Many people, especially in rural areas, feel increasingly excluded from science and research. While urban areas benefit from a growing variety of science communication offerings, comparable formats are largely lacking outside of cities. This structural divide contributes to a loss of trust in science, which is predominantly publicly funded.
The online event organized by the OeAD Center for Citizen Science addresses this challenge and presents selected best practice examples that open up new approaches to science with low-threshold, real-life formats. Using concrete projects as examples, participants will discuss how science communication in rural areas can be strengthened and sustainable bridges between research and society can be built.
Guests on the podium
Ursula Liebmann is the managing director of the Austrian Library Association. Austria's numerous libraries fulfill an important role as local service providers and places of scientific education. With their nationwide network, they reach people in rural areas and serve as a bridge between science and society.
Robert Obermair conducts research at the University of Salzburg and is network coordinator for ERINNERN:AT Salzburg. As part of the Places of Remembrance project, he involves the local civilian population in the province of Salzburg in concrete remembrance work by offering workshops.
Philipp Schrögel is a visiting scholar at Chemnitz University of Technology and the Bonn Lab for Analog Games and Imaginative Play. In the Heimspiel Wissenschaft project, he brought science communication with project partners to rural areas: scientists return to their hometowns and talk about their research at public events, engaging in conversation with local residents.
Evelyne Selberherr is a microbiome researcher and associate professor at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna. She heads the Sparkling Science project Micro-Tramper, in which schoolchildren explore the world of microorganisms and engage in conversation with passersby at agricultural fairs and livestock auctions.
Moderator: Xaver Forthuber (Ö1)
You can register for the event HERE.
