Alumni Freiburg e.V. has agreed to provide 3,800 euros for the “Bernstein Workshop,” a project coordinated by the Freiburg Cluster of Excellence “BrainLinks-BrainTools” that introduces neuroscience to the interested public.

This spring the “Bernstein Center Freiburg” (BCF) and the Freiburg Cluster of Excellence “BrainLinks-BrainTools” launched the “Bernstein Workshop.” The workshop is open to anyone interested in science.

The BCF is the university’s central institution for research in the neurosciences, particularly neurotechnology. In the fall of 2012 the research center applied successfully for the Cluster of Excellence “BrainLinks-BrainTools” in the Excellence Initiative. The new Cluster of Excellence, which opened its doors in June 2013, studies the function of the human brain, combining neuroscience with fields like robotics, computer science, and microsystems engineering. The scientists are developing new interfaces between the brain and technical systems in order to design prostheses controlled by neurons. In addition, the cluster is aiming at breakthroughs in the treatment of Parkinson’s and stroke patients.

The BCF and the Cluster of Excellence have launched the “Bernstein Workshop” to introduce the general public to their research. It includes two recurring events, the “Café Scientifique” and the “Science Jam,” both of which dispense with the traditional academic format of the formal lecture:

The idea of “Café Scientifique” is to capture the atmosphere of a coffeehouse as a place for informal social exchange. A speaker – the most recent guest was the well-known science journalist Rüdiger Vaas – holds a short introductory talk on a particular topic, prompting a discussion between the speaker and a small group of participants. This helps the participants to overcome the inhibitions that often prevent people from taking part in a discussion in a large auditorium. The “Bernstein Workshop” provides an opportunity to discuss medical and ethical questions in a familiar atmosphere.

The “Science Jam” gets its name from the jazz term “jam session.” At a jam session, musicians improvise together with other musicians they’re not used to playing with. The first “Science Jam” featured Michael Bach, professor at the University Eye Clinic, and three musicians. The event combined science with music, leading to a colorful evening on hearing and vision research.

The “Bernstein Workshop” is targeted at a broad audience of all ages, since both formats encourage the guests to explore scientific topics without inhibitions in a playful and intuitive manner. In order to create this atmosphere, the organizers renovated a former caretaker’s workshop and converted it into the venue “Bernstein Workshop.”

The members of the Bernstein Center and the Technical Work Group of the Institute of Biology II/III put a lot of work into renovating the venue, with support from the Rectorate. In order to make the  “Science Jam” and the “Café Scientifique” even more appealing, Alumni Freiburg e.V. is providing 3,800 euros for the project so the “workshop” can also be used for courses with students and doctoral candidates.

Information on the events organized by the “Bernstein Workshop” is available at:

http://www.bcf.uni-freiburg.de/werkstatt

Bernstein-Werkstatt
Bernstein-Center-Freiburg

Hansastraße 9a
79104 Freiburg