Fit for Masterclasses – Science Communication Workshop in Bad Honnef
How do you explain to young people what a neutrino is, how an artificial neural network works, or why we need gigantic particle detectors? What should be considered to give a talk that is clear, educational, and at the same time engaging? And how does one become a good science communicator? These questions were at the heart of the bilingual workshop for science communicators, which took place from November 2 to 4 at the Physikzentrum Bad Honnef.
The goal of the workshop was to train participants to become confident speakers and to prepare them for their role as communicators within the Netzwerk Teilchenwelt. In this capacity, they conduct masterclasses for young people, introducing them to modern particle physics. The workshop was organized by science communicators Sebastian Laudage and Laura Rodríguez Gómez from the Netzwerk Teilchenwelt hub in Bonn and was funded by the Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Foundation.
A total of 18 participants gathered at the Physikzentrum on Sunday afternoon. Coming from nine different institutions, the undergraduate students and doctoral researchers brought with them a wide range of prior experience. The main speaker of the workshop was science communication expert Evelyn Stahl. The former science journalist first introduced the participants to the theoretical foundations of effective public speaking. Junior Professor Slavomira Stefkova complemented this with insights from her teaching experience in university lectures.
To put the newly learned methods into practice, participants prepared short presentations, which they delivered in front of the group and recorded on video. The subsequent feedback sessions presented a particular challenge: watching oneself present on video and identifying something positive about it. The group and the instructors provided valuable, constructive feedback. During these personal coaching sessions, each participant received individualized input on their presentation style, helping them identify personal areas for improvement.
After this intensive working phase, everyone welcomed a more relaxed evening program, provided by the Bonn Physics Show. Founded in 2001, the Physics Show is a student initiative in which physics students write and perform theatrical pieces combined with physics experiments. In a lively presentation featuring humorous sketches, five members of the Physics Show explained how such performances are created, sang a song from a Physics Show musical, and demonstrated how planets form using cotton candy.
On the final day, the workshop concluded with an excursion into board and card games as tools for science communication, led by science communicator David Ohse. Working in small groups, participants developed ideas for conveying their research through formats such as a deck-building card game, a board game, or an escape room.
During breaks and in the evenings, there was ample time for personal exchange within the group. Participants played games, discussed fan theories about their favorite TV series, and shared best-practice experiences from previous masterclasses. In the final feedback round, the group emphasized the friendly and supportive atmosphere throughout the workshop.
Overall, the response to the workshop was very positive. Participants left the Physikzentrum highly motivated to apply the concepts and methods they had learned in future talks and masterclasses.
