Rossendorf Researchers Participate in Talent Contest

News published on Jan 27, 2012

Denise Reichel and Julia Osten (both from the Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research) were confident enough to participate in the “FameLab Saxony – Talking Science” contest which was held on Tuesday evening in the jam-packed basement of the Moritzbastei, Leipzig’s historic cultural center. The idea behind the competition: Every participant has exactly three minutes to present his or her research topic in an exciting and creative manner – and, above all, to make it understandable even to non-experts. In so doing, anything goes: Musical instruments, stuffed toy animals, costumes – as long as it’s not the usual PowerPoint presentation.

Even though Ms. Reichel and Ms. Osten did not win, they had a lot of fun. “It was a thrilling experience and a well-organized event, but our competitors were actually too good,” notes Denise Reichel, who had explained to the audience how difficult it is to measure temperatures under extreme conditions.  “That’s like trying to find a firefly in front of the sun,” she says.

The winners were selected by an expert jury that included, in addition to the Scientific Director of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Prof. Georg Teutsch, and Leipzig University’s Vice Rector for Research and Young Academics, Prof. Matthias Schwarz, also the editor of the science magazine GEO, Johanna Wieland, and Dr. Jörg Junhold, Director of the Leipzig Zoo and President of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). The winners will now represent Saxony in the FameLab Germany finals in Bielefeld.


  • Please read the UFZ press release here.