Science – not fiction: schools students portray scientists

Many people might perceive the scientific world as a foreign world. Even though studying natural sciences at school, pupils seldom get into direct contact with researchers. The film project „science – not fiction“ allowed scholars to look behind the scenes and to interview young scientists about their motivation, daily routine, business travelling, and the very special moments in their professional life.

Dr. Franziska Günther, formerly PhD student and postdoctoral researcher at Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, was one of the scientists portrayed last summer. In the meantime she moved on to the Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology pursuing new research questions. This too is a characteristic for the science world that might seem odd to many people.

With the support of the local radio channel OKJ and the film studio mExtra, the school students created appealing film portraits. They will be projected on the Jena Planetarium dome before the family shows hopefully encouraging young people to strive for a scientific career.

The successful multimedia project was supported by ECO-Schulstiftung Jena, OKJ, witelo, the Zeiss Planetarium Jena, the Ernst-Abbe-Foundation, and mExtra film production.