“Education is what is left when you have forgotten everything you have learned” – this quote is attributed to many: Werner Heisenberg, Burrhus Skinner and of course Albert Einstein. In these dark times, I – a theoretical (!) physicist – have no choice but to hold on to Humboldt’s ideal of education, i.e. the unity of research and teaching, whereby I define “teaching” in a very general way.

I see it simply this way: Apart from the actual scientific projects on current challenges like climate change or COVID, it is our mission and duty as scientists to contribute to the education of the public and thus also to the education of politicians who make far-reaching decisions on a daily basis. Therefore I find it equally important to explain to mankind the importance of exponential growth as to invest in the development of the COVID vaccine. And it is just as important to explain all measures against climate change as it is for the public to understand the difference between a “theory” and a “hypothesis”. That’s why, as a theoretical physicist, I decided a few months ago to make a practical contribution to public education and set up a YouTube channel. The reactions show me how great the need and interest in such education is. Have a look: https://www.youtube.com/ProfLemeshko

Mikhail Lemeshko is Professor of theoretical physics and head of a research group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria. The main direction of his current research is understanding the physics of quantum impurities possessing orbital angular momentum. Recently, he has been elected to the Young Academy of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. On his Youtube channel, he shows experiment or explains scientific correlations. 

“In March 2020, more than 1.1 million students in Austria switched to home study basically without warning. Because of that, self-regulated studying has become a necessity. We are researching how this works in a research project at the Faculty of Psychology (University of Vienna), which is sponsored by the Vienna Science and Technology Fund.

Continue reading Christiane Spiel: How to study during a pandemic →

“What for? This is what I often get asked when I tell people that my research group develops instruments for space telescopes which are used to search for planets orbiting other stars or which analyse the composition of far-away worlds to predict their habitability. Continue reading Franz Kerschbaum: Why we shoot tax money into orbit →

“I contribute to the management of the significant crises of our time (COVID-19 and the climate crisis) by doing research and teaching young people in cross-disciplinary knowledge and competences to tackle the Grand Global Challenges.

Continue reading Katharina Gsöllpointner: Tackling global challenges →

“A crisis brings the really important things to the fore: science and research are part of that.  Who, if not researchers, can generate new knowledge and tools? Who, if not researchers, can point out possible solutions? Continue reading Klement Tockner: Understanding the world →

Dear ball guests,

Tough we have postponed the 7th Science Ball until January 29, 2022 the ball has always been much more than a glittering celebration of inspiring enlightenment and encouraging sensuality: a platform for testing and applying innovative methods of science communication. Continue reading Messages of Confidence →

We proudly present you our ball video 2020!

Take your time to let the evening pass one more time, maybe even spot yourself in the crowd, and take notes for the next Vienna Ball of Sciences on 30 January 2021 of things you haven’t explored yet.

Our thanks go to Spotteron for producing this great video and to you for making this night so special!

The ball night is ending, but we still have one more ace up our sleeve: This year’s ball magazine is 68 pages long and was conceptualised by editor-in-chief Katharina Kropshofer.  You can download it now and find stories about all the highlights of the ball,  bees in the city, biodiversity, network medicine and birthday boy  Ludwig van Beethoven. Enjoy the read!

You can download the magazine here: https://www.wissenschaftsball.at/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/SciBall_Mag2020-screen-komprimiert.pdf

Performing as Kerosin95, Kathrin Kolleritsch will heat up the disco in the Volkshalle at 1 am with political rap. In this interview she speaks about invisible identities and an antithesis to tough gangsta rap.

When Kathrin Kolleritsch, alias Kerosin95, enters the stage, nobody stands still anymore. Energetically she jumps around, yet her voice – which can also be heard in her new collaboration “My Ugly Clementine” together with Mira Lu Kovacs (Schmieds Puls), Sophie Lindinger (Leyya) and Nastasja Ronck (Lucid Kid) – is not suffering from that movement. For Kerosin is “Nicht immer taktvoll, doch stets im Rhythmus des Metronoms” (a German play on words meaning: “not always discreet but in the rhythm of the metronome”), which is how she describes herself in her Single “Außen hart innen flauschig”.

Your texts are playful and funny, at the same time you never leave out a certain sense of social criticism. How does that go together? For me, social criticism goes hand in hand with humour, irony and more serious moments. Playing with it in my lyrics is a lot of fun for me. And this is a way I can be critical – towards myself or the world. I could definitely never do without my “Schmäh”, my wit.

You said in another interview that “anger” is one of the driving forces behind Kerosin95. What makes you angry right now?
Yes, anger is one of the driving forces for art. But not the only one. Many things make me angry: Current power relations, some people who do not question their privileges or simply ignore them, and the patriarchy – always.  I am also angry at my self sometimes, my habits and racisms, which are deeply rooted. But this anger is very constructive for me. It helps me to understand the world and myself and to do something about it. Thereby I am not less angry but I am merging it into texts. Expressing myself through those and being loud gives me the feeling that I can actually change something within myself.

With rappers like Ebow, Keke and EsRap, the Austrian rap scene has also changed in terms of gender. You do not see yourself as female. How visible are queer* identities in the music scene?
Some things are changing in Austria but queer* identities are still very underrepresented in the musical landscape. Festivals, line-ups or nominations for the Amadeus (Austrian music award) are still nominated by white and cis-males. That is a pity and a bit embarassing because there are so many great artists* which are not seen or heard! Making queer* identities visible is very important and essential for everyone. And it shouldn’t just be the task of the people who are affected by it themselves.

Interview: Katharina Kropshofer

Photo: Hannah Fasching

P.S: You can find the complete interview in the ball magazine, which will be handed out at the end of the ballnight to all visitors and will also be available for download the next morning.

Your legs are still tired and not ready for dancing? We recommend a practice run at the ice skating rink “Wiener Eistraum” by our ball partner Vienna Marketing. On 9000 square meters you will find enough space for a waltz on the ice. Let alone 850 squaremeters on a terrace and 550 meters which lead you through the Rathauspark straight – and hopefully on time – to the ball entrance in Lichtenfelsgasse!