Where Nanoparticles Dance is an East German Science Slam

When poetry meets science, the best science slammers face off on stage. At the East German Preliminary Round in Potsdam, six talented contestants will compete against each other: from Berlin, Brandenburg, and Saxony. The top two finishers will qualify for the German Championship finals on October 23 at the Berlin Philharmonic.

The rules: Everyone must explain their current research in an entertaining way. They have ten minutes to do so, and at the end, the loudest applause decides who advances.

Here are the Science Slam contestants

• Susanna Wirthgen from Humboldt University in Berlin, a doctoral candidate in political economy, will speak on the “electoral success of far-right parties.” 
• Lisa Klein from Leipzig University Medical Center will give a Science Slam on research into artificial heart therapy.
• Molecular biologist Felix Richter from the Berlin University of Applied Sciences explains why “we let yeast age so that we ourselves don’t have to.”
• Human geographer Florian Breitinger from the Technical University of Berlin presents a “pedestrian assistance system for older adults.”
• Potsdam-based sociologist and political scientist Christoph M. Abels analyzes why people consult Dr. Chat before going to the doctor.
• Tobias Eckardt, a doctoral candidate in chemistry at the University of Potsdam, reports on a “nanodisco,” “where gold and silver particles dance in the light.”

The East German Science Slam Championship is organized by the Waschhaus Cultural Center and the University of Potsdam.