Award for innovative science communication

The University of Tübingen awards the science communication prize to DZPG scientist Professor Dr. Tobias Hauser and the young talent prize to Dr. Michael Kienzle. Tobias Hauser receives the award for his awareness campaign on obsessive-compulsive disorders, Michael Kienzle for his broad-based dialogue with the public about his research on castles and medieval aristocracy. The prize is part of the University of Tübingen's excellence strategy and honours innovative and successful science communication by its researchers. The jury consists of science journalists, researchers, and other experts in the field of communication.
 
‘On behalf of all members of the university, I congratulate Professor Dr. Tobias Hauser and Dr. Michael Kienzle on their award,’ says Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. (Dōshisha) Karla Pollmann, rector of the University of Tübingen. ‘At the same time, I would like to thank the two researchers for making the findings from their years of research available to the general public, involving people and thus allowing them to participate in science, which in turn creates understanding. This forms the indispensable basis for our society's trust in research.’

Information campaign: the issue of compulsion

Tobias Hauser is conducting research into obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a mental disorder. He is particularly interested in why it usually occurs during adolescence. The scientist is investigating how neuronal networks develop in adolescents, how they affect behaviour, and how altered development can lead to OCD. The jury was impressed by this nomination because the neuroscientist and his team have developed an awareness campaign in addition to their research.

‘We were impressed by the modern approach to communication, which uses many channels to reach both those affected and the interested public,’ said jury chair Professor Dr. Monique Scheer, Prorector for International Affairs and Diversity at the University of Tübingen. The campaign includes a modern, bilingual website www.ocdandthebrain.com/de, YouTube videos, traditional press work and social media, such as the cooperation with influencer Jessica Teitz, who herself is affected and runs the Instagram channel @freiheitundvertrauen. ‘We were convinced by the fact that Tobias Hauser and his team are committed to entering into a dialogue and pursuing the goal of a direct, immediate exchange,’ says Vice-Rector Monique Scheer. This is succeeding both in terms of the facts of the research results and with the necessary sensitivity for those affected.

Living history event shows life in the 13th century

Michael Kienzle is a research associate in the sub-project ‘Resource Exploitation and Dominance in the Middle Ages: Castles and Monasteries’ of the Collaborative Research Centre ‘Resource Cultures’. He is investigating the emergence and development of the medieval noble rule of Greifenstein in the Echaz Valley near Pfullingen (Reutlingen district) from an archaeological and historical perspective. The archaeologist and historian and his colleagues are continuously making the project accessible to the public, for example through events, videos, publications, and press conferences.

The jury was particularly impressed by last year's exhibition ‘Ausgegraben! Ritter und Burgen im Echaztal’ (Excavated! Knights and Castles in the Echaz Valley), which presented the results of the excavation campaigns and research. ‘Michael Kienzle designed and built the exhibition with students and organised a living history event especially for the opening, which gave the public an insight into medieval life in the 13th century here in the region,’ says Vice-Rector Monique Scheer. ’We were impressed by this committed way of making our cultural heritage visible.’ In addition, the project content was made visible to the public through several film projects, some of which Michael Kienzle directed himself. This has been documented on the website www.greifenstein-projekt.de, for which Michael Kienzle was editorially responsible, since the project started in 2021.

The Tübingen Prize for Science Communication has been awarded annually since 2021. It is intended to motivate scientists to communicate more about their research. The main prize is 10,000 euros, and the young scientist prize is 5,000 euros. The award for 2025 will be presented in a public ceremony. The exact date will be announced later.

Source: Press release of the University of Tübingen