{"id":1240,"date":"2014-08-01T09:46:07","date_gmt":"2014-08-01T07:46:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.embl.de\/?p=1240"},"modified":"2024-11-14T16:28:19","modified_gmt":"2024-11-14T15:28:19","slug":"phds-proteomes-pints","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/events\/phds-proteomes-pints\/","title":{"rendered":"PhDs, proteomes and pints"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The performers certainly delivered. Attendees were wowed by beautiful animated renditions of tiny motor proteins \u2018walking\u2019 along microtubles in the cytoplasm of a cell, dragging their cargo behind them. They reacted with surprise when Daria Ezerina from DKFZ<\/a> concluded her talk by claiming, \u201cFruits and veggies are good for you despite<\/em> their antioxidants.\u201d And, when Paul Costea from the Bork group<\/a> at EMBL distributed cards with the scientific names of different bacteria, they giggled as he announced what each bug did (\u201cThat\u2019s the worst one, that guy gives you syphilis!\u201d) before revealing that bacteria in our bodies outnumber our own cells ten to one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s the worst one, that guy gives you syphilis!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

From the ground up<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The event was the brainchild of Vasily Sysoev, a PhD student in the Ephrussi Group <\/a>in Heidelberg. Long interested in communicating science to non-expert audiences, he decided he wanted to give a talk at a ‘science slam,’ in which speakers tell an engaging story about science in 10 minutes or less and the best story is chosen by the audience. Science slams evolved from poetry slams (verbal poetry competitions) less than a decade ago, and have since become popular in many major cities. But Sysoev discovered that there was no established English-language science slam presence in Heidelberg, Germany \u2013 the closest group being an hour\u2019s drive north and the programme for their next slam in October was already in place. Rather than wait, Sysoev created his own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He found a venue (a centrally located pub), chose a date, put up posters and found scientists from EMBL and other local organisations to participate. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t too difficult to do, actually, and it offered a good way to advertise Heidelberg\u2019s research institutes, because many people living in the surrounding area have no clue what they are,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s what motivated me – I thought it would be a nice way to bring the two communities together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stars of the show<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the most important things was to choose good speakers who would understand that they were not giving a traditional science talk. \u201cPeople come to be entertained. I think that\u2019s the main point, that\u2019s the principle that has to be followed,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scientists\u2019 talks stayed within the field of biology, but covered a range of topics from detecting cancer-causing viruses to the activation of fat burning tissue in response to decreased temperature. \u201cThis was a completely new experience. I have never done a talk like this before,\u201d said Hernando Mart\u00ednez of the Arendt Group<\/a> at EMBL, who gave the first talk of the evening about neuroimaging techniques. \u201cUsually my talks are for scientists, so I use a different kind of language and focus on presenting data. This one required quite a lot of preparation to narrow down what I wanted to say and not focus on the technical details so much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People come to be entertained. I think that\u2019s the main point, that\u2019s the principle that has to be followed.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Mart\u00ednez\u2019s talk featured an overview of different neuroimaging techniques that his lab uses to peer into the inner workings of the brain, and he showed several striking images and animations to help the audience understand their significance. \u201cI used the videos because that\u2019s what engages me, and I thought they would help to engage other people, too,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event was an overwhelming success. Sysoev expected about 25 attendees, but close to 100 showed up. He plans to organise another science slam in early October, and hopes to create a consistent schedule of events for the future, possibly collaborating with other groups. \u201cOf course, my major priority is my PhD – research and publications. But I think it\u2019s a very good skill to learn how to grow something from a seed to a big project,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch a video of a simulation that Hernando Mart\u00ednez showed in his science slam talk:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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