The 50th episode of the podcast "Hirn gehört - Oldenburger Wissensschnack" will be released in May. We spoke to the presenter duo and provide an overview of more podcasts from the university cosmos.
On "Hirn gehört", you meet a scientist every month and ask them about their personal academic appointments, among other things. Have you ever failed at the podcast?
Brüggen: Fortunately not, but just last week we had some serious problems. We always meet with our dialogue guests on a special online platform. At first, access to the platform didn't work technically as usual, then the guest's audio track suddenly disappeared. Fortunately, we were able to solve the problem the next day and save the episode.
The first episode appeared in 2021 when the "Hirn vom Hahn" event series was cancelled due to the pandemic. "Hirn vom Hahn" has long since resumed, but the podcast is still available. Why?
Scherer: We were quickly well-rehearsed as a whole team, so the workload for each individual is manageable. The members of the Oldenburg Network for Science Communication, on whose behalf we make the podcast, take care of acquiring the guests. Bianca and I prepare the content for the episodes and conduct the interviews, and our FWJ student Kim Kea Meinen edits the material.
Brüggen: I always say: we just haven't been cancelled yet. (laughs) We also really enjoy it. You get to know a different person every time and, above all, the person behind the research. It's amazing how many coincidences career paths depend on and how many failures even very successful people today have behind them. In hindsight, you can always give a stringent explanation of a CV, but we tell life from the beginning - and get to see all the twists and turns.
Scherer: At the same time, we dive into a new research topic every time - and the next time into the next one. I love that! Episode after episode, a very diverse body of work has emerged. I think we succeed in creating a nice and safe dialogue situation in which researchers can easily open up, and thus convey a completely different facet to "Hirn vom Hahn".
In the current almost 50 episodes, listeners also learn many private details from your interview guests. Which stories are particularly memorable for you - and why?
Brüggen: When I recommend an episode, it's always episode 13 with the visceral surgeon Prof Dr Dirk Weyhe. He tells the story of how, during his training as an emergency doctor, he was called out to an elderly couple and, through a chain of unfortunate circumstances, dismantled parts of their living room. A really funny story that shows once again that something can go wrong for everyone.
Scherer: I was also impressed by Dr Alexandra Pehlken, who was a guest in episode 3. She told us in a very personal way how she came back to Germany from Canada with a doctorate in engineering, didn't find a job after a year on parental leave and was unemployed for the first time. Today she is a successful researcher at OFFIS. The story of paediatrician Prof. Dr Anne Hilgendorff was also very personal. She wrote her doctoral thesis on people with heart transplants, not realising at the time that she herself would receive a heart transplant years later.
More and more podcasts are being created at the university. What advice would you give to beginners?
Brüggen: You should make sure that listeners can relate to themselves. In our podcast, the focus is on encouraging people, which is why the question of failure is so important in my eyes.
Scherer: Once you have a concept, it's important to stick with it. Consistency is like an anchor in the mind and listeners look forward to the established structures. From a technical point of view, good sound quality is particularly important. The time when people forgave podcasts for bad sound is over.
What are your plans for the future?
Scherer: I sometimes wish for more interaction with the listeners and think about possible participation concepts.
Brüggen: And apart from that, we'll carry on as long as people let us. There are plenty of exciting dialogue partners. The twelve slots for 2025 were already allocated at the beginning of the year.
Interview: Sonja Niemann
