Science for Everyone!
Soapbox Science Munich will host Dr. Yoolim Kim and other women scientists talking about their research at Max-Joseph-Platz on 24 July
Science is complicated, dry, out of touch with reality and always done by white-haired old men, right? Soapbox Science Munich is convincing us otherwise for the fourth time. On 24 July, 2021, women scientists will talk about the latest findings of their research at Max-Joseph-Platz in Munich - standing on soapboxes and free from complicated technical terms or lengthy PowerPoint presentations. This year's topics range from analogue circuits, laser physics, antibiotic resistance and teenagers’ sleep rhythms to our immune system or 3D-printing organs. Half of the talks will be in German, the other half will be in English.
Soapbox Science Munich is part of the international initiative ‘Soapbox Science’. This initiative aims to get science and research out of the ivory tower and bring it to the people by literally taking science to the streets. Soapbox Science also aims to challenge stereotypical gender roles in the context of scientific careers by increasing the visibility of women scientists and their work in the general public via their talks.
At a Soapbox Science event, women scientists come together in a public square to introduce themselves and their research, while visitors and passers-by can ask questions and discuss with the speakers. Since 2011, around 2000 women scientists worldwide have taken part in Soapbox Science to talk about their research. Over 1000 people visited the Munich Soapbox Science events in 2018 and 2019. The talks at Odeonsplatz also received extraordinarily positive feedback from the visitors.
This year’s talks in Munich will feature Dr. Yoolim Kim of The Mint (Minds & Traditions) research group at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany. Dr. Kim will get on her soapbox at 15:00 and invite us to consider how we organize words in our minds and how the way words are written may affect this organization. The goal of the talk, titled “Can the way we write shape the way we speak?”, is to support a better understanding of the diversity of writing systems across the world's languages.
The Munich organising team now consists of 16 women scientists from nine different countries and works on a voluntary basis to realise the event. Soapbox Science Munich is financially supported by research institutions of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich and the Technical University Munich as well as by industry partners (Airbus, Chromotek & BESA).
For inquiries regarding Soapbox Science Munich 2021:
Email: soapboxsciencemunich@gmail.com
Facebook: munich.soapbox
Instagram: munichsoapbox
Twitter: munichsoapbox
LinkedIn: Soapbox Science Munich
Youtube: Soapbox Science Munich