Florian Klimmer wins the ‘Owl of Wisdom’ award

On 14 November 2023, it was that time again: at the Applied Science Slam Vol. 8, four slammers took to the stage to present science and research to the audience in an entertaining way. Just under 200 guests gathered for the event in Lecture Theatre G0.01 at Lothstraße 34. The popular professor duo Michael Sachs and Georg Eggers hosted the evening with a song they had written themselves and their witty commentary. The musical act featured singer Julia von Miller, grandniece of the famous Oskar von Miller, accompanied on guitar by Dieter Holesch. In the end, the audience’s applause decided who would win the ‘Owl of Wisdom’ trophy.

When science meets
humour The four participants proved with their slams that science doesn’t have to be dry and boring. First up was Matthias Paulat, a student with a bachelor's degree in Printing and Media Technology at the Department of Technical Systems, Processes and Communication. In his slam, he playfully explained how to achieve the seemingly impossible and demonstrated his point through an interactive activity in which the audience tried their hand at a realistic drawing. Patrick Hanisch, a staff member at the Department of Engineering and Management, took a look back at history to illustrate which fears are recurring in the debate surrounding ChatGPT and how we can overcome them.

Following a musical interlude and a break, slammer Florian Klimmer, a Master’s student at the Department of Mechanical, Automotive and Aeronautical Engineering, took to the stage. His humorous approach to explaining ‘thermal spraying’ to the audience drew plenty of laughter and even more applause. The evening concluded with Sarah Seiler from the Department of Applied Social Sciences, who delivered a poetry slam-style performance on the last generation, civil disobedience and political activism.

The ‘applause meter’ decides
: the guests are the jury – that’s the rule. The ‘applause meter’ measures and evaluates the volume of the applause for each slam. With thunderous applause, the audience crowned Florian Klimmer the winner of the evening – he triumphed at the HM’s eighth Science Battle and took home the ‘Owl of Wisdom’ trophy.

You can watch winner Florian Klimmer’s entire slam on YouTube.

Constance Schölch