01.04.2011: A new take on science - young communication designers creatively demonstrate research topics

Students of the Gutenberg Intermedia course at Mainz University of Applied Sciences launch "Skop - a communication laboratory for science and design"

How much pork sausage do I consume compared to other Germans? How many animal species live in the nature conservation area of Mainzer Sand? Which words appear most frequently on the homepages of Mainz's research institutions? Questions such as these will be answered by students of the Gutenberg Intermedia course at Mainz University of Applied Sciences as part of "Mainz - City of Science 2011" during the next three months via the "Skop - Communication Laboratory for Science and Design." The ground floor of the Mainz market houses simultaneously serve as their work stations, exhibition sites and as a meeting point for visitors.

"Get out of the so-called 'ivory tower;' the 'Skop - Communication Laboratory for Science and Design' has hit the nail on the head. It is here in the market houses in the city center of Mainz, that science is being communicated. I would especially like to thank Wohnbau and Entega, whose support has enabled the 16 young communication designers from Mainz University of Applied Sciences to record their full creativity in these centrally located facilities," said Mayor Jens Beutel.

The university of applied sciences students have made it their goal to present their topics in an attractive, comprehensible and artistic way. The "Light Swing" project, for example, allows visitors to a playground to view the physical forces involved in using a swing by illuminating it. The "Wonder Chamber" presents various curiosities from institutions in Mainz; a "bulletin board" gives a glimpse behind the scenes of scientific research that is usually not visible to the naked eye; a photo project documents the archives of scientific institutions; the "Facets of Science" project brings together text and images from the websites of scientific institutions and investigates the way in which they see themselves.

"The first graduates of the Gutenberg Intermedia Master's course have been provided with a unique opportunity to share their ideas with the residents of Mainz and to become active within the city by participating in this project. The residents of Mainz will be able to experience a different kind of science, getting a glimpse behind the scenes of the work done by communication designers and entering into direct discussions with the students - everyone wins," said Professor Gerhard Muth, President of the University of Applied Sciences. "Normally science is not linked to design," said Johannes Bergerhausen, one of the professors responsible. "It is, therefore, even more encouraging that at Skop, every visitor experiences that this link can be vital and very exciting."