Philipp Schrögel

I am a science communication researcher and practitioner. I currently work as research coordinator and am responsible for science communication at the Käte Hamburger Centre for Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic Studies (CAPAS) at Heidelberg University. Besides that, I also occasionally do gigs as a science communication freelancer.

My focus in science communication research and practice is on creative and participatory forms of science communication – ranging from science slams to science comics or science street art. The central question for my activities is, how public engagement with science can reach people beyond the traditional educated classes.

I explicitly explored this in my previous position at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology during the project Science For All, where we developed a typology of exclusion factors in science communication, identified recommendations for reaching underserved audiences, and practically developed and implemented pilot projects with different audiences. I also explored science communication through pop-up video installations in empty shopwindows in urban areas, in another project ways of reaching rural areas as well and artistic approaches to science communication with street art, poetry, and comics. 

The apocalypse is not a fictional or historical topic – just think of the current Russian invasion in Ukraine with the lingering risk of a global nuclear conflict, the global Covid-19 pandemic and especially its impacts on marginalized communities and the threats to mankind and the planet as a whole through the climate crisis, biodiversity loss and the other approached planetary boundaries. In communicating about these topics, a recurring question is if one should address the apocalyptic dimensions or rather focus on solution-oriented positive aspects – a question of hope or doom. But this is also a debate between seemingly neutral science communication or activist positions. In the end, the many sides are not excluding each other, and it is rather a question of aims, style and values in science communication.