Pint of Science 2023

Cologne Events

22.5.2023, Liebefeld zu Ehren, Köln Ehrenfeld
23.5.2023, Bumann & SOHN, Köln Ehrenfeld
24.5.2023, Die Tankstelle, Köln Süd

Doors open 7.00 pm; Talks start: 7.30 pm

 

Pint of Science describes the international (non-profit) organisation of festivals that bring to local pubs to discuss their latest research. This year, the Cologne event is taking place from May 22 to May 24 in three pubs in Cologne. Each evening, one of our ML4Q scientists will make sure that physics doesn’t come too short.

The secret life of crystals

Creating single crystals is a crucial process for many of the devices we use every day, such as LED lights, computers, and even quantum computers. Scientists use controlled evaporation of different elements to grow these materials, so small amounts of atoms coalesce into a well-defined crystal onto a surface. By doing this, they can create new materials with exciting properties that work on the quantum scale. Using X-ray diffraction and various microscopy methods, scientists can see the arrangement of atoms on a very small scale, as small as a nanometer or a micrometer.

Christoph Ringkamp

PhD student in solid state physics, Forschungszentrum Jülich

Making photons interact – why Star Wars is flawed?

In everyday situations, light particles called photons typically don’t interact with each other, they just pass by one another. However, scientists have found a way to make photons interact by connecting them to matter inside something called an optical resonator. This creates a new kind of particle that’s a mix of light and matter. Doing so, interactions between the matter can be transferred to the photons, as has been observed in experiments. Interacting photons are particularly exciting for developing things like quantum networks and quantum computers that use light instead of electricity.

Dr. Andrea Bergschneider

Postdoctoral researcher in quantum physics and quantum optics , University of Bonn

Long-distance relationships in one-dimensional swinger clubs and quantum computing

Quantum computing is a new and exciting area of technology that has the potential to solve complex mathematical problems. However, the building blocks of quantum computers, called qubits, are very sensitive to outside forces, making them difficult to work with. One solution to this problem is using so called Majorana qubits which store information in a unique way that makes them less likely to be affected by external disturbances. Scientists have created a simple model using a chain of electrons to help them build Majorana qubits using special materials called one-dimensional superconductors.

Samuel Morales

PhD student in theoretical physics, HHU Düsseldorf

Das internationale, 3-tägige Pint of Science Festival wird tausenden Wissenschaftler:innen gleichzeitig die Möglichkeit geben, der Öffentlichkeit von ihren neuesten Forschungsergebnissen und Erkenntnissen zu erzählen.
Das Festival findet gleichzeitig in über 320 Städten in 24 verschiedenen Ländern über alle fünf Kontinente verteilt statt.
Wissenschaftler:innen aus Köln und dem Rheinland werden an den drei Tagen in Liebefeld zu Ehren und Bumann & SOHN in Ehrenfeld, sowie in der Tankstelle im Süden der Stadt zu finden sein.

Über Pint of Science

Pint of Science bezeichnet die internationale (gemeinnützige) Organisation von Festivals, bei denen Wissenschaftler:innen in die Kneipe kommen, um mit Stammbesuchern über ihre neuesten Forschungen zu diskutieren. Das Festival findet jedes Jahr an drei Tagen im Mai statt.
Die Idee stammt aus dem Jahr 2012, als Dr. Michael Motskin und Dr. Praveen Paul vom Imperial College London eine Veranstaltung mit dem Titel “Meet the Researchers” organisierten. Sie brachten Menschen, die an Parkinson, Alzheimer, Motoneuron-Krankheit und Multipler Sklerose erkrankt waren, in ihre Labore, um ihnen zu zeigen, welche Art von Forschung sie damals betrieben. In Mai 2013 drehten sie die Idee um und das erste Pint of Science-Festival fand in Kneipen von nur drei britischen Städten – bald jedoch in über 300 Städten weltweit – statt.

Über Pint of Science Cologne

16 deutsche Städte nehmen jährlich an Pint of Science Germany teil. Die Kölner Veranstaltung wird gemeinsam von Doktorand:innen und PR-Verantwortlichen der Kölner Max-Planck-Institute für Biologie des Alterns, Stoffwechselforschung und Pflanzenzüchtungsforschung sowie den beiden Exzellencluster CECAD und ML4Q der Universität zu Köln organisiert.

Berichte aus vergangenen Veranstaltungen

Science meets spirits: Pint of Science thrives in Cologne’s pubs

Science meets spirits: Pint of Science thrives in Cologne’s pubs

For three lively evenings, the vibrant city of Cologne played host to the annual Pint of Science event in three cozy local pubs. There, over 200 science fans gathered to engage with enthusiastic researchers from various scientific disciplines, exchanging ideas and...

Back in the pubs again – ML4Q @ Pint of Science 2022

Back in the pubs again – ML4Q @ Pint of Science 2022

Round 100 guests met at Bumann & Sohn in Cologne on Monday to grab a beer and listen to the latest research news on quantum computers, brain research and aging.   The evening was entitled: All in order? The audience looked at various phenomena from quantum...