Celebrating 8 years of the doctoral programme Atoms, Light, and Molecules: Cutting-edge research and training in physics

Keynote talk: Black Holes, Aliens, and the End of the Universe: Science Communication in Astrophysics by Suzanna Randall

Programme, Monday 03.06.2024, 03.00 pm

Registration: here

Words of welcome by

- Gregor Weihs, Vice-Rector Universität Innsbruck
- Georg Kaser, Vice-President FWF
- Jakob Wolf, Member of the Tyrolean Parliament

Celebration DK ALM 8 years plus – looking back and forward
- Roland Wester, speaker DK ALM
- Francesca Ferlaino, cospeaker DK ALM

Moderation: Roland Wester

Keynote talk on Black Holes, Aliens, and the End of the Universe: Science Communication in Astrophysics by Suzanna Randall

Reception and Exhibition of selected posters of DK ALM PhD students

Content of the keynote talk:

The mission of science is not only to acquire new knowledge but also to share its findings with the public. Within the broad spectrum of science communication, the dissemination of astrophysics represents a particular challenge, but also a unique opportunity. After all, Astronomy and space are topics that fascinate almost everyone. On the other hand, the concepts to be conveyed are often highly complex and demanding, leading many people to feel intimidated and adopt the attitude of ‚I don‘t understand this anyway!‘.

As a scientist at the European Southern Observatory (ESO), presenter at the ZDF YouTube channel Terra X Lesch & Co, and in my freelance work as a speaker and author, my goal is to explain (astro)physical concepts in an understandable and scientifically accurate manner, while also entertaining my audience. In this talk, I will share my experiences on the challenges I faced - and how knowledge transfer in physics can nevertheless succeed.

Suzanna Randall with a PhD in Astrophysics from Université de Montréal, Canada, in 2016, has been working since 2010 at ESO, European Southern Observatory, and ALMA, the world’s largest millimeter telescope. Since 2019 she has been attending the training and education to become an astronaut. Suzanna works also as a moderator and speaker.