On Tuesday 14 May, a very special event took place in Villach: the 1st International Science Slam, organised by Carinthia University of Applied Sciences (CUAS). That evening, more than 80 people came to the Kulturhof: Villach to support and applaud our Slammers, researchers and students coming from Carinthia, Slovenia and Portugal, who competed in a playful atmosphere to win the vote of the audience.
In front of an almost full house, the eleven speakers presented six pitches explaining their research area in an entertaining and accessible way. Each competitor had six minutes to inspire a very diverse audience, composed of pupils from various schools in Villach, students and staff members of CUAS, as well as sponsors and curious citizens/neighbours. Topics included artificial intelligence, multilingualism and innovation through games (full list below), and the audience was even put to contribution a few times. Embracing the internationality of the evening, the slams were delivered in German, English or even several languages at once.
A warm-up off-competition slam was offered to attendees by the ATHENA coordination teams of CUAS and Maribor, who presented the ATHENA network and its vision for the future of education in a multilingual way: mostly German, with touches of English, Slovenian, French, Spanish and Carinthian dialect.
After the last slam, the spectators were gathered in small groups and had to vote for their favourite pitch, based on originality, creativity, communication skills and how much fun they had watching them. The winners, CUAS lecturer Viktoria Scariano and her Bachelor’s student Matthias Woltsche, received a certificate and an invitation from Bernhard Weingarter, moderator of the day and initiator of Science Slam Austria, to participate in the Science Slam Austria Finale, in Graz on 27 September.
The evening was an entertaining and enriching experience for everyone involved, as science has never been so much fun for many. Research enthusiasts can already rejoice. The second edition of the International Science Slam is already being planned!
Full list of pitches (in running order):
• (Warm up – off-competition) “ATHENA European University: Die Zukunft von Lehre und Lernen an unseren Universitäten” / “ATHENA European University: The future of teaching and learning at our universities”
Saša Grašič (University of Maribor), Melissa Pebayle & Julia Marinaccio (CUAS)
• WINNER “Von Vertrauen und Kontrolle in der medizinischen Bildgebung” / “Trust and control in medical imaging”
Viktoria Scariano & Matthias Woltsche (CUAS)
• “The Warrior’s Dilemma in Saving the World through Social Behaviour”
Marisa R. Ferreira (Polytechnic Institute of Porto)• “Sie will doch nur spielen… oder: Warum wir spielerisch sein müssen, um innovativ zu sein” / “She just wants to play… or: Why we have to be playful to be innovative”
Gloria Bottaro (independent researcher, Carinthia)
• “Der Gesang des O’o – Biogeografie und Klanglandschaftsökologie” / “The Song of the O’o – Biogeography and Soundscape Ecology”
Lukas Hutter (BG/BRG Villach St. Martin)
• “Crafting a Better Future with AI: Where ‘Oops’ Doesn’t Mean ‘Skynet Activated”
Jani Dugonik & Domen Verber (University of Maribor)
• “Sprachenvielfalt: Bringen wir die Welt nach Villach?” / “Linguistic diversity: Are we bringing the world to Villach?”
Devin Majilana, Alina Pak, Hilde Thi Phuong Schweiger & Colin Heller (CUAS)
