Under the heading of “Public Science: Challenge for University and Society”, the Colloquium Fundamentale in this semester will focus on information transfer between science and society. The series of lectures will start with a presentation by Professor Gerold Wefer, Chairman of the Steering Committee of “Science in Dialog”, on the growing importance of science communication in society. The event will take place on Thursday, April 29, 18.00 hrs, at the NTI-Hörsaal of KIT, building 30.10, Engesserstrasse 5. Admission is free.
The lectures organized by ZAK I Centre for Cultural and General Studies of KIT will focus on modern knowledge transfer in times of globalization. In view of increasing expenses for science and research, science communication will gain importance according to Professor Gerold Wefer. He thinks that information of the public about the achievements and values added of research and education has to be enhanced and that research results have to be made publicly accessible. Gerold Wefer is professor of general geology specialized in maritime geology. Since 2007, he has been directing MARUM, the Center for Marine Environmental Sciences of the University of Bremen, which is funded under the Excellence Initiative. Wefer is member of a number of national and international bodies and science networks. For example, he is president of the German Marine Research Consortium and member of the Senate of the Leibniz Association.
Professor Gerold Wefer will give the first lecture of the Colloquium Fundamentale (photo: Center for Marine Environmental Sciences (MARUM),
Apart from many other renowned awards, the MARUm director was granted the Communicator Prize by the German Research Foundation. As “Scientist of the Year 2006” of the city of Bremen, he was awarded the Entrepreneurs Award for Science Transfer. Since 2006, he has been chairing the steering committee of “Science in Dialogue” (WiD).
Today, the term “science communication” is understood to be both any type of expert-layman communication and interdisciplinary exchange among experts. EU projects within the framework of Science in Society (SIS), such as the European Science Parliament and the foundation of the MASIS Expert Group (Monitoring Activities of Science in Society in Europe), reflect the constant increase in the accessibility of science and steps towards “public science”.
Parallel to new possibilities of communication (Web 2.0), a change is happening. Interactive platforms, such as science blogs or open sharing projects, are established to interactively convey knowledge partly without any institutional support. The range cannot yet be estimated.
A question to be settled by today’s science communication is active citizen participation. Which strategies can be pursued for a democratization of science? This will also be a subject dealt with by the Colloquium Fundamentale during the present summer semester.
Other presentations and speakers: On May 20, Professor Matthias Kohring from the Department of Communication of the Westphalian Wilhelms University of Münster will talk about “Trust in Science by Science Communication?”. On May 27, Professor Ulrike Felt, Chairwoman of the Institute for Science Research of the University of Vienna, will deal with “The Role of the University in Science Society”. Cooperation of university and museums is the subject of the presentation on June 17 by Professor Hartwig Lüdtke, who directs the TECHNOSEUM in Mannheim (State Museum for Technology and Labor, Baden-Württemberg). Information on other dates and subjects of presentations can be found on the homepage of the ZAK at www.zak.kit.edu.
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