DFG Science TV enters the second round
Ten researchers selected by the German Research Foundation (DFG) documented their activities over the past year with a video camera. The DFG is now showing the resulting films, which provide authentic insights into the scientific work, on the Internet
The first season of DFG Science TV already offered interesting facts in an entertaining form. Like a tourist, Professor Frauke Kraas always took the video camera with her when she went on an expedition to the megacities of the world. But her notes from Delhi and Dhaka, for example, were made far away from the tourist routes.
Rather, they document Kraas' work in those parts of the metropolis that can hardly be governed by state administration and where chaotic forms of self-organization are developing. How do such urban structures arise, in which direction are they developing and how can these processes be regulated – if necessary? The anthropogeographer from Cologne tried to answer exactly such questions. With her recordings she also proved that the proverbial jungle of the big cities often lives up to its name.
Last year her visual research diary "The City of 5 Million" formed the Science TV pilot project together with those nine other scientists. The DFG has now started the second season of the online project. From now on, they will be published in three-minute episodes each Tuesday on www.dfg-science-tv.de and are primarily intended to get young people excited about science.
Like last year, the subject areas of the films are wide-ranging: "The Wave Hunters" are on the trail of gravitational waves, in the "Search for a Cure" feature, zebrafish are used for Alzheimer's research, and drilling in the "polar climate archive" can also be used Scientists looking over their shoulders. Finally, "Love à la Darwin" takes a look at the question of what inner values and evolutionary biology have to do with one another. So after twelve weeks and a dozen entries per diary, we will know a little more about that too.
Christian Tack
