Experimental kiosks for dialog between science and society
Kiosks not only sell magazines, tobacco products and drinks. The stationary kiosks are also meeting places for people from the respective residential area, and chatting about current topics in the neighborhood is part of the shopping experience for many kiosk visitors. The aim of the experimental kiosks at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is also to get into conversation with people and discuss the latest scientific findings. However, there are neither drinks nor daily newspapers, but a screen with an input function for direct communication with scientists.
Supported by the karlsruhe.digital initiative, the stationary communication units were developed at the Karlsruhe Decision & Design Lab (KD²Lab) and will be set up at central and highly frequented locations such as the ZKM I Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe or the Schaufenster Karlsruhe information center on the market square. As part of the EFFEKTE science festival, the experimental kiosks have already been successfully integrated into the Science Shopping event from June 12 to 20, 2021. Science enthusiasts were able to test the kiosks at the delicatessen el corazón, PapierFischer, the Schöpf fashion store and the Hilfiger store in Karlsruhe’s Herrenstrasse. “In the experimental kiosks, passers-by can take part in small scientific studies directly and easily,” says KD²Lab manager Anke Greif-Winzrieth. Regular customers are just as welcome as walk-in customers. This is another thing they have in common with the sales kiosks.
Science working group wants to actively involve citizens
Digital citizen science is another focus of the interdisciplinary KD²Lab. In what is known as digital citizen science, research projects are carried out partly or entirely with lay scientists. For Prof. Dr. Alexander Mädche from the KIT Institute for Information Systems and Marketing (IISM) and head of the science working group at the karlsruhe.digital initiative, the participation of urban society in scientific projects is an important task for modern research institutions. The eleven working groups on topics such as science, education or start-up culture are important cornerstones in the daily work of karlsruhe.digital. Members of the initiative’s steering committee are responsible for managing and coordinating the working groups, while external input comes from experts from Karlsruhe’s research institutions and the digital economy. The aim of the individual working groups is to analyze Karlsruhe as a digital location and to identify potential for improvement.
“Communicating research results publicly has long since ceased to be enough. That’s why people can now also actively participate in research and give their feedback.”
says Prof. Dr. Alexander Mädche.
In the end, both sides can benefit from regular dialog. Citizens are informed about current developments in research institutions at an early stage, while scientists receive feedback from society about the acceptance of new technical achievements. According to Mädche, this feedback is particularly valuable from an empirical perspective and is becoming increasingly important. “Many technical innovations now have to be developed from the end in mind,” emphasizes Mädche. Because without social acceptance, even innovative products are doomed to failure.
More visibility for the City of Science Karlsruhe
To date, Karlsruhe as a city of science has been particularly visible at hands-on events such as the KIT Open Day or the EFFEKTE science festival. In addition, numerous people have actively accompanied the research of Karlsruhe’s science forges at real-world laboratories such as the Quartier Zukunft in Karlsruhe’s Oststadt district.
With visible and tangible citizen participation, Mädche and his fellow campaigners also want to anchor Karlsruhe as a city of science more firmly in the public consciousness of urban society. “We have big plans. Because we believe that Karlsruhe can differentiate itself from other cities precisely because of its high level of scientific expertise,” emphasizes Mädche. Possible concepts for implementing such a strategy have already been discussed in initial workshops and project meetings. In any case, communication is to become broader and more neutral in future. The motto is to move away from individual institutions such as KIT and towards joint branding such as “Our Campus”.