Jena. Scientists speak their own language. You will fail trying to understand, what they are talking about. So far, so common? Not at all! Dr. Johannes Krug, postdoc at the Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI), recently proved this is wrong. The 31-year-old took part in a Science Slam in Jena. And he won the competition.
Goal of the event: to present a research topic within just ten minutes in an easy, understandable way. Krug’s topic was a fish called klara, which by the way attracted international attention this spring. In March, the research group of Prof. Christoph Englert, of which Krug is a member for the first time generated a transparent killifish (Nothobranchius furzeri). So age-related processes can now be studied in living organisms. This breakthrough in Jena was widely reported in the media. And so it’s only natural Krug has now chosen this topic for the competition. His catchy, easy-to-understand presentation, accompanied by videos, took him to the top.
"It is certainly challenging for scientists to explain their work to public in an easy way. Competitions like the Science Slam are a nice opportunity to practise," says Krug. He hopes to have inspired the audience, most of them biology and biochemistry students. And, of course, Krug hopes, this series of events will continue.
The Science Slam was organized by the junior GBM Jena and btS - Life Sciences Studierendeninitiative e.V. in Jena. The association offers support on the path from the first semester to starting a career. In particular, events such as the Science Slam create opportunities for getting experience and for networking.
