User:Ohyeahfranzi

About me
I am a vertebrate paleontologist and graduate of the Master's program in Evolutionary Biology at the Freie Universität Berlin. Until recently, I was actively researching the anatomy and interlocking of Tyrannosaurs rex at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin. Currently, I am working as a student advisor at the FU Berlin.

For many years I have been involved in promoting women in science through Soapbox Science Berlin and 500 Women Scientists.

With my science podcast "Science with Milk, No Sugar" and the format "Kaffeeklatsch mit Wissenschaft" as well as my involvement with Pint of Science Germany and LGBTQ STEM Berlin, I am committed to the accessible communication of science topics in digital and analog public spaces. I am particularly passionate about supporting and creating safe platforms for underrepresented groups in science.

When I'm not tweeting about topics that are important to me, I'm most likely busy planning my next travel adventure, taking pictures with my camera, or reading a book in a café somewhere.

"Science with Milk, No Sugar" Podcast
When most people hear the word "science," they think of stuffy institutions in ivory towers. They think of dry papers with words they can't pronounce or understand. And they think of middle-aged men.

That's why I'm so excited to introduce my brand new podcast, which will be released in early 2022. With "Science with Milk, No Sugar," I want to invite listeners into a different world of science - one that's more casual, accessible, and diverse. Instead of listening to a lecture, they can listen to a real scientist casually talk about their work over a hot cup of coffee.

It's incredibly important to me to show my guests as they really are, and just chat about everyday life behind the curtain of science.

My guests' research is always the focus, but I also want to show the human side of science. What are the struggles of a young woman in science? What happens when you leave academia, and what are the hurdles for mothers who want to pursue a career in science? Is it hard to work as a gay man in the world of science? Do researchers feel they are treated differently because of the color of their skin? I want to ask the tough questions.

Behind every young and dedicated researcher with an exceptional resume lies a long and often difficult path to higher education, riddled with myriad obstacles.

With this new podcast, I want to give graduate students, postdocs, and scientists who have left academia a platform to tell us their stories.

With "Science with Milk, No Sugar," I also want to shed light on the situation of women in science and underrepresented groups in research and how it can be improved.

We'll find out about their journey into science, their most difficult challenges, their greatest successes, and their lives after the lab.

I'm really excited about this new adventure because it gives people the opportunity to tune in from outside of Berlin, learn about amazing new research happening in the city (and beyond), grab their favorite cup and a hot beverage, and get involved. Most importantly, we find out how my guests enjoy their coffee along the way.
 * Science with Milk, No Sugar Website

"Kaffeeklatsch mit Wissenschaft"
The newly created spaces at the Museum of Natural History Berlin offer an excellent opportunity for direct communication between staff, scientists and visitors and provide insights into the work in a research museum. One of the most important quality criteria for good participation is the engagement of everyone and the exploration of methods to integrate the widest possible variety of views and perspectives.

At "Coffee with Science," many people in small and (relaxed) large groups can engage with a topic and ask questions without feeling intimidated. On the one hand, the concept combines something that many Germans have known all their lives: Sitting together with family on Sundays, drinking coffee, eating cake and discussing life, the week and current events. On the other hand, there is science: still often a daunting concept that seems unclear to visitors even today ("What do scientists actually do all day?"). By combining these two terms, I want to take the fear out of visitors who might otherwise come "just to look" and be too shy to actively ask questions or engage in conversation.
 * Kaffeeklatsch mit Wissenschaft Website
 * Wissenschaftskommunikation.de Über Kaffeeklatsch mit Wissenschaft

Soapbox Science Berlin
Soapbox Science is a novel public platform to promote women scientists and the science they do. Our events transform public spaces into an arena for public learning and scientific debate. With Soapbox Science, we want to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy, learn from, ask questions of, investigate, interact with, and be inspired by some of our leading women scientists. No middle man, no PowerPoint presentation, no amphitheater - just remarkable women in science who will amaze you with their latest discoveries and answer the questions you've been dying to ask.


 * Offizielle Soapbox Science Website

Pint of Science Germany
Pint of Science describes the international (non-profit) organization of festivals where some of the most brilliant scientists come to your local pub to discuss their latest research and findings with you. You don't need any prior knowledge and have the chance to meet (and have a beer with) the people who are responsible for the future of science. Our festival takes place on a few days in May each year, but we occasionally offer events in other months.

The idea originated in 2012, when Dr. Michael Motskin and Dr. Praveen Paul of Imperial College London organized an event called "Meet the Researchers." They brought people who had Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, motor neuron disease, and multiple sclerosis into their labs to show them what kind of research they were doing at the time. This was very inspiring for both the visitors and the researchers. They thought, if people want to come to the labs to meet scientists, why not bring the scientists to the people? And so Pint of Science was born. In May 2013, the first Pint of Science festival took place in just three UK cities. It quickly spread around the world and now takes place in over 400 cities, including Germany.

After working as Pint of Science's Berlin City Manager since 2016, I joined the German national team to ensure the growth of our science communication events. I manage the social media channels nationwide, create content, edit photos, and participate in science outreach and sponsor recruitment.


 * Offizielle Pint of Science Germany Website

LGBTQ+ STEM Berlin
In 2022, I joined the core team of LGBTQ+ STEM Berlin, a wonderful organization with even more wonderful people.

We are here to increase the visibility of LGBTQ+ individuals in the MINT industry and connect the community, starting with Berlin. The group was founded on July 5, 2019 and has been growing ever since. People of all ages, backgrounds, origins, race, color, sexual orientation, and gender identitys are welcome to join us: Let's be open and proud together! We also collaborate with groups around the globe. We are part of the organizing collective that organizes LGBTQ+ STEM Day.


 * Offizielle LGBT STEM Berlin Website

Project "Hack the Wiki Gap"
I participated in a workshop of the BMBF-funded Wikipedia: WikiProject Innovative Women/Hack the Wiki Gap Project "Hack the Wiki Gap" of the non-profit science communication company Torten & Trompeten gGmbH in June/July 2023 to create biographies of women on Wikipedia. The project is part of the Funding Guidelines Innovative Women. I am not paid for writing articles, but would like to make my free participation in the workshop transparent anyway. I will list here, for quick reference, all the biographies I worked on as part of the project: