The pandemic, scarce energy resources, global warming: Many people place great hopes in scientific expertise. Others distrust it. At the dialog event “Coronakrise, Klimakrise, Energiekrise: Was erwarten wir von der Wissenschaft?“ (Covid crisis, climate crisis, energy crisis: What do we expect from science?) organized by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) on Tuesday, November 15, 2022, citizens are invited to discuss what they expect from science when crises have to be managed individually and as a society. The event (in German) will start at 5.30 p.m. at the TRIANGEL Open Space (Kaiserstraße 93, 76131 Karlsruhe).
In uncertain times, fact-based orientation is in high demand and a frequently highly contested good. Often, science can provide extensive knowledge and present approaches to managing crises. The recent past has shown, however, that conceptions of scientific work may differ considerably from scientific practice, in particular when processes take long or new knowledge appears to be uncertain or contradictory.
The dialog event organized by KIT’s Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) will therefore focus on the question of what the population expects from science in times of a crisis. Which roles are scientists expected to assume in society? In which cases can science give answers and where does it reach its limits? These questions will be discussed by citizens in small groups with each other and with researchers of KIT. In the end, they will formulate their ideas and wishes for KIT’s research and for science in general.
Knowledge and Demands of Citizens Will Be Considered in KIT’s Research
The dialog event is part of the research project “Gesellschaftliche Folgen der Corona-Krise – eine Zeitstudie“ (social impacts of the pandemic – a time study) of ITAS. Within this project, researchers study potential long-term impacts of the pandemic on our society. Their study will present potential solutions for politics, society, and science and help improve the assessment of other crisis scenarios.
KIT is convinced that science should take place in close exchange with society. Since the first KIT Science Week in October 2021, KIT has regularly invited citizens to dialog events organized by researchers of its Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis. The primary objective of these events is to make KIT’s research consider the knowledge and demands of citizens.
Registration
Citizens who wish to take part in the dialog event can register at www.itas.kit.edu/buergerdialog (in German only). The number of participants is limited.
The event addresses persons aged 18 at least from all groups of the population. The participants will be paid an expense allowance. Transport expenses will not be reimbursed. The venue is accessible for the disabled.
Being “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 10,000 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,800 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.