Every year, between 1–10 November, Berlin becomes a nexus for celebrating scientific excellence, knowledge and discovery, and promoting innovative exchange. The 2023 edition of Berlin Science Week (BSW), under the theme “Dare to Know”, was a massive success, too. Over ten festival days, BSW staged more than 200 events by over 180 organisations and reached an audience exceeding 35.000 from more than 140 countries! This year Science of Intelligence (SCIoI) participated with two performances and also won a prize.

One of the most interesting and non-strictly academic events of Berlin Science Week is the Science Slam organized by the seven Berlin Clusters of Excellence. Early-career scientists from the clusters present their research projects in an engaging and entertaining way, as they compete for the honor of best science-slammer. Last years’ great success demonstrated how much interest there is in the research areas of the seven clusters of excellence.

Inter-cluster Science Slam 2023

On 2 November, at the alternative premises of Holzmarkt and in front of a crowd of over 350 people, our very own Maryam Karimian has won the prize at the inter-cluster Science Slam! Her performance captivated the audience with a fusion of expertise and charisma. Maryam’s presentation illuminated the intricacies of behavioral contagion, leaving the audience in awe. Together with the Slammer from Matters of Activity (Emma Sicher), Maryam took the first place in a house of an enthusiastic and encouraging audience.

Images: Per Jacob Blut | Framerei

Watch the full Science Slam:

© Bianca Theis

From order to disorder – an evening of debates and performances

On 9 November, the art-science forum event “From Order to Disorder and Back – Featuring Icarus Performance” took place and offered public talks and performances surrounding the topic of phase transition in matter, mind and society. The audience witnessed debates about arts, natural sciences and political systems between provocative thinkers in their field.

SCIoI member David Bierbach showcased the RoboFish demonstrator and invited the audience to explore collective behaviour and its connection to robotics and artificial intelligence. Inspired by the rules that shape fish and bird swarms, the project that underlies this demonstrator explores the complexities of social interactions. The robotic fish integrates itself into groups of live fish and enable thus the study of social processes within groups – something that is not possible without Robo Fish! In this demonstrator, you can steer the Robo Fish and test how well you would act as a “real” fish. The Robo Fish holds immense research potential, fostering collaborations with biologists, roboticists and physicists.

Images: Paul Drude Institute (PDI) / Florian Ritter