“At this moment we can see how important different disciplines are in overcoming a crisis. This illustrates how crucial it is that science, society and politics cooperate. We need to give the public sphere a better understanding of science and educate society in order to reduce fears and skepticism. Science – in all areas – must become more accessible, visible and open, and society must become more enlightened.”

Johanna Pirker is assistant professor, software engineer, and director of the research group Game Lab Graz at the Institute of Interactive Systems and Data Science at Graz University of Technology. Her work focusses on games research, data analysis and immersive environments (VR). She has received various awards for her research, the most recent addition being the Hedy-Lamarr Award by the City of Vienna. 

“Decades of independent research have made it possible for scientists to develop not only one, but several vaccines against Covid-19 in a record-breaking span of time. In order to stop climate change and hit the 1.5-degree-target, scholars and scientists work together, as we need to reach a fundamental change in the way our society thinks and acts in addition to finding or optimizing alternative, renewable sources of energy. Instead of learning from the pandemic and the climate crisis and encouraging independent research so that we can build upon foundations for the next crisis, funding has been massively withdrawn.  Continue reading Antonia Weberling: stop the funding cuts! →

“An inherent feature of science is to ask questions leading to a better understanding of the world. However, the scientific system immediately has to be questioned regarding its accessibility for different individuals, since societies and academic institutions still lack homogenous access to education, opportunities and chances. Thus, science is depleted of diversity in terms of gender, ethnicity and ultimately and most importantly: mindsets. Continue reading Nicole Amberg: gender equality as driving force →