Science lectures in a Bonn Irish pub Astronomy on tap

Endenich · A pub instead of a lecture hall: In Bonn-Endenich, students and young scientists meet in an Irish pub to discuss scientific topics in an entertaining way. Some of them do it with full physical commitment.

David Ohse chooses an unusual way of bringing a dry subject to life in a dialogue with himself.

David Ohse chooses an unusual way of bringing a dry subject to life in a dialogue with himself.

Foto: Sabine Robels

Endenich. A pub instead of a lecture hall: In Bonn-Endenich, students and young scientists meet in an Irish pub to discuss scientific topics in an entertaining way. Some of them do it with full physical commitment.

David Ohse jumps onto the table, squats and moves from left to right, talking to himself. Just like Gollum or Smergold - the character with the personality disorder from the "Lord of the Rings" saga. Microphones are set up at both ends of the table. Ohse speaks into one microphone as Smergold, into the other as his alter ego Gollum. It's about the "treasure". In the case of the astrophysicist, this treasure is not a ring as in the story by J. R. R. Tolkien, but data.

Anyone who came to the lecture on the upper floor of The Fiddlers Pub had to be familiar with the names Gollum, Yoda and Obi Wan from the "Star Wars" films. They should also be interested in research and science, because Ohse's lecture "Research Data Management in a Galaxy Far, Far Away" was presented very vividly, but it still assumed a good basic knowledge around data "treasure." But most friends of the universe have probably grown up with "Star Wars" and "Lord of the Rings".

These friends are a core of about ten students and so-called postdocs, i.e. young scientists who have just received their doctorates but who have not yet really settled into their careers. What they all have in common is a love of astrophysics. They meet every last Tuesday of the month at 7 pm at Fiddler's Pub in Endenich on Frongasse.

They are happy about every visitor who shares their hobby and passion. And it's not always about complicated topics. This was demonstrated by the bingo game following the Gollum lecture. In astro-bingo, no balls were spun, but questions were asked. Answers were written on the bingo sheet. Questions had to be answered such as: Who was the first man on the moon? Or: What was the name of the first satellite in space? And there was a lot to win. Postdoc Sandra Unruh had books, games and posters with her.

Stars, Black Holes and Co.

ost of the lectures, which are held in German and English, are about stars, black holes and everything else that the universe has to offer. Questions are welcome. Lucas Porth led through the evening, his remarks were repeated in English by Maude Charmetant. No later than the start of Astro Bingo, there were no more empty chairs on the upper floor of the restaurant. Those who came too late just sat down somewhere. "We do this mainly for fun," says Porth. And the small group wants to get other people excited about the universe, astronomy and astrophysics.

As far as job prospects for physicists are concerned, no one here is worried. There are plenty of good jobs for good money. However, most people start their studies with the aim of ending up in research, just like Josephine Benna. She has just handed in her bachelor's thesis and wants to take a short break to devote herself to her hobby, horseback riding. "A pony break, so to speak," she explains. After that, a degree in astrophysics is to follow. She'd like to work in research later, studying stars and their formation. But who knows, maybe everything will turn out differently. She's not quite sure yet.

Physicists, mathematicians and engineers can afford to be relaxed when it comes to their future jobs. Research and development is carried out at several locations, including the German Aerospace Center (DLR), private companies and the European Space Agency (Esa). The latter is headquartered in Paris, but also has many branch offices, for example in Cologne-Lind on the DLR premises. And because the students are all more or less fluent in English anyway, the move abroad is open to them.

Incidentally, this has long been true for women as well. For example, Josephine Benna feels absolutely an equal at the university and in jobs. "The older the generations, the lower the percentage of women," she says. But in her generation, women studying physics are quite common.

Idea for the event comes from the USA

Incidentally, the "Stiftung erste deutsche Astronautin gemeinnützige GmbH" (Foundation for the First German Astronaut) has just been founded near Hamburg. Its goal is to put the first German astronaut into space (see info box “Foundation").

But back to the young astronomers in Bonn. The idea of knowledge-conveying lectures in a cozy location originally came from New York. Under the title "Astronomy Uncorked", Meg Schwamb and Emily Rice organized the first lectures in the early 2010’s. These evenings quickly became more and more popular among young students and graduates, who were able to follow the humorous scientific explanations better over a glass of wine than in the sterile lecture halls of their universities.

The lectures spread online worldwide under the name "Astronomy on Tap" and offshoots were established everywhere, including Bonn.

Original text: Sabine Robels / Translation: ck

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