‘Frank(l)y Science’ is the new format for science slams at the Eschborn K cultural centre in Frankfurt. On 18 January, on the initiative of FIAS PhD student Jonas Elpelt, such an event will take place in the local cinema for the first time.

The evening will be hosted by Mathilde Himmelreich and Thorsten Conrad, two successful science slammers who both have a doctorate in physics from Goethe University. They will lead through the entertaining evening, during which young researchers from various disciplines will present their work to the general public in a captivating way. This enables an open exchange between academic research and all interested parties, who can learn new things in an entertaining way even without any prior knowledge of the subject. 

‘Contemporary science communication is very important,’ says Jonas Elpelt. ‘Research should be accessible to everyone in order to strengthen confidence in it and publicise new findings in an easily understandable way.’ In this way, he also represents the values of FIAS - and has already contributed to FIAS events. 

Jonas Elpelt is currently conducting research in the FIAS Senior Fellow Matthias Kaschube's working group in the field of theoretical neuroscience. He uses computer-aided data analysis and modelling to investigate the spontaneous activity of neuronal networks and their effects on forgetting processes. It is not only in his scientific work that he tries to track down the cognitive principles of creativity; he also devotes his free time to creative writing and poetry slams, a modern form of poetry competition. Derived from this are science slams where scientists present their research topics to a wide audience within a given time. Elpelt is hoping for lively participation in ‘Frank(l)y Science’, which could be continued as a series if the premiere is successful. 

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