Science Slam
Science Slam
Science Slam at the University of Oldenburg on 17 June 2026 - we are starting to organise it
Info dates (online) for future Slammies
The organisation team is offering three online information events (see dates below), a preparatory workshop for interested slammers on 27 April (registration via Stud.IP: https://elearning.uni-oldenburg.de/dispatch.php/course/details?sem_id=45e339bc4d3e82752417015fe32a687d&again=yes ) and individual coaching sessions for everyone before the slam performance.
Fancy getting into slamming?
Then come to one of our online info events first and get not only important information, but also suggestions for your slam participation:
17.02.2026 at 16.00 at: meeting.uol.de/rooms/pxm-nvm-wkh-82s/join
09.03.2026 at 11.00 a.m. at: meeting.uol.de/rooms/pxm-nvm-wkh-82s/join
09.04.2026 at 12.00 noon at: meeting.uol.de/rooms/pxm-nvm-wkh-82s/join
We look forward to welcoming all interested parties. Participation in an information event or preparatory workshop is not a prerequisite for slamming. However, so that we can plan, we need at least an expression of interest in advance.
Bachelor's thesis becomes a stage hit: Nils Prior reaches the final of the German Science Slam Championship
When a bachelor's thesis becomes a science slam and you compete in the final of the German Science Slam Championship
This is the story of Nils Prior, now a research assistant in the Department of Computer Science Education at the University of Oldenburg. This is the story of Nils Prior, now a research assistant in the Department of Didactics of Computing Science at the University of Oldenburg. He completed our slam preparation workshop in May 2025 and then performed his first science slam contribution for the first time at the Oldenburg Science Slam on 18 June 2025. The applause from our audience crowned him the slam winner. From then on, he travelled to many other stages - including the North German preliminary round in Hamburg at the end of October. He came second and qualified for the final of the German Science Slam Championship, which took place on 15 November 2020 in Düsseldorf. What a fast science slam journey!
As a passionate scientist and communicator, Nils also demonstrated his skills in Düsseldorf and presented himself very successfully. With his unique blend of science, humour and creative presentation design, he was able to inspire the audience and assert himself as one of the best eight German science slammers.
We are delighted that Nils Prior represented the University of Oldenburg at the German Championships and are also looking forward to his presentation at the upcoming Science Slam at the university in June 2026. And of course we wish him continued success in his research and slamming.
Nils Prior is the winner of the 13th Science Slam at the University of Oldenburg
Yesterday evening, the winner of the University of Oldenburg's annual Science Slams competition was chosen. Nils Prior (Master's student of German and Computing Science) wowed the audience with his fascinating slam "Captain Klartext", winning our "The Golden Brain" trophy and €250. He also took home another prize offered by the Klaus Tschira Foundation - an online NAWIK seminar in the field of science communication.
In the completely sold-out auditorium, the audience celebrated the slam contributions of five other slammers from the fields of marine research, mathematics, philosophy didactics, data science/statistics and neuroscience.
The prize of the University's Graduate Academy was awarded to the runner-up, Ann-Kathrin Knak, doctoral candidate in the Department of Big Data in Medicine/Psychological Methodology and Statistics, for her slam contribution "Pizza, Pasta & Post-Covid".
A final important prize, the special prize from the board of the Research Centre Neurosensory Science for the best contribution related to neurosensory science, went to Dhanashree Alshi, Master's student in Neuroscience.
We would like to congratulate everyone on their slam successes and are delighted to have supported them from their beginnings to their stage performance - with a preparation workshop and personal coaching sessions in the run-up to the slam event.
The other three slammers were also able to present their exciting research topics to the audience in an entertaining way, making for a successful evening full of fascination for science. Many thanks also to the audience, who once again made the auditorium tremble.
TODAY is the day - Science Slam competition from 7pm in the assembly hall
Dear registered guests,
Today is the day and the Science Slam competition will take place in the university auditorium from 7pm. We are looking forward to offering you an exciting and entertaining event!
We would just like to ask you to cancel your registration if you are unexpectedly unable to attend or fall ill so that other guests can get their seats.
Otherwise, bring a lot of curiosity and good humour so that it can be another great evening together.
Registration for this year's Science Slam on 18 June 2025 from 7 pm is open
Dear guests,
Admission to the Science Slam event at the University of Oldenburg has been free of charge from the very beginning. Due to the limited number of seats in the auditorium (A11), we kindly ask you to register.
Internal guests, i.e. students, doctoral candidates and employees of the University of Oldenburg, can register via Stud.IP
External guests please write a short informal email with all names of the guests to . You will be added to our guest list and can enjoy the evening with us.
Admission is from 6.45 pm. There is free choice of seating.
Before and after the event, the Studentenwerk will be selling drinks so that you can refresh yourself and chat about the slam contributions.
This year's University Science Slam on 18 June in the Aula (A11)
We are pleased to announce that this year's University Science Slam will take place on 18 June 2025 from 7 pm in the Aula (A11).
The date for the preparatory workshop has also already been set: we will meet on 8 May at 9 a.m. in room 324 in the NeSSy building (W30).
Prior to this, three online info sessions were offered for those interested in this science communication format.
We are pleased about the numerous registrations and queries from the Slammys and are now cranking up the content-related engagement with the research topics that will soon be presented on stage.
We are also taking care of great prizes that every brave Slammy will receive. We already have the grand main prize "The Golden Brain", the prize of the University's Graduate Academy and the prize of the Board of Directors of the Research Centre Neurosensory Science for the best contribution related to neurosensory science. This year, the Klaus Tschira Foundation donated a new prize, namely for an online seminar at NAWIK. Another supporter of our slam event is the Spektrum-Verlagwhich will distribute magazine vouchers to the participants.
As part of the Science Slam event, the UGO Open Science Prize will be officially awarded for the first time this year. The aim of the UGO Open Science Prize is to promote open science projects and initiatives at the University of Oldenburg. The prize is aimed at projects and initiatives that are guided by Open Science principles in their work and actively endeavour to make research results transparent and accessible to the public. It is endowed with €1000.
The anticipation of the 2025 slam evening is sweetened with a video
In a brand new video, we have summarised what all guests can look forward to at the Science Slam event. Many thanks to our two slammers - Muriel and Markus - as well as to the university's media technology & production team and especially to Anna Tenge for the cool video!
Muriel Sudhoff wins the grand prize "The Golden Brain" at the 12th Oldenburg Science Slam
Our newly crowned winner of the 12th Oldenburg Science Slam is
Muriel Sudhoff, a Bachelor's student at the Institute for German Studies. With her cool and entertaining slam contribution "Wenn Helden sich im Wald verirren" (When heroes get lost in the woods), she was able to secure the biggest applause from the audience in the completely sold-out auditorium and was thus crowned the evening's smiling winner.
The prize of the University's Graduate Academy went to Kay Langfeldt, a Master's student at the Institute of Philosophy, with his slam contribution "The Origin of Historical Materialism".
We would like to congratulate both of them on their successes and are delighted to have supported them from their beginnings to their victory - with a preparation workshop and personal coaching sessions in the run-up to the slam event.
The other four slammers also had exciting topics to offer from linguistics, moorland research, geoecology and Computing Science. The evening was enhanced by musical contributions from the band "Sound of Science" and the entertaining moderation.
Tonight (29 May 2024) from 7 pm there will be a competition for the slam trophy "The Golden Brain"
Freshly collected from the glass workshop, our trophy - "The Golden Brain" - awaits its new owner. Six slammers will take to the stage tomorrow in the competition for the coveted trophy and will not only entertain the guests in the auditorium (A11), but will also teach everyone a lot of new things. Be surprised by what the scientists have to offer - knights, aliens, materialism, AI & bogs or even "Abi-Sauklaue".
The anticipation is growing among all those who have organised a seat in time, because it will be exciting, musical and you can also win something!
Many thanks to Kirstin Glaser from the university's glass workshop for the fantastic slam trophy!!!
Unfortunately, the weather gods are not in our favour - no picnic possible due to the weather conditions.
12th Oldenburg Science Slam in the university's anniversary year
On 29 May 2024 from 7 pm there will be slamming again in the university auditorium!
The Oldenburg Science Slam is part of this year's celebratory programme for the 50th anniversary of the University of Oldenburg. The date has already been set: on 29 May 2024 from 7 p.m. there will be slamming again in the university auditorium!
The organisation team has organised a colourful and varied programme to the delight of the numerous interested audience. The Student Union has already agreed to offer drinks in the foyer or, in good weather, outside in front of the building.
We definitely need the favour of the weather gods, as we are planning a picnic before the event! The slam audience can bring picnic blankets and food and the Studentenwerk will sell drinks. Afterwards, everyone will go to the event in the auditorium refreshed and in a good mood - that's our dream ;) And after the event, you can review the individual slams and the whole evening with a drink in your hand.
As every year, in addition to the many slam contributions that compete for the established main prize of the Oldenburg Science Slam "The Golden Brain", there is also the famous and very entertaining Power Point Karaoke at the end of the evening. Two experienced professors from two unrelated fields of research will perform and present each other's slides. There will be more surprises and some prizes to be won during the event!
And at the end, all the brave slammers will be rewarded with lots of adrenalin, fame and applause!!!
REGISTRATION FOR THE EVENT IS CLOSED.
All seats in the auditorium are fully booked. Any remaining seats can only be filled after the registered audience has been admitted if registered guests do not turn up.
Admission is from approx. 6.30 pm. Seating is free of charge.
Questions and ideas about the slam can be sent by email to:
Further basic information about science slams can be found at www.scienceslam.de. You are supporting this year's slam event at the University of Oldenburg through sponsorship.
Winner of the Oldenburg Science Slam 2023 chosen
The winner of the 11th Oldenburg Science Slam has been announced: Maren Bertheau from the Department of Psychology won over the large audience in the auditorium and took home the grand prize "The Golden Brain" as well as the prize money donated by the University Society (UGO). She presented her slam "When autonomous vehicles spin their wheels...an EEG study" and impressed everyone with her self-irony and, above all, her perseverance.
We would like to congratulate her on her success and are delighted to have supported her from start to finish - with a preparation workshop and personal coaching sessions in the run-up to the slam event.
But the other three science slammers also had great slams to offer and presented topics from ocean/climate research, medical ethics and neuroscience. All in all, it was a well-rounded, entertaining and highly successful evening!
Björn Holtze was awarded the special prize of the Board of Directors of the Research Centre Neurosensory Science for his neurosensory-related slam contribution "Mein Gehirn beim Sybenklatschen". He also received the prize of the University's Graduate Academy.
And it's time to slam again: on 29 November 2023 at 7 p.m. in the university auditorium
This time following the UOL doctoral candidates' day
On 29 November at 7 pm we will meet again in the Aula (building A11 on the Haarentor campus) - for the 11th Science Slam of the University of Oldenburg!
Preparations for the Science Slam are well advanced and, as always, the organising team is giving everything to ensure that our large audience can once again experience an unforgettable evening. The slammers take centre stage and will once again present their research topics in a scientifically sound, exciting and entertaining way for 10 minutes. New this year is the link to the University's Doctoral Candidates' Day, which will take place in the afternoon in the BIS Hall.
Registration for guests
Admission to the Science Slam is free of charge, but due to the limited number of places we ask you to register. Internal guests, i.e. students, doctoral candidates and employees of the University of Oldenburg, can register via Stud.IP.
External guests please write a short informal email with all the names of the guests to You will be added to our guest list and can enjoy the evening with us. Admission is from 6.45 pm. Free choice of seats applies.
Registration is closed! Last-minute travellers can see if there are any remaining seats after the registered guests have been admitted. This should become apparent from around 6.55 pm.
Information for the slammers
We have already found some slammers who are preparing for their performance on 29 November in the "Aula" (A11). A colourful mix of topics and research areas will be presented on stage. The courageous slammers will compete for the grand prize 'The Golden Brain' (donated by the UGO in the amount of 250 euros) and the Graduate Academy prize of 150 euros. The special prize of the board of the Research Centre Neurosensory Science for the best contribution related to neurosensory science will also be awarded and there will be consolation prizes in the form of subscriptions to various science magazines.
Organisers and contact
The Science Slam is co-organised by the Research Centre Neurosensory Science, the Graduate Schools OLTECH and 3GO as well as the Graduate Academy of the University of Oldenburg. The organising team of the Science Slam Oldenburg is looking forward to any questions and ideas at
Sponsors
The event is made possible by the support of the University Society (UGO). The publishing house "Spektrum der Wissenschaft Verlagsgesellschaft" and the newspaper "Die Zeit" donate non-cash prizes (subscriptions) for the slammers and thus support the success of the event.
11th Science Slam of the University of Oldenburg on 29 November 2023 from 7 p.m. in the auditorium
Our 10th anniversary in 2022 was great fun and made us even more keen to continue organising science slam competitions at the University of Oldenburg. And we are always trying out new things and this year we are combining the Science Slam with the university's Doctoral Candidates' Day. This will take place on 29 November from 13:00 to 18:00 and will be followed by a slam from 19:00.
To make it another exciting slam competition and an entertaining evening, we are looking for courageous students, doctoral candidates or research assistants who would like to present their research topic on stage in a 10-minute, generally understandable, scientifically sound and entertaining presentation. We are also looking for a so-called "opener" - an experienced professor who will open the evening with a 10-minute presentation outside of the competition.
We are not leaving anyone alone in the run-up to the event, as there have already been three information events (online), a fourth information event is still to come, a preparatory workshop for interested slammers on 12 October 2023 (from 9 am to 12 noon, registration via Stud.IP) and individual coaching sessions for each individual before the slam performance.
And to make everything really exciting, there are also many prizes to be won: the grand prize of the Universitätsgesellschaft Oldenburg e.V., the prize of the University's Graduate Academy, the special prize of the board of the Research Centre Neurosensory Science, subscriptions to scientific journals and several sponsor prizes. And not to forget: lots of adrenalin, fame and applause!!!
Fancy a slam?
Then come to our last online info event first:
09.10.2023 at 17.00 at: https://meeting.uol.de/b/nin-hmv-md9
For expressions of interest and questions:
The winner of the university's 10th Science Slam has been announced: Daniel Hölle from Psychology
On 22 June 2022 at 9.30 pm, the winner of the 10th Science Slam at the University of Oldenburg was announced:
Daniel Hölle, doctoral candidate in the Emmy Noether junior research group "Neurophysiology of Everyday Life" at the Dept. of Psychology, was delighted to receive the grand prize "The Golden Brain" and 500 euros (donated by the UGO). He won with his entertaining slam contribution "Scenes from a marriage. Hums and brains in four acts"
Dr Svea Mahlstedt, an archaeologist at the Lower Saxony Institute for Historical Coastal Research (NIhK) in Wilhelmshaven, won second place and the Graduate Academy prize of 150 euros with her slam entry "Hanglage & Ausblick: von Birkenrinden und anderen steinzeitlichen Immobilien".
The special prize of the Board of Directors of the Research Centre Neurosensory Science for the best contribution related to neurosensory science was presented to Maximilian Scharf, doctoral candidate in the Department of Medical Physics and Acoustics, for his slam "Upcycle 4 Science".
The organising team congratulates all the slammers for their creative and informative scientific contributions and would like to thank all supporters, sponsors and, of course, the large audience in the hall.
It was a great 10th anniversary!!!
The time has finally come:
10th anniversary of the Science Slam on 22 June 2022 from 7 pm
On 22 June at 7 p.m. in the university auditorium (A11), we are offering the audience a very special event: preparations for the Science Slam are well advanced and, as always, the focus will be on the contributions of the slammers, who will present their research topics on stage for 10 minutes in a scientifically sound, exciting and entertaining way. New this year is the link with the 10th anniversary celebration of the Graduate School 3GO, which invites you to a champagne reception after the slam competition.
Information for the slammers
We have found enough slammers to prepare for their performance on 22 June in the "Aula" (A11). A colourful mix of topics and research areas will be presented on stage. The courageous slammers will compete for the grand prize 'The Golden Brain' (donated by the UGO in the amount of 500 euros) and the Graduate Academy prize of 150 euros. The special prize of the board of the Research Centre Neurosensory Science for the best contribution related to neurosensory science will also be awarded and there will be consolation prizes in the form of subscriptions to various science magazines.
Registration for guests
Admission to the Science Slam is free of charge, but due to the limited number of places we ask you to register. Internal guests, i.e. students, doctoral candidates and employees of the University of Oldenburg, can register via Stud.IP. External guests please write a short informal email to Registration is open from 07.06.2022.
ATTENTION: Registration has been closed as all available places have already been taken.
Important information for guests
Due to the corona-related restrictions still in place within the university, we must inform you that all guests may only enjoy the Science Slam competition with a mask.
Organiser and contact
The Science Slam is co-organised by the Graduate Schools Oltech and 3GO, the Research Centre Neurosensory Science and the Graduate Academy. The organising team of the Science Slam Oldenburg is looking forward to any questions and ideas at
Sponsors
The event is made possible by the generous support of the EWE Foundation and the University Society (UGO). The publishers "Spektrum" and "Science Notes" as well as the newspaper "Die Zeit" donate non-cash prizes for the slammers.
Science podcast instead of science slam
"Hirn gehört: Oldenburger Wissensschnack"
The University of Oldenburg's Science Slam, organised under the leadership of the Research Centre Neurosensory Science, could not take place in 2020 due to the global coronavirus pandemic. To ensure that the region continues to benefit from Oldenburg as a centre of science and that entertaining stories from everyday research are told, we looked for new formats and allies to continue science communication and to bridge the long lean period until normal events can take place again.
And we initiated a podcast - together with our partners from the Science Communication Network - an association of several science organisations from Oldenburg and the surrounding area.
With the title "Hirn gehört: Oldenburger Wissensschnack" we want to reach as many interested people from the region as possible - pupils and students, inquisitive citizens and researchers from all scientific disciplines. Exciting scientific topics and entertaining stories from research are presented. The aim is to illustrate how science really works and what drives researchers. There will be no lack of regional references, but the personalities of the researchers interviewed will not be neglected either. All in all - the kind of (knowledge) chat that Oldenburg residents also like over the garden fence.
From 21 January 2021, you can listen to it on all known free podcast providers (e.g. Spotify, podcast.de, Deezer, Tuneln, Player.fm, Fyyd). A new episode is published every 3rd Thursday of the month.
Link to podcast.de: www.podcast.de/podcast/940387/
Link to Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/3BCnmo7hAqKMN4aTEe7fc2
Link to Hirnvomhahn.de: hirnvomhahn.de/podcast/
The podcast is hosted by the experienced science slam presenter duo Dr Bianca Brüggen and Jens-Steffen Scherer.
No science slam event in June 2020
Dear fans of the Oldenburg Science Slam,
It is with great regret that we have to announce that due to the current corona situation and the resulting organisational planning uncertainty, the slam event in June 2020 has to be cancelled. In connection with the 10th anniversary, we wanted to offer you a special event with a lot going on and unfortunately this is currently not feasible. The organising team has not yet decided on a possible alternative date. However, we will keep you informed on this page about all current developments in this regard.
Your Science Slam organising team
Oldenburg Science Slam celebrates its 10th anniversary on 17 June 2020
This year, the Oldenburg Science Slam is celebrating its 10th anniversary! On 17 June 2020, we will gather in the university's "Alte Aula" (A11) and offer the interested public a very special event. Preparations are already in full swing and, as always, the contributions of the slammers will take centre stage.
The organising team would therefore like to encourage all those potentially interested in taking part to get in touch as early as possible, ask questions in advance and let us support you.
As in previous years, there will be a preparatory workshop in science communication and science slam. The workshop date is 16/17 April 2020 and can be booked via the Graduate Academy website. The workshop will provide a basic insight into journalistic work and the rules of journalistic writing. Using the example of the science slam, participants will also have the opportunity to present their own research in an understandable and entertaining way - the ideal warm-up for a relaxed appearance at the next science slam that hits the nail on the head!
In addition to the preparation workshop, we offer personal coaching sessions to enable the slammers to present their research topics for 10 minutes on the stage of the university's "Alte Aula" in a scientifically sound, exciting and entertaining way.
We are hoping for numerous expressions of interest and courageous slammers to compete for the grand prize "The Golden Brain" (endowed with €150 and sponsored by the University's Graduate Academy)!!! The Research Centre Neurosensory Science Board Prize for the best contribution related to neurosensory science will also be awarded, as well as many other prizes and awards.
Also this year we have the support of Scienceslam.de again this year.
The organisation team of the Science Slam Oldenburg is looking forward to any questions and ideas about the anniversary Science Slam at:
The winner of the 9th Science Slam at the University of Oldenburg has been announced
Florian Denk, research assistant and doctoral candidate in the Department of Medical Physics and Acoustics, is the beaming winner of the 9th Science Slam at the University of Oldenburg. He received the grand prize "The Golden Brain" for his slam contribution "Weird shapes, great acoustics - an ode to the ear" and lots of applause in the completely sold-out Exerzierhalle of the State Theatre.
The NWZ devoted a long article to this year's Science Slam in its issue of 6 June 2019:
The university's press office also reported on the event:
uol.de/news-detail/an-ode-an-das-ohr-3362/
All in all, the organising team is delighted that it was possible to bring such great young scientists to the stage again this year and to give the audience an unforgettable evening.
Preparations for the 9th Oldenburg Science Slam on 5 June 2019 are already in full swing
"And every year the groundhog greets us" ... because we have been organising the next Science Slam at the University of Oldenburg for two months now. This will take place on 05.06.2019 at 20.00 in the Exerzierhalle of the State Theatre. For the ninth time, young scientists from the University of Oldenburg will be giving diverse and entertaining scientific presentations on the most bizarre and fantastic fields of research and their work. Anyone who has always toyed with the idea of presenting their research outside of laboratories and conferences should contact the organising team as soon as possible at: as soon as possible.
On 24 April 2019, there will be a "kick-off" in the form of a workshop on science communication in preparation for the Science Slam.
Satisfied audience and happy organisation team after the 8th Science Slam at the University of Oldenburg
All the organisational efforts paid off and the 8th Science Slam evening in Oldenburg once again went perfectly.
Unique this year and much to the delight of the board of the Research Centre Neurosensory Science was that all the slammers came from the neurosciences. This is certainly also due to the fact that the research centre's office has been in charge of organising this great event from the very beginning. The special prize of the Research Centre's Executive Board was awarded to Charlotte Beelen, doctoral candidate in the DFG Research Training Group "Molecular Basis of Sensory Biology" for her contribution "Seeing Super Sense".
A Slam-O-Meter specially programmed for the Oldenburg Science Slam also celebrated its premiere this year, recording the thunderous applause of the audience for the individual slam contributions and ultimately helping to select the winner of the evening - Jens-Steffen Scherer, Master's student in Neuroscience, took home "The Golden Brain" this year.
All in all - a super successful and very entertaining evening in the Exerzierhalle of the Oldenburg State Theatre!
All further information can be found in the official press release of the University of Oldenburg:
Orga team starts preparations for the 8th Oldenburg Science Slam on 15 May 2018
The time has come again and we are publishing the call for the next Science Slam on 15.05.2018 in the Exerzierhalle of the State Theatre. Anyone who has always thought about presenting their research outside the labs and conferences has come to the right place.
On 12 April 2018, there will be a "kick-off" in the form of a workshop on science communication in preparation for the science slam. New this year is the coaching by the experienced slammer and slam presenter Bianca Brüggen, who will offer you tips and tricks for your slam performance.
So please register at:
7th Science Slam on 17 May 2017 went perfectly
The 7th Science Slam at the University of Oldenburg is now history. It was a wonderful evening with great slam guests, funny power-point karaoke and a great audience.
The organising team would like to thank all the slammers, the friendly presenters and all the supporters of the annual Science Slam!!!!
Nina Gaßmann
(on behalf of the organising team)
And here is the article from the NWZ about the slam evening.
Advance booking for the Science Slam starts on 12 April 2017
For the seventh time, young scientists from the University of Oldenburg will be offering diverse and entertaining scientific presentations at the Oldenburg Science Slam on 17 May 2017.
Prof Jutta Kretzberg, Professor of Computational Neuroscience, will open the popular science competition with "Ode to the leech - a biological view of everyday university life".
You can still apply to be a slammer and take part in the preparatory workshop on 24 April 2017. The participation fee of 30 euros will be paid for the slammers. They will receive lots of ideas, helpful tips and plenty of motivation from science journalist Tim Schröder and last year's winner of the Oldenburg slam, Dr Bianca Brüggen.
Last but not least: advance ticket sales (price 5 euros) are available exclusively from the Staatstheater Oldenburg and start on 12 April 2017.
Science Slam 2017 on 17 May 2017 - Call for Slammers -
Dear interested Master's students, doctoral students and research assistants,
if you would like to take part in this year's Science Slam, please get in touch with the organising team and reserve your place as a slammer at the Oldenburg Science Slam 2017. You can find all the details in the linked file.
We are looking forward to your re-registering students:
Announcement of this year's Science Slam on 17 May 2017 at 20:00 in the Exerzierhalle
This year, the Oldenburg Science Slam will once again take place in the Exerzierhalle of the State Theatre. All interested spectators are already cordially invited to attend and watch the diverse and entertaining scientific presentations. So please make a note of the date and look forward to further details soon. Prof Jutta Kretzberg, Professor of Computational Neuroscience, will be the evening's "opener".
All interested young scientists who would like to slam should contact the organisation team soon:
Young neuroscientist wins the grand prize at the 6th Science Slam
Full house at the university's 6th Science Slam on 30 May 2016
Students and young scientists from the University of Oldenburg treated around 150 spectators to an entertaining and educational evening in the Exerzierhalle of the Oldenburg State Theatre on Monday. In front of a sold-out audience, they competed against each other in the university's 6th Science Slam. The audience voted on the winners - based on their scientific content and entertainment value - and three "slammers" went home with a prize: Bianca Brüggen, Maurits Halbach and Oliver Richters.
The individual slam contributions on Monday evening centred around the question of whether fish have a three-second memory and a cartoon that graphically illustrates the distinction between nature and society. The audience also learnt what a particularly sensitive light microscope can reveal about the retina, why the model of the economic cycle conflicts with the laws of physics and how the bond between pastors and church members could be strengthened in the future. The colourful variety of topics was exemplary of the wide-ranging and interdisciplinary fields of research that are researched and taught at the University of Oldenburg.
The winners at a glance:
1st place: Bianca Brüggen (PhD student, Neurosensorics/Dept. Neuroscience working group, FK VI), "Super Mario Bros. Are they on the same side?", Grand Prize of 500 euros, donated by the Oldenburg University Society (UGO)
2nd place: Maurits Halbach (student, WG Biodiversity and Evolution of Animals), "Clownfish Circus", 150 euros and a journal subscription, donated by the Graduate Academy and Spektrum der Wissenschaft Verlagsgesellschaft
3rd place: Oliver Richters (PhD student, Economics/FK II: Computing Science, Economics and Law), "Das Perpetuum Mobile in Wissenschaft und Praxis", journal subscription, donated by Spektrum der Wissenschaft Verlagsgesellschaft
Further participants:
Petra Strohmann (PhD student, AG Marketing, Business Administration, School 2: Computing Science, Economics and Law) and
Yen Sulmowski (scientific MA, Research Centre "Genealogy of the Present", FK IV)
The event was organised by the Research Centre Neurosensory Science, the Oldenburg State Theatre, the Graduate Academy of the University of Oldenburg, the Graduate Schools for Humanities and Social Sciences (3GO) and for Science and Technology (Oltech) and the DFG Research Training Group Sensorybio.
The largest sponsor of the event was the Universitätsgesellschaft Oldenburg (UGO); "Spektrum der Wissenschaft Verlagsgesellschaft mbH" sponsored several subscriptions for the event participants.
Science Slam 2016 on 30 May 2016 from 20:00 in the Exerzierhalle
This year's Science Slam will take place on 30 May 2016 in the Exerzierhalle of the State Theatre.
The event, which is taking place for the 6th time, is being organised by the Research Centre Neurosensory Science in co-operation with the Oldenburg State Theatre and with the support of the Graduate Academy of the University of Oldenburg, the two Graduate Schools for Humanities and Social Sciences (3GO) and for Natural Sciences and Technology (Oltech) as well as the DFG Research Training Group Sensorybio. In addition to the Research Centre Neurosensory Science and the State Theatre, this year's sponsor is Spektrum Wissenschaftsverlag as part of the "Nature Publishing Group". Further sponsors have been approached.
The first Science Slam call is currently underway for Master's students or doctoral candidates from the University of Oldenburg who would like to present their research projects to an interested audience as slammers at the event and compete for the coveted prizes in the scientific competition.
In principle, any research topic can be presented. You are also completely free in your presentation. Whether with or without aids, singing, dancing, speaking or as a frontal lecture with PowerPoint - in the end, the audience judges the slam contributions according to the scientific value and entertainment value of the performance.
Support will be provided in advance in the form of a workshop on science communication on 25 April 2016, led by science journalist Tim Schröder and offered by the university's Graduate Academy.
Expressions of interest in appearing as a slammer at this year's Science Slam should be sent to the following email address:
Here is the link to the full Science Slam call.
Science Slam 2015
The 5th Science Slam of the University of Oldenburg took place on 12 May 2015.
The event was organised by the Research Centre Neurosensory Science, the Graduate College SensoryBio and the Graduate Academy in co-operation with the Oldenburg State Theatre. The audience in the sold-out Exerzierhalle enjoyed the entertaining presentation of highly complex scientific contexts. The five doctoral and post-doctoral slammers presented a wide variety of topics: Derik Behrens from the Zoophysiology and Behaviour working group reported on the sense of orientation of desert ants to the position of the sun. Oliver Richters, who studied physics, amazed the audience with his economics-orientated doctoral thesis at the Institute of Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment. Junior professor Jannika Mattes described to the interested audience the rocky road of an innovative idea before it becomes a success, based on the introduction of a new drug. Jörg Robin explained the physical background of amplification through stimulated emissions of light, which creates lasers. The last slammer, Nicolas Palanca Castan, illustrated the function of the brain using mathematical models or the brain processes of a barn owl.
A very colourful mix of topics and young researchers, which were met with rapturous applause from the audience.
Derik Behrens impressed the audience with his confidence on stage and the witty way in which he communicated science and was therefore crowned Science Slam Winner 2015.
Congratulations to him!
Science Slam celebrates its 5th birthday
Science Slam in the Exerzierhalle celebrates its 5th birthday - €150 prize money
The Science Slam for young scientists at the University of Oldenburg will take place for the 5th time on 12 May 2015. This time, the slam is being organised by the Research Centre Neurosensory Science (FZN), the graduate college SensoryBio and the Gaduiertenakademie in co-operation with the Oldenburg State Theatre.
At the Science Slam, the (young) scientists have 10 minutes to inspire the audience with their research question. The audience awards science points for quality and originality for knowledge transfer and slam points for entertainment. Whoever is best able to convey scientific facts and current research findings to the audience in this way will go home with prize money from the Graduate Academy totalling 150 euros.
Last year, slammers from the fields of neurobiology and hearing research, planktology and biology as well as technomathematics took part. This year, participants from the humanities and social sciences are also welcome.
The slammers will be supported and prepared in advance by science journalist and poetry slammer Tim Schröder in a workshop on 24 April 2015. However, participation in the workshop is not a formal requirement for registering as a slammer.
So if you are still secretly watching Sendung mit der Maus or wondering how to explain your own research at the next party, you are just as welcome to register for the Science Slam 2015 by email at as those who were already enthusiastic about the format after the last Science Slam.
Science Slam 2014
Few event organisers can boast of having to send interested guests back home. It is even more amazing when it is a scientific event that communicates hard scientific facts and research results in an entertaining way, thus educating a broad audience and presenting the latest scientific findings. The Science Slam of the Research Centre Neurosensory Science (FZN), the Graduate School of Science and Technology (OLTECH), the Research Training Group Sensorybio and the Centre for Lifelong Learning (C3L) took place for the 4th time on 20 May 2014 in co-operation with the Oldenburg State Theatre. This year, slammers from the fields of neurobiology and hearing research, planktology and biology as well as technomathematics competed and were judged by the audience according to two criteria: the scientific value and the entertainment value of their presentation. For the first time in the history of the Oldenburg Science Slam, the audience chose a female scientist, biologist Laura Verbeek, as the winner of the evening. She secured the "Golden Brain" trophy as well as a travel voucher to attend a seminar. Runner-up Michael Bottesch received a further education voucher from the Centre for Lifelong Learning, while the other participants received small consolation prizes. The audience and slammers were unanimous - science slams are cool and next year no interested guests will be sent home! The happy winner of this year's Science Slam Laura Verbeek (centre) with the "Golden Brain" trophy surrounded by her competitors (from left): presenter and last year's Science Slam winner Steffen Kortlang, presenter Anja von Maydell, mathematician Dr Mathias Knauer, marine biologist Dr Heidi Wichmann and neurobiologist Dr Michael Bottesch (all photos: Nina Gaßmann)
There was a lot of emotion beforehand...
Michael Bottesch wanted to "hug" the audience ....
Mathias Knauer loved everyone.... Heidi Wichmann's presentation got off to a fast start... Laura Verbeek marched through ponds, pots and meadows in wellies and that ultimately won her the competition. Congratulations to all participants and especially to the beaming winner!
Science Slam 2013
This year's Science Slam began with an exclusive interview with the star guest of the last slam, Knut the leech. 
This got the audience in the mood for four contributions with the great presenter Mario Filsinger. The crowd was so large that the Exerzierhalle was not only filled to capacity, but many interested people could only watch the slam from the foyer. 
Sebastian Menze - guest slammer from the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven - won over the jury with his presentation "Welsh for beginners" about seal and whale songs in the Antarctic. The three Oldenburg slammers all come from working groups at the Research Centre Neurosensory Science and demonstrated how multi-faceted this research focus is. 
Sara Jonkers gave an insight into the language acquisition of modal verbs in Dutch and was fortunately able to answer her opening question as to whether all Dutch children are "dictators" with no, as the frequent use of the word "moeten = must" merely serves language development. 
Stefanie Enriquez-Geppert demonstrated a type of neuro-feedback training. Together with her colleagues, she was able to show in a live EEG that theta wave activity in the brain can be increased simply by imagining a "rotating laptop". Such a self-directed increase in activity leads to an increase in everyday cognitive performance - and to the delight of all the students present - even when studying for a 
Steffen Kortlang delighted the audience with his alien from the OHR-ION. He let the audience listen to different sound examples and was amazed at how well the audience could hear. The alien and the audience were taken on a short trip to the psychoacoustics laboratory and the data analysed. Whether it was the Alien's spontaneous healing - or the fresh, cheerful manner with which Steffen Kortlang was in favour of his topic - he was in any case crowned the winner of the evening and got to take home the "golden brain". All the slammers will visit the local NDR studio in June and, thanks to the numerous donations, go out for a nice meal together afterwards! All photos: Hartger Holm-Grünberg
Science Slam 2012 - "The golden brain"
All photos: Hartger Holm-Grünberg
Derik Behrens has encouraged all people with hearing problems that the tests with "his" mice will soon make it easier to analyse hearing problems and enable a differentiated diagnosis.
Science Slam 2011 - Successful mix of science and show
By Mark Brueggemann | 24 August 2011 |
Presenting science in an entertaining way - that's what science slams, which are now organised in many German university cities, are all about. On Tuesday evening, the Oldenburg slammers met at the "Polyester" club. The audience showed great interest in the competition between the academic entertainers.
"How many Wechloyers are here?" asked presenter Mario Filsinger to the audience. About two thirds of the visitors to the science slam raised their hands. Filsinger is satisfied. "People also live and research in Wechloy," he realises. "That's what we want to show tonight." And how. Three young researchers from the Wechloy campus and Toralf Neuling as the lone fighter from the Haarentor campus are competing for the title of best science slammer this evening. The evening has been organised by the Graduate School of Science and Technology, the Research Centre Neurosensory Science and the Transregio 51 Roseobacter Collaborative Research Centre at Carl von Ossietzky University.
Mario Filsinger
A further survey reveals that many of the guests at the event are attending a so-called slam for the first time. So Filsinger quickly explains the rules: The young researchers deliver a ten-minute science show - then the audience votes. "In Germany, there sometimes seems to be an incompatibility between science and entertainment," says Filsinger. They want to change that with evenings like this. "And you're all AStA tonight."
From Guttenberg to Nobel Prize level
In fact, the so-called AStA - meaning the jury - consists of five groups that come together from the audience. After each performance, they hold up a spiral pad with ratings from one to ten. "One means zu-Guttenberg level," explains Filsinger in advance. "Three to four is quite nice - at some point it should be enough for a junior professorship. A ten, on the other hand, is the ticket to the Nobel Prize." There are also comments to choose from in the jury's blocks, which are also diligently held up: "Hello mum!", "Marry me!" and, Guttenberg affair and no end: "Was that you?"
Thomas Greve
The scientific community is on a first-name basis this evening. The draw means that Irene performs first, then Nadine, Robin and Toralf in turn. Before the competitors are allowed on stage, Thomas Greve shows them how it's done. The member of staff at the Institute of Physics and winner of the Hanover Slam competition gives a presentation on "hydrothermal carbonisation" (HTC). To do this, he first puts a herb called "fluttering pea" in the cooking pot. He does not heat it up to 200 degrees, as would actually be necessary in his self-developed biobin reactor. However, he explains the principle of his HTC research eloquently and entertainingly: the biomass continuously heats itself up in the reactor, the heat goes straight back into the process and coal is produced. In contrast to other processes, this is completely CO2-neutral.
Jealousy in the bird world
Irene van den Heuvel
After the butterfly rush, it's time for the red-bellied shrike. Biology doctoral candidate Irene van den Heuvel is studying it. The African bird owes its name to the fact that it likes to regurgitate indigestible food scraps. But that is not van den Heuvel's topic: her research question is why not only the males but also the females of the red-bellied shrike sing - in a duet. There are various hypotheses about this "duetting" - from joint defence of territory to mate guarding to mutual mate recognition. "The duets probably serve to ensure that the partners recognise each other and that the wrong one doesn't get something on its beak," explains van den Heuvel. She receives 34 points from the already sweaty audience in the packed "Polyester". Perhaps a slammer should have spoken about ventilation concepts in small event spaces?
Nadine Jacobs
The following lecture is also "animalistic". Nadine Jacobs from the Institute of Pure and Applied Chemistry takes to the stage with a toy duck. Her topic is the "duck dance in a beaker". "Chemists are not artists, they need templates for every drawing," says the doctoral candidate before explaining how experiments with electrodes (cyclic voltammetry) are used to create diagrams in the shape of a duck. "22 points" says the jury even after repeated voting - presenter Mario Filsinger makes it clear that he would have expected more.
Toralf Neuling
Toralf Neuling from the Institute of Psychology wondered why his perception nods off ten times a second. He is investigating this with the help of electroencephalography, a method for measuring electrical brain activity. This involves recording the voltage fluctuations on the surface of the head. Neuling's presentation was worth 35 points to the audience - and so it was clear that the previous speaker had won the competition: Robin Knecht from the Institute of Physics has written a drama modelled on Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" based on the effect of solar cells. "The Most Excellent Lamentable Tragedy of Electreo and Holiet" is the title of the PowerPoint-based "play", which scored 38 points. Knecht not only secured the Science Slam trophy - a brain in a jar - but also a congress scholarship worth 1000 euros.
Picture below: The winner Robin Knecht All pictures: mbr
