The Stage Is Set for the Frankfurt Alliance

The MPIEA team will also be on hand to showcase examples of the Institute’s regular research methods and invite visitors to join in. (image: MPI for Empirical Aesthetics / F. Bernoully)

FRANKFURT AM MAIN. In January 2024, 16 research institutions in Frankfurt joined forces to form the "Frankfurt Alliance". In order to demonstrate the strength and diversity of research in the science city of Frankfurt am Main and the Rhine-Main region, as well as its importance for society in the heart of the Main metropolis, the alliance of non-university research institutes and the Goethe University invite you to the big 'Science Festival', which will take place on Saturday, 28 September, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Roßmarkt in Frankfurt's city center.

This colorful family festival will bring science to life in many different tents and on a stage. The diverse program ranges from science slams, debates on current socio-political issues and hands-on activities to short lectures and musical performances. Researchers from various departments of Goethe University and the research-intensive institutes of the Max Planck Society, the Leibniz Association, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, the Helmholtz Association, the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut and the German Cancer Consortium will give insights into their research and be available for questions and discussions.

The event will open with a panel discussion on (educational) equity, with the participation of the DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education. The discussion will focus on the relationship between educational opportunities and social background, social mobility, and the role of policy and research in decision-making processes. A big AI quiz in the form of a prompt battle, a lecture and comedy interludes by the two quirky 'professors' Dr KNOW and Dr HOW are also on the program. Armed with a magnifying glass and accompanied by biologists, you can explore the Roßmarkt and see what grows between the paving stones and in the cracks in the walls. The event will close with a rap performance by Coodiny aka Nikita Kudakov and his live band. Nikita Kudakov has been making music since he was a teenager and is now a PhD student at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, where he is researching the interaction between rappers and their audiences. The stage program will be presented by Stephan Hübner of hr-Info, the festival's media partner.

At the same time, the institutions will provide insights into their research activities in a pagoda tent. A few examples: In a joint tent, the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research and the Goethe University will present a walk-in model of the human heart, a central research object of the Cluster of Excellence Cardiopulmonary Institute (CPI), which is dedicated to diseases of the cardiovascular system. Right next door, colorful flowers are in bloom: in the Goethe University tent, there are open studios for experimenting, painting and solving puzzles. In the tent of the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research you can go on journey around the world and analyze camera traps from Bolivia and South Africa. The PRIF – Peace Research Institute Frankfurt is collecting Frankfurt's ideas for peace. The Max Planck Institute Biophysics offers VR headsets that allow you to experience the building blocks of life from the inside. And two hands-on experiments from the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research show how particle accelerators work.

The festival invites young and old to be curious, to participate, to ask questions and to learn more about science. There will be food trucks with regional specialities. Deckchairs and plenty of seating options invite you to take a break and reflect. The festival starts at 10 a.m. and ends at 7 p.m. Admission is free.

Full program and more information: frankfurtscience.de/en

Email frankfurtalliance@uni-frankfurt.de

Editorial team: Dr Anke Sauter, Senior Scientist, Office for Public Relations and Communications, Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 1, 60323 Frankfurt am Main, Phone: +49 69 798-13066, e-mail: sauter@pvw.uni-frankfurt.de