Karlsruhe Institute of Technology: Dialogue on science in times of crisis

Whether it’s a pandemic, energy shortages or global warming: many people have high hopes for scientific expertise. Others, on the other hand, distrust her. In the dialogue event “Corona crisis, climate crisis, energy crisis: What do we expect from science?” on Tuesday, November 15, 2022, to which the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is inviting, citizens will discuss what they expect from science, when it comes to overcoming crises individually and as a society. The event starts at 5:30 p.m. (admission) in the TRIANGEL Open Space (Kaiserstraße 93, 76131 Karlsruhe). The media are invited to the event. Registrations until November 14, 2022, 12:00 p.m. by email to presse ∂ kit edu .

In uncertain times, fact-based orientation is a sought-after and often contested commodity. Science can often provide extensive knowledge and show solutions for overcoming crises. However, the recent past has also shown that the ideas about scientific work and scientific practice itself can differ considerably – especially when processes take a long time or new knowledge appears uncertain or contradictory.

The key question of the dialogue event organized by the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) of KIT is therefore what the population expects from science in times of crisis. What social role should scientists play? In which cases can science provide answers and where does it reach its limits? The participating citizens discuss this on site in small groups – both among themselves and with researchers of the KIT. Finally, they formulate ideas for and wishes for the research work of the KIT – as well as for science in general.

The knowledge and demands of citizens should flow into the research work of the KIT

The dialogue event is part of the ITAS research project “Social Consequences of the Corona Crisis – A Time Study”. Here researchers are investigating the possible long-term effects of the pandemic on our society. Their study is intended to show possible solutions for politics, society and science and to improve the assessment of further crisis scenarios.

At KIT, people are convinced that science should take place in close exchange with society. Since the first “KIT Science Week” in October 2021, KIT has therefore regularly invited citizens to dialogues that are designed and organized by researchers from the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis. The overarching goal here is to allow the knowledge and demands of citizens to flow into the research work of the KIT.