Soapbox Science @ HHU
Mary Ngigi, currently mentee of the SelmaMeyerWISS-XV group, has been participating in the last 2 years either as a Speaker or in the organizing team in the Soapbox Science Rheinland event. The event is meant to promote the visibility of women in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and to break the common stereotype of what a scientist looks like, in this case young female researchers present their work in precise easy-to-understand words to the general public while standing on a "Soapbox".
Soapbox Science, founded in London in 2011 by Seirian Summer and Nathalie Pettorelli, with the above-mentioned goal to promote female and non-binary scientists. The concept was adopted in 16 cities and 14 countries all over Europe. Soapbox Science Rheinland is the regional group with researchers from the Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf (HHU), the University of Cologne and other universities from the Rheinland. On August 5, you can listen to the next Soapbox science event at the Schadowplatz Düsseldorf from 13:00 to 16:00 (1 pm – 4 pm) Come and hear about 12 exciting scientific pitches, including one of our mentee Laia Segura Broncano. Laia already presented her pitch on the first Sustainibilty Day at HHU (Read more).
Check this link to learn more about the last Soapbox Science in Cologne in June.
I feel very empowered as an early career researcher after having participated in the Soapbox Science Rheinland event. This annual event provides a platform where scientists engage with the public and I got the chance to summarize my research findings in very precise and easy-to-understand words, hence breaking the barrier between what happens in the lab and what the public sees or knows.
