. This is the 22nd time that the ‘forum1.5’ has been honoured with the Environment and Nature Conservation Prize. A list of all previous award winners can be found on the city's website at:

DFG honours outstanding achievements in science communication with 50,000 euros in prize money.

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) has announced the ‘Communicator Prize – Wissenschaftspreis des Stifterverbandes’ for 2025. The prize is awarded to scientists or a research team for outstanding achievements in science communication and is endowed with 50,000 euros. The prize is intended to motivate researchers from all disciplines to make their scientific work and their subject area accessible to a broad audience in a particularly innovative, diverse and sustainable way, thus promoting dialogue between science and society, according to a statement from the DFG and the Stifterverband.

Both self-applications and nominations are possible. The competition is aimed at researchers working at universities and non-university research institutions in Germany. With the award and the prize money, the DFG and Stifterverband want to support the award winners in further developing their activities in science communication. Applications and proposals can be submitted via the DFG's elan portal until 30 September 2024. Further information can be found here: Communicator-Prize 

Tübingen team was the 2024 award winner

In 2024, the Communicator Prize went to the ‘Cyber and the City’ team – Ulrike von Luxburg, Professor of Machine Learning Theory, Tim Schaffarczik, PhD student in Empirical Cultural Studies, and Thomas Thiemeyer, Professor of Empirical Cultural Studies (all from the University of Tübingen). They received the 50,000 euro award for their outstanding and diverse scientific communication in the development and realisation of the exhibition ‘Cyber and the City: Künstliche Intelligenz bewegt Tübingen’.